The Prime Mover is the Half Blood Prince

HARRY POTTER BOOK 6
Total reading time: 8 hours and 32 minutes... not too bad since I had to go back and re read a couple chapters that threw me off. Also, I had to put the book down a couple times and work through the new details.

Man, this book is unreal! I won't post any spoilers or anything, but holy crap!!! I never expected such a tome! JK is amazing and just is a master of creating the world Harry Potter lives in. Her ability to throw off the reader, to cause suprise and laughter, and to just nail down the emotions everyone is feeling is brilliant. Seriously, I cried during the funeral (won't say who's)... I literally had to grab a tissue and chocolate.

The main plot is as dark as the storyline would suggest (the Wizard world is at war... things aren't sunshine and daisies), but she does so well at inserting enough humor and sarcasm to keep the reader from getting bogged down in the misery. In the same way that the Weasly twins open a joke shop on Harry's wishes to bring humor during the bleak future, JK is able to pull the reader into the tumultuous drama with enough high points to compensate for the darkness. I literally laughed out loud at several instances, and shrieked in surprise at many others. The main death in the book, though not graphic, is truly horrific and creates a sense of resolve not only in Harry but in the reader. I don't know a single soul that could read HP6 and not pick up the final installment when it is published... just as Harry can't stop his quest for resolution and revenge, neither can the reader.

The plot twists are unexpected and wonderfully thought out. Many questions are answered from previous books (most notably: Who is the Half Blood Prince?; How the Order communicates?; How Voldemort managed to be less than a man, more than a ghost?; Why Dumbledore really trusts Snape?; If Hermione and Ron really do like each other?... the list goes on). Perhaps more important are not the questions it answers, but rather the new ones created and their implications on the rest of the story. It would ruin the story to muse on those, but they are ones I will definately ruiminate on in the next year or so. I will say that there are a lot of doors closed in this book, and many more opened, and some left slightly ajar.

It is that idea - leaving things somewhat unsettled - that moves this book along so well! As someone who can usually call the next moment in movies and books, I can say that JK has totally thrown me off balance. I never expected half of the action that occured, and by as soon as Chapter 2 was thrown off balance! Like a devious philosopher, JK never misleads by explicitly points you in one direction -- rather the reader makes certain natural assumptions that are either verified or shockingly proved incorrect. As wiley as Socrates, yet with more tangible results, she always leaves you guessing!

The definate high point of the story for me was watching the teenagers endure the trials and tribulations of love. Each character has grown immensely since they first came into the story (even the ones just introduced last year), and each endures the common foibles every 15-16 year old makes. By the end of the book, Harry's thinking is on a totally different plane than has been seen previously, especially in comparison to the selfish, lost boy in Book 5. When we fade out of the latest installment, we see the beginnings of a strong-willed, moral man ready to take on his destiny with those he loves close at hand as the final words show - "... he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still at least one more golden day to spend with Ron and Hermione." There is no fear, no worry... only the resolve to come out ahead for the sake of those left behind.

"And,now Harry let, us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, Adventure!" - Dumbledore