Upon Completion of Half-Blood Prince
Jul. 18th, 2005 07:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tealinDone! DONE! At long last I can wander around the internet without fear of running into spoilers! And because I am utterly soulless, I already have two ideas for gag sketches.
More later, but for the moment, a couple of things:
1. Once it picked up a plot, it got really good! Imagine that.
2. I figured out who the H.B.P. was about fifteen pages before it was revealed. HAH! Last minute deductions are grand.
11:00 pm
So. My thoughts. As best as I can collect them.
Now that I have finished the book, I feel comfortable in saying that our dear Ms Rowling seems to be back on track. The last two have been kind of ... wandering ... and this one started out the same way (with better pacing and writing, in my opinion) but once it picked up a plotline and events of the story fell into step with it, it was really enjoyable to read. It moved along, I got swept up in what was happening, I was concerned for the characters ... good stuff. Unfortunately, this happened about 2/3 of the way through the book. But at least it happened somewhere. Yay, plot! Never underestimate the power of plot. Not only was there a nice throughline, as opposed to the very episodic nature of the first part of the book, but there was a nice build in tension to a climax and there was a denouement! Plot structure! Plot structure and character, reuntited at last! Goblet had character but little in the way of structure, and Phoenix had structure (though with a fundamental flaw, which I may go into if prompted) but curiously half-hearted characters – but Prince (or at least the last bit of it) had both. The developments regarding the search for the Horcruxes leave me very optimistic that the last book will have a unifying throughline right from the beginning – instead of dawdling in soap opera territory, there will be a purpose to the story right from the beginning. Thank goodness.
Aha, now onto the sticky subject of romance. Okay, I appreciate the previous comments about how it is an accurate reflection of adolescent life, but ... it just seemed ... kind of pointless, half the time. I mean, food, sleep, acne, growing pains, and going to the bathroom are realistic concerns as well, but they aren't given attention. One of the rules about subplots is that they ought to contribute to the main plot in some way, but most of the romances were distractiing tangents. And at that point in the book, there wasn't a main plot, it was just a tangled mess of unrelated subplots, which was not very captivating. On top of this, none of the romances seemed convincing. All of a sudden Harry's in love with Ginny – where'd that come from? We never find out why he likes her, we just know he likes her because the narration tells us so, and there isn't even any lead-up to it.¹ When they do get together, there's no chemistry. I just ... don't believe them. Their time together is only alluded to, and for something that ought to be so important to Harry, this seems short shrift. Hermione and Ron were probably the most realistic 'couple' with their bickering and reluctance to acknowedge their attraction to one another (though I'm grateful that, through this, JKR made mention of how romance has the potential to ruin a friendship ... too few people realise this until it's too late). Some of the other ones seemed slapped together, though ... Filch and Mme Pince? Puh-leez. Lupin and Tonks just sort of dropped into the plot out of the blue.² It's like JKR is going through her character list, finding the loose ends, and tying them together so they don't inconveniently flap around.³ I did like Fleur's arc, though. Who'd have thought she had integrity like that? That was one last-minute thing I did believe, oddly enough ... the reconciliation between her and Mrs Weasley was rather sudden but there was something more believeable about it than any of the other spontaneous flips.
Speaking of romance: I do really really hope that the events in this book will pour some cold water on the rabid Snape fan set. There will always be the core group that goes for the evil people in some sort of rebellious snook-cocking gesture, but really, folks, can you still love him after that? I would like to think there'll be a defection from the Malfoy camp as well, but it's more likely his fanciers will just take pity on the poor manipulated victimised boy who's being coerced into evil ways.
Um, yeah, R.A.B.? Does anyone not know who this is? Or could it be a red herring? Ms Rowling is not as cruel as Mr Snicket so I suspect she'd be honest about this one, but you never know.
Stan Shunpike is still in jail! Somebody get him out before he goes for the cannonballs! (Funny, this is one thing the movies have done for me... I never cared about him before. Mad. I am mad, I tell you! Good thing the third movie came out before this book, eh? Tra-la! Goodness, what did my sister put in that frappucchino...?)
I may add to this as recollections resurface. But that's it for now.
¹Does anyone else see anything Freudian in this?
²It appears Tonks is the only unmarried female in the series with taste, good judgement, and observational skills. I am speaking entirely impartially, of course. Oh yes.
³As a perpetually loose-end-by-choice who spent my teenage years railing against a society that viewed singlehood as a state of being as desirable as insanity or incarceration, I resent this.
12:02 AM
I am with Gabby on this one: Bring on the THUD! Yeah!
THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS, DEAR LIZA, DEAR LIZA; THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS, DEAR LIZA, SPOILERS!
More later, but for the moment, a couple of things:
1. Once it picked up a plot, it got really good! Imagine that.
2. I figured out who the H.B.P. was about fifteen pages before it was revealed. HAH! Last minute deductions are grand.
11:00 pm
So. My thoughts. As best as I can collect them.
