Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is afantasy novel written by British authorJ. K. Rowling. It is the sixth and penultimate novel in theHarry Potter series, and takes place duringHarry Potter's sixth year at the wizard schoolHogwarts. The novel reveals events from the early life ofLord Voldemort, and chronicles Harry's preparations for the final battle against him.
The book was published in the United Kingdom byBloomsbury and in the United States byScholastic on 16 July 2005, as well as in several other countries. It sold almost seven million copies in the first 24 hours after its release,[1] a record eventually broken by its sequel,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[2] There were many controversies before and after it was published, including the right-to-read copies delivered before the release date in Canada. Reception to the novel was generally positive, and it won several awards and honours, including the 2006British Book of the Year award.
Reviewers noted that the book had a darker tone than its predecessors, though it did contain some humour. Some considered the main themes love, death, trust, and redemption. The considerable character development of Harry and many other teenage characters also drew attention.
While out shopping for school supplies, Harry,Ron Weasley, andHermione Granger observe Draco making inquiries atBorgin and Burkes, a shop known for its connection to theDark Arts. At Hogwarts, the students learn that Slughorn will be teachingPotions, while Snape will be taking overDefence Against the Dark Arts. For Slughorn's first class, Harry and Ron borrow a pair of old textbooks. Harry's textbook previously belonged to someone known as "The Half-Blood Prince", and it contains many helpful tips. Following the instructions of the Prince, Harry becomes an expert potion brewer. He rises to the top of the class and wins a vial of the luck potion Felix Felicis.
Dumbledore prepares Harry for his eventual battle withVoldemort by educating him about Voldemort's past as Tom Riddle. While a student at Hogwarts, Riddle had asked Slughorn about objects calledHorcruxes, which can grant immortality by encasing fragments of a wizard's soul. Dumbledore wants to see the memory as it appears in Slughorn's mind, and asks Harry to retrieve it from him. Harry joins the Slug Club, a group of Slughorn's famous, talented and well-connected students.Hermione andGinny also attend the club, which causes Ron to feel left out. He accepts an invitation from Hermione to Slughorn's Christmas party, but upsets her when he kissesLavender Brown. Meanwhile, Harry develops a crush on Ginny.
When Ron is poisoned and admitted to the infirmary, Hermione visits him. Harry discards his Potions textbook after he ends up nearly killing Draco with one of the Prince's scribbled spells when he was about to cast the Cruciatus Curse on him. Later, Harry's luck potion helps him obtain Slughorn's memory and causes Lavender to break up with Ron, and Ginny to break up with her boyfriendDean Thomas, which allows Harry to start seeing her instead. Slughorn's memory suggests that Voldemort created six Horcruxes, though Dumbledore explains that two are already destroyed:his diary and a ring his grandfather owned. He asks Harry to accompany him to retrieve another.
In a remote cave, Harry and Dumbledore overcome many obstacles before seizing the Horcrux,the locket of Hogwarts co-founder Salazar Slytherin. Back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore unexpectedly immobilises Harry under hisinvisibility cloak. A group ofDeath Eaters arrive with Draco, who falters in an attempt to kill Dumbledore and only disarms him. Snape then casts thekilling curse on Dumbledore and sends him falling to his death. Harry tries to fight Snape as he flees, but is overpowered. Snape reveals himself as the Half-Blood Prince and brags about creating the spells Harry is using. After Snape escapes, Harry discovers that the Horcrux he obtained is fake. He resolves to find and destroy all the remaining Horcruxes, and Ron and Hermione pledge to join him.
J. K. Rowling stated that she hadHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince "planned for years," but she spent two months revisiting her plan before she began writing the story's first draft. This was a lesson learned after she did not check the plan forGoblet of Fire and had to rewrite an entire third of the book.[16] She started writing the book before her second child David was born, but she took a break to care for him.[17] The first chapter, "The Other Minister", which features meetings between theMuggle Prime Minister,Minister for MagicCornelius Fudge and his successorRufus Scrimgeour was a concept Rowling tried to start inPhilosopher's Stone,Prisoner of Azkaban andOrder of the Phoenix, but she found "it finally works" inHalf-Blood Prince.[18] She stated that she was "seriously upset" writing the end of the book, althoughGoblet of Fire was the hardest to write.[19] When asked if she liked the book, she responded, "I like it better than I likedGoblet,Phoenix orChamber when I finished them. Book six does what I wanted it to do and even if nobody else likes it (and some won't), I know it will remain one of my favourites of the series. Ultimately you have to please yourself before you please anyone else!"[20]
Rowling revealed the title ofHalf-Blood Prince on her website on 24 June 2004.[21] This was the title she had once considered for the second book,Chamber of Secrets, though she decided the information disclosed belonged later on in the story.[22] On 21 December 2004, she announced she had finished writing it, along with the release date of 16 July.[23][24] Bloomsbury unveiled the cover on 8 March 2005.[25]
The record-breaking publication ofHalf-Blood Prince was accompanied by controversy. In May 2005,bookmakers in the UK suspended bets on which main character would die in the book amid fears of insider knowledge. A number of high-value bets were made on the death ofAlbus Dumbledore, many coming from the town ofBungay where it was believed the books were being printed at the time. Betting was later reopened.[26] Additionally, in response toGreenpeace's campaign on using forest-friendly paper for big-name authors, Bloomsbury published the book on 30% recycled paper.[27]
In early July 2005, aReal Canadian Superstore inCoquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, accidentally sold fourteen copies ofThe Half-Blood Prince before the authorised release date. The Canadian publisher,Raincoast Books, obtained aninjunction from theSupreme Court of British Columbia that prohibited the purchasers from reading the books before the official release date or discussing the contents.[28] Purchasers were offered Harry Potter T-shirts and autographed copies of the book if they returned their copies before 16 July.[28]
On 15 July, less than twelve hours before the book went on sale in theEastern time zone, Raincoast warnedThe Globe and Mail newspaper that publishing a review from a Canada-based writer at midnight, as the paper had promised, would be seen as a violation of the trade secret injunction. The injunction sparked a number of news articles alleging that the injunction had restricted fundamental rights. Canadian law professorMichael Geist posted commentary on his blog.[29]Richard Stallman called for a boycott and requested the publisher issue an apology.[30]The Globe and Mail published a review from two UK-based writers in its 16 July edition and posted the Canadian writer's review on its website at 9:00 that morning.[31] Commentary was also provided on the Raincoast website.[32]
Some reviewers noted thatHalf-Blood Prince contained a darker tone than the previousPotter novels.The Christian Science Monitor's reviewer Yvonne Zipp argued the first half contained a lighter tone to soften the unhappy ending.[33]The Boston Globe reviewer Liz Rosenberg wrote, "lightness [is] slimmer than ever in this darkening series...[there is] a new charge of gloom and darkness. I felt depressed by the time I was two-thirds of the way through." She also compared the setting toCharles Dickens's depictions of London as it was "brooding, broken, gold-lit, as living a character as any other."[34]Christopher Paolini called the darker tone "disquieting" because it was so different from the earlier books.[35] Liesl Schillinger, a contributor toThe New York Times book review, also noted thatHalf-Blood Prince was "far darker" but "leavened with humor, romance and snappy dialogue." She suggested a connection to the11 September attacks, as the later, darker novels were written after that event.[36] David Kipen, a critic of theSan Francisco Chronicle, considered the "darkness as a sign of our paranoid times" and singled out curfews and searches that were part of the tightened security at Hogwarts as resemblances to our world.[37]
Julia Keller, a critic for theChicago Tribune, highlighted the humour found in the novel and claimed it to be the success of theHarry Potter saga. She acknowledged that "the books are dark and scary in places" but "no darkness inHalf-Blood Prince...is so immense that it cannot be rescued by a snicker or a smirk." She considered that Rowling was suggesting difficult times can be worked through with imagination, hope, and humour and compared this concept to works such asMadeleine L'Engle'sA Wrinkle in Time andKenneth Grahame'sThe Wind in the Willows.[38]
Rosenberg wrote that the two main themes ofHalf-Blood Prince were love and death and praised Rowling's "affirmation of their central position in human lives." She considered love to be represented in several forms: the love of parent to child, teacher to student, and the romances that developed between the main characters.[34] Zipp noted trust and redemption to be themes promising to continue in the final book, which she thought "would add a greater layer of nuance and complexity to some characters who could sorely use it."[33] Deepti Hajela also pointed out Harry's character development, that he was "no longer a boy wizard; he's a young man, determined to seek out and face a young man's challenges."[39] Paolini had similar views, claiming, "the children have changed...they act like real teenagers."[35]
Liesl Schillinger ofThe New York Times praised the novel's various themes and suspenseful ending. However, she considered Rowling's gift "not so much for language as for characterisation and plotting."[36]Kirkus Reviews said it "will leave readers pleased, amused, excited, scared, infuriated, delighted, sad, surprised, thoughtful and likely wondering where Voldemort has got to, since he appears only in flashbacks." They considered Rowling's "wry wit" to turn into "outright merriment" but called the climax "tragic, but not uncomfortably shocking."[40] Yvonne Zipp ofThe Christian Science Monitor praised the way Rowling evolved Harry into a teenager and how the plot threads found as far back asChamber of Secrets came into play. On the other hand, she noted it "gets a littleexposition-heavy in spots," and older readers may have seen the ending coming.[33]
The Boston Globe correspondent Liz Rosenberg wrote, "The book bears the mark of genius on every page" and praised theimagery and darker tone of the book, considering that the series could be crossing over from fantasy to horror.[34] TheAssociated Press writer Deepti Hajela praised the newfound emotional tones and ageing Harry to the point at which "younger fans may find [the series] has grown up too much."[39] Emily Green, a staff writer for theLos Angeles Times, was generally positive about the book but was concerned whether young children could handle the material.[41] Cultural critic Julia Keller of theChicago Tribune called it the "most eloquent and substantial addition to the series thus far" and considered the key to the success of thePotter novels to be humour.[38]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince won several awards, including the 2006British Book of the Year Award[42] and the 2006 Royal Mail Award for Scottish Children's Books for ages 8–12 in its native United Kingdom.[43] In the United States, theAmerican Library Association listed it among its 2006 Best Books for Young Adults.[44] It won both the 2005 reader-votedQuill Awards for Best Book of the Year and Best Children's Book.[45][46] It also won theOppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Seal for notable book.[47]
Before publication, 1.4 million pre-orders were placed forHalf-Blood Prince onAmazon.com, breaking the record held by the previous novel,Order of the Phoenix, with 1.3 million.[48] The initial print run forHalf-Blood Prince was a record-breaking 10.8 million.[49] Within the first 24 hours after release, the book sold 9 million copies worldwide: 2 million in the UK and about 6.9 million in the US,[50] which prompted Scholastic to rush an additional 2.7 million copies into print.[51] Within the first nine weeks of publication, 11 million copies of the US edition were reported to have been sold.[52] The US audiobook, read byJim Dale, set sales records with 165,000 sold over two days, besting the adaptation ofOrder of the Phoenix by twenty percent.[53]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was published simultaneously in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.[54] Along with the rest of the books in theHarry Potter series, it was eventually translated into 67 languages.[55] However, because of high security surrounding the manuscript, translators did not get to start on translatingHalf-Blood Prince until its English release date, and the earliest were not expected to be released until the fall of 2005.[56] In Germany, a group of "hobby translators" translated the book via the internet less than two days after release, long before German translator Klaus Fritz could translate and publish the book.[57]
Reproductions of artwork by Mary GrandPré(pictured) were available with the Scholastic Deluxe Edition.
Since its wide hardcover release on 16 July 2005,Half-Blood Prince was released as a paperback on 23 June 2006 in the UK.[58] Two days later on 25 July, the paperback edition was released in Canada[59] and the US, where it had an initial print run of 2 million copies.[60] To celebrate the release of the American paperback edition, Scholastic held a six-week sweepstakes event in which participants in an online poll were entered to win prizes.[61] Simultaneous to the original hardcover release was the UK adult edition that featured a new cover[62] and was also released as a paperback on 23 June.[63] Also released on 16 July was the Scholastic "Deluxe Edition," which featured reproductions ofMary GrandPré's artwork and had a print run of about 100,000 copies.[64] Bloomsbury later released a paperback "Special Edition" on 6 July 2009[65] and a "Signature Edition" paperback on 1 November 2010.[66]
The film adaptation of the sixth book was originally scheduled to be released on 21 November 2008 but was changed to 15 July 2009.[67][68] Directed byDavid Yates, the screenplay was adapted bySteve Kloves and produced byDavid Heyman andDavid Barron.[69] The film grossed over $934 million worldwide,[70] which made it the second-highest-grossing film of 2009 worldwide[71] and the fifteenth-highest of all time.[72] Additionally,Half-Blood Prince gained anAcademy Award nomination forBest Cinematography.[73][74]
^Knapp, N.F. (2003)."In Defense of Harry Potter: An Apologia"(PDF).School Libraries Worldwide.9 (1). International Association of School Librarianship:78–91. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 9 March 2011. Retrieved14 May 2009.
^"Speed-reading after lights out".The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media Limited. 19 July 2000.Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved27 September 2008.
^Rowling, J.K. (15 March 2004)."Progress on Book Six". J.K. Rowling Official Site. Archived fromthe original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved21 March 2011.
