Who is the Half-Blood Prince...?

Sortelli · Post by **Sortelli** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:49 pm

Yeah, AND?

Prince of Persia was okay, the second one was a little boring, but the best of all were the original side scrollers.

Anywherebuthere · Post by **Anywherebuthere** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:53 pm

Mr.Bob wrote:
legostargalactica wrote:I am completely convinced that our own Mr.Bob is the half-blood prince!
hahaha

...I totally clicked this thread with the sole intention of blaring out "I AM THE HALFBLOOD PRINCE!"

But you beat me to it you damn pre-empter you.

Yeah well, don't feel too special, because I AM SPARTICUS

Leko · Post by **Leko** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:53 pm

Of course, there's always a damn good chance that she'll take a completely random tack and make "half blood" mean something totally unrelated to "mum was a witch and dad was a Muggle".

My money is on neither Hagrid nor Neville. She tends to focus on a few characters at a time each book for her plots, and then never again. I mean, with the exceptions of Hermione and Ron. But Hagrid was integral to the plot of the third book, so using him again would be redundant, and Neville was a rather large part of the fourth book (though maybe mybrain is exaggerating the seaweed thing). He was also heavily "backstoried" by Dumbledore at the end of the fifth book.

I would actually like to see a lot more of Neville. I think he's got a lot of potential to throw a monkey wrench into peoples' plans... she's been putting down his magical, social, and all other skills for so long that I'm pretty much expecting him to pull a switch and save the day eventually. It's just not likely to me that he's the half blood prince.

Actually, what seems really likely to me is that the half blood prince isn't a person at all but some kind of ghost, relic, or legend.

Am I thinking way too much about this stuff? Hell yes. Am I going to buy the book the day it comes out and finish it the same day? Hell yes. Rowling may not be the most flowery of writers or the most expert at poetics and genius plot contrivances, but damn does she know how to grab your attention.

Sortelli · Post by **Sortelli** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:57 pm

anywherebuthere wrote: I AM SPARTICUS

I've been looking for you! Where's the five bucks you owe me?

Anywherebuthere · Post by **Anywherebuthere** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:04 pm

Er....Maybe you're thinking of another Sparticus. You know, Jim Sparticus, down on Pepcorn Way.

Don't worry, happens to a lot of people. Get his mail every other week.

Christwriter · Post by **Christwriter** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:56 pm

Leko wrote: She tends to focus on a few characters at a time each book for her plots, and then never again. ... But Hagrid was integral to the plot of the third book, so using him again would be redundant...

Wow. My other problem with Rowling boiled down to two sentances.

I LIKE having characters re-focused on. I like a certain amount of redundancy. And COME ON, other writers do this. David Weber's Honor Harrington series has kept the SAME CHARACTERS from the first book up. You have Honor, main character, but you also have Alaster McKeon, Scotty Tremain, Horace Harkness, Alice Truman, Mike whatshername, Andrew Lafolliet, Paul Tankersly (died in book four, and thank god Honor shot the SOB that killed him) Benjamin Mayhew and Hamish Alexander. This does not count the "bad" guys you eventually end up rooting for anyway, even though they're on the wrong side of the battle lines.

Through all ten novels, Weber concentraits on every single character to some extent. You follow their careers. You begin caring about them as much as you care about Honor. And at any one time in the novels, one, two, four, or ALL of these characters are ciritical. Like for the end of Honor in Exile or through [1]In Enemy Hands, Echos of Honor,[/i] and Ashes of Victory when Honor's command ship gets captured by the enemy. You have this tighly knit group of people, some come in, some drift out, some die, some go on to their own novels. But the whole texture of the world is so rich and vibrantly beautiful because of all these characters.

And then you have Rowling. Who cannot repeat a character, or a plot element, to save her life WITH the noted exception of Prisoner of Askaban. I was actually suprised she killed off Sirius Black in Phoenix, because up until then she had not killed a single major character, repeated through the whole series. And the plot elements she DOES repeat, she repeats to the point of utter morinicy. Example?

HOW THE HECK CAN A SCHOOL NOT BE ABLE TO FIND A COMPETENT TEACHER FOR DEFENCE AGAINST DARK ARTS??????

I'm sorry but the fact that this school cannot keep a teacher in that posision longer than one year is STUPID. Why can't one of the other departments lose a teacher? In REAL. FREAKING. LIFE no school would lose teachers in that department, that consistantly, and not lose teachers in other departments, especially if the school is so dang dangerous as it appears to be. First year? Understandable because the guy was Voldemort's helper. Second year? Also understandable. Year three? Um...ok so there's predicuse in the world. Year four? It's starting to sound like excuses. Year five? I'm going please dear god let this one stick just for the sake of making this stupidity GO AWAY. And OF COURSE it's not going to stick in year six, OF COURSE there's going to be a new DaDA teacher and OF COURSE something bad is going to happen to ensure this teacher will not teach year seven.

It is too freaking predictable. There will be SOMETHING in year six that is absolutely critical to the world, that Harry STILL does not know about, there will be a new DaDA teacher who will be critical to the plot when all the other teachers are marginal help or annoyances (With the possible exception of Snape, he's starting to get--gasp!--interesting), Voldemort will be involved, and the character brought in from the margins of the story without warning, or invented out of whole cloth, will die. And it will take SIX HUNDRED FREAKING PAGES to get to the point.

It's fairly obvious to me that Rowling has developed a bad case of snot-head writer syndrome because everybody is buying her books and loving them rabidly, and she's as critical to the publishing industry as Stephen King is, without King's humility. Because I am still mystified about the size of those last two books. I KNOW I'm going on about them but it makes no sense to me. I mean, King had to chop his books down and he puts SO much more stuff in them then Rowling does that when he puts what he took out back in, it reads better. Rowling...I dunno. Between the expense and the sheer bordom factor in Phoenix, I can only imagine she pitched a fit and the publisher was desperate to get the next book out there.