Now that I have finished the book, I feel comfortable in saying that our dear Ms Rowling seems to be back on track. The last two have been kind of ... wandering ... and this one started out the same way (with better pacing and writing, in my opinion) but once it picked up a plotline and events of the story fell into step with it, it was really enjoyable to read. It moved along, I got swept up in what was happening, I was concerned for the characters ... good stuff. Unfortunately, this happened about 2/3 of the way through the book. But at least it happened somewhere. Yay, plot! Never underestimate the power of plot. Not only was there a nice throughline, as opposed to the very episodic nature of the first part of the book, but there was a nice build in tension to a climax and there was a denouement! Plot structure! Plot structure and character, reuntited at last! Goblet had character but little in the way of structure, and Phoenix had structure (though with a fundamental flaw, which I may go into if prompted) but curiously half-hearted characters – but Prince (or at least the last bit of it) had both. The developments regarding the search for the Horcruxes leave me very optimistic that the last book will have a unifying throughline right from the beginning – instead of dawdling in soap opera territory, there will be a purpose to the story right from the beginning. Thank goodness.
Aha, now onto the sticky subject of romance. Okay, I appreciate the previous comments about how it is an accurate reflection of adolescent life, but ... it just seemed ... kind of pointless, half the time. I mean, food, sleep, acne, growing pains, and going to the bathroom are realistic concerns as well, but they aren't given attention. One of the rules about subplots is that they ought to contribute to the main plot in some way, but most of the romances were distractiing tangents. And at that point in the book, there wasn't a main plot, it was just a tangled mess of unrelated subplots, which was not very captivating. On top of this, none of the romances seemed convincing. All of a sudden Harry's in love with Ginny – where'd that come from? We never find out why he likes her, we just know he likes her because the narration tells us so, and there isn't even any lead-up to it.¹ When they do get together, there's no chemistry. I just ... don't believe them. Their time together is only alluded to, and for something that ought to be so important to Harry, this seems short shrift. Hermione and Ron were probably the most realistic 'couple' with their bickering and reluctance to acknowedge their attraction to one another (though I'm grateful that, through this, JKR made mention of how romance has the potential to ruin a friendship ... too few people realise this until it's too late). Some of the other ones seemed slapped together, though ... Filch and Mme Pince? Puh-leez. Lupin and Tonks just sort of dropped into the plot out of the blue.² It's like JKR is going through her character list, finding the loose ends, and tying them together so they don't inconveniently flap around.³ I did like Fleur's arc, though. Who'd have thought she had integrity like that? That was one last-minute thing I did believe, oddly enough ... the reconciliation between her and Mrs Weasley was rather sudden but there was something more believeable about it than any of the other spontaneous flips.
Speaking of romance: I do really really hope that the events in this book will pour some cold water on the rabid Snape fan set. There will always be the core group that goes for the evil people in some sort of rebellious snook-cocking gesture, but really, folks, can you still love him after that? I would like to think there'll be a defection from the Malfoy camp as well, but it's more likely his fanciers will just take pity on the poor manipulated victimised boy who's being coerced into evil ways.
Um, yeah, R.A.B.? Does anyone not know who this is? Or could it be a red herring? Ms Rowling is not as cruel as Mr Snicket so I suspect she'd be honest about this one, but you never know.
Stan Shunpike is still in jail! Somebody get him out before he goes for the cannonballs! (Funny, this is one thing the movies have done for me... I never cared about him before. Mad. I am mad, I tell you! Good thing the third movie came out before this book, eh? Tra-la! Goodness, what did my sister put in that frappucchino...?)
I may add to this as recollections resurface. But that's it for now.
¹Does anyone else see anything Freudian in this?
²It appears Tonks is the only unmarried female in the series with taste, good judgement, and observational skills. I am speaking entirely impartially, of course. Oh yes.
³As a perpetually loose-end-by-choice who spent my teenage years railing against a society that viewed singlehood as a state of being as desirable as insanity or incarceration, I resent this.
12:02 AM
I am with Gabby on this one: Bring on the THUD! Yeah!
THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS, DEAR LIZA, DEAR LIZA; THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS, DEAR LIZA, SPOILERS!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
WARNING- SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Date: 2005-07-19 07:01 pm (UTC)I was also of the hardcore Snape fandom at one point. ... so the last few chapters absolutely sucked for me. it was like having the rug yanked out from under me. I suppose I share Dumbledore's sense of faith in the overall goodness of humanity and was therefore TOTALLY UNWILLING to believe the truth about him... and the fact that he was such an antisocial type really made me want to see him redeemed. But now I'm thinking of making a tribute called "The Day the Fandom Died" or something. Or maybe "I formed a FANCLUB for you, you miserable, treacherous bastard!" Gah. I'm still so sad about it.
One thing that book five had, that I missed in this book, was that book 5 filled you with righteous anger and eagerness to "fight the power". It's exhilarating to get into that kind of mob mentality sometimes (in moderation, of course, in moderation.) But this book was just... sad. I came out of it feeling really depressed. But then, a big part of my fandom died.
Might be good to read this
Date: 2005-07-21 09:12 am (UTC)Re: WARNING- SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Date: 2005-07-21 10:21 am (UTC)i like the idea of dumbledore and snape planning the whole thing sounds interesting... but if i was dumbledore i wouldnt have wanted to be killed! *cries* i'm a coward!
and i never even thought of sirius' brother... i'm also dumb. :)
emily xxx