130-592: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a fantasy novel written by the British author J. K. Rowling . It is the sixth novel in the Harry Potter series, and takes place during Harry Potter 's sixth year at the wizard school Hogwarts . The novel reveals events from the early life of Lord Voldemort , and chronicles Harry's preparations for the final battle against him. The book was published in
260-492: A Disillusionment Charm or a Bedazzlement Hex placed on them. Over time, these cloaks will lose their invisibility. In the novels, Harry owns an invisibility cloak which is later revealed to be a Hallow. Unlike other invisibility cloaks, the Cloak of Invisibility cannot be worn out by time or spells. The Hallow Cloak belonged to Ignotus Peverell and was passed down to his descendant, James Potter. After James's death, Dumbledore gives
390-427: A Horcrux in her long-mentioned Harry Potter Encyclopedia. Both inanimate objects and living organisms have been used as Horcruxes, though the latter are considered riskier to use, since a living being can move and think for itself. There is no limit to the number of Horcruxes a witch or wizard can create. As the creator's soul is divided into progressively smaller portions, they lose more of their natural humanity and
520-411: A baby, Harry was in the room when Voldemort's fatal Killing Curse backfired. Voldemort's soul had been weakened and destabilised by his continuous murders and the creation of his previous Horcruxes. Harry became a Horcrux when a fragment of Voldemort's soul attached itself to him after the unsuccessful curse. The lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead is a direct result of this attempted murder, and
650-487: A chapter of his book English Prose Style (1928) to discussing "Fantasy" as an aspect of literature, arguing it was unjustly considered suitable only for children: "The Western World does not seem to have conceived the necessity of Fairy Tales for Grown-Ups". In 1938, with the publication of The Sword in the Stone , T. H. White introduced one of the most notable works of comic fantasy . The first major contribution to
780-551: A clock like hers. Various fans have re-created the clock for their own families, for example by using geofencing for cell phones. A Horcrux is an object used to store part of a wizard's soul, which protects them from death. If the body of a Horcrux owner is killed, that portion of the soul that had remained in the body does not pass on to the next world, but will rather exist in a non-corporeal form capable of being resurrected by another wizard, as stated in Harry Potter and
910-733: A critic for the Chicago Tribune , highlighted the humour found in the novel and claimed it to be the success of the Harry Potter saga. She acknowledged that "the books are dark and scary in places" but "no darkness in Half-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 as Madeleine L'Engle 's A Wrinkle in Time and Kenneth Grahame 's The Wind in
1040-725: A crush on Ginny. When Ron is poisoned and admitted to the infirmary, Hermione visits him, which brings an abrupt end to his relationship with Lavender. Harry discards his Potions textbook after he nearly kills Draco with one of the Prince's scribbled spells. Later, Harry's luck potion helps him obtain Slughorn's memory and causes Ginny to break up with her boyfriend Dean 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. He asks Harry to accompany him to retrieve another. In
1170-683: A fairy tale called The Tale of the Three Brothers . According to J. K. Rowling, this fictional fairy tale is based on The Pardoner's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer . Harry eventually comes to possess all three Hallows – the cloak being inherited from his father James Potter, later understood to be a descendant of one of the Peverell brothers, the Resurrection Stone in the Golden Snitch bequeathed to him by Dumbledore, and
1300-480: A fellow English professor with a similar array of interests, also helped to publicize the fantasy genre. Tove Jansson , author of The Moomins , was also a strong contributor to the popularity of fantasy literature in the field of children and adults. The tradition established by these predecessors of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries has continued to thrive and be adapted by new authors. The influence of J.R.R. Tolkien's fiction has—particularly over
1430-573: A fragment of his soul within him in a manner similar to a Horcