Monday, July 25, 2005

The Half-Blood Prince

I'd like to comment on it without spoiling the ending for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but I can't really. So consider this a warning to stop reading now if you want to read the book without any hint of what happens.

But much as I loved this one, just as much as the previous five, I worry about the setup for the final Harry Potter book. I've read and watched a lot of great stories about characters who juggle ordinary lives and fantastic adventures, and while the adventures are what thrill the reader, it's the ordinary lives that make the story compelling, readable and enjoyable. And the end of HP and the HBP sets the stage for a story without Harry's ordinary life, and just a battle to the death with the forces of darkness.

I'm sure I'm wrong, of course, because I don't think it's possible for J K Rowling to write a bad book, so I'll just wait and see. But I am a bit concerned.

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