Oh and next one in 2006? Did you get that in writing? Because my cash is on 08.

CW

Leko · Post by **Leko** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 9:05 pm

I hear what you're saying, espceially about the DADA position, but they have said several times that it's likely the position's cursed. It would be interesting to see some trouble happen to other teachers, though--more situations like Professor Trelawny and the centaur dude would be welcome. With all the other trouble floating around, it WOULD make sense for other teachers, if nothing else, to get sick of it and leave.

Personally I think the key to reading Rowling's books without hating them is to realize that yeah, she's going to get stuck in a formula, but yeah, it's going to be fun anyway. She does always use a lot of minor elements that are pretty fascinating. The details and fringe elements she puts into her exposition are often quite well thought out.

That said, I really did not like the fifth book. Most of Harry Potter's charm so far has been how much fun the books are, despite a very depressing backstory and mcuh strife in the present. The stories have always been exciting and often amusing, and I think the fifth book was just too serious, too depressing. It was painful to read and Harry Potter shouldn't be.

Basically what I think Harry Potter IS is simple, fun, entertaining writing that doesn't always have to be completely original to grab attention.

Mvmarcz · Post by **Mvmarcz** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 9:26 pm

Sortelli wrote:Yeah, AND?

Prince of Persia was okay, the second one was a little boring, but the best of all were the original side scrollers.

:eats piles of lucious prince of persia game: the second one was cheap...stupid metal thong woman and her gay 4 hit attacks and unblockable kicks...

I still haven't finished it...the metal soundtrack makes me not want to play

The Neko · Post by **The Neko** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:08 pm

Wouldn't it make more sense to just wait and read the book when it comes out, instead of spending hours debating on it with no actual evidence to go on?

Sortelli · Post by **Sortelli** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:09 pm

Well where is the fun in that?

Risky · Post by **Risky** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 11:42 pm

The Neko wrote:Wouldn't it make more sense to just wait and read the book when it comes out, instead of spending hours debating on it with no actual evidence to go on?

Are you the king of the couch now? weird.

Tears · Post by **Tears** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:47 am

Couple of things...

One other teacher has actually left, he was just never introduced... because the previous Care of Magical Creatures teacher left to make space for Hagrid, he was never introduced because the main characters had not yet taken that subject.

It actually makes sense to me that no one would have mentioned the tri-whatever it is cup to Harry, it is stated that that competition only happens once in a blue moon and Harry doesn't actually have that much contact with the wizarding world apart from at school, and how many times have you explained all your obscure customs of your culture to someone at school, particularly without there being some reason to?

Of course Harry acts like an angsty teenager... check his age.

Not that I think Rowling's books are wonderful by any means I just think people are pulling them apart for the wrong reasons... for example no one has mentioned how completely unbelievable Harry's family are, they're the one part of the story that in theory should be believable because they're the part that happens in the 'real' world and yet they're the most completely surreal thing in any of the books.

Mr.Bob · Post by **Mr.Bob** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 3:26 am

...My old high school couldnt find a permanent french teacher. Due to differing circumstances we almost had a new guy every year!

Mr.Bob · Post by **Mr.Bob** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 3:29 am

The Neko wrote:Wouldn't it make more sense to just wait and read the book when it comes out, instead of spending hours debating on it with no actual evidence to go on?

Dudley is the half-blood prince!

Komiyan · Post by **Komiyan** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 5:38 am

Sortelli wrote:My money is also on Neville. That character's been constantly tailored to be a surprise.

I'd like it to be Neville, but wasn't he from a fully wizarding family? I'm sure I remember something like that, and about his gran trying to shake the magic out of him cause it HAD to be there...

Also - Hah, quoted, sweet

ManyWorlds · Post by **ManyWorlds** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 7:26 am

Mr.Bob wrote:
The Neko wrote:Wouldn't it make more sense to just wait and read the book when it comes out, instead of spending hours debating on it with no actual evidence to go on?
Dudley is the half-blood prince!

That... that could almost make sense. You're scaring me. Stop it.
I don't think Dudley is considered even half-blood. He does have some wizarding blood, though -- through Harry's mom.
That'd be almost perfect, since no one would seriously expect it.

My money's still on Seamus, though. Or an enturely new character.

Dr Legostar · Post by **Dr Legostar** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 8:14 am

::gestures in the direction of Mr.Bob::

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 9:02 am

I'm a Blood Prince (half!)

Starline · Post by **Starline** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 9:03 am

Other Info: On August 16th, the door on JKR's site opened giving us the following excerpt of book 6, which describes the Half-Blood Prince:

(He) looked rather like an old lion. There were streaks of grey in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp.

From http://www.mugglenet.com/books/futurebo ... acts.shtml

Jen_Babcock · Post by **Jen_Babcock** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 9:16 am

tears wrote:Couple of things...

One other teacher has actually left, he was just never introduced... because the previous Care of Magical Creatures teacher left to make space for Hagrid, he was never introduced because the main characters had not yet taken that subject.

It actually makes sense to me that no one would have mentioned the tri-whatever it is cup to Harry, it is stated that that competition only happens once in a blue moon and Harry doesn't actually have that much contact with the wizarding world apart from at school, and how many times have you explained all your obscure customs of your culture to someone at school, particularly without there being some reason to?

Of course Harry acts like an angsty teenager... check his age.

Not that I think Rowling's books are wonderful by any means I just think people are pulling them apart for the wrong reasons... for example no one has mentioned how completely unbelievable Harry's family are, they're the one part of the story that in theory should be believable because they're the part that happens in the 'real' world and yet they're the most completely surreal thing in any of the books.

Ditto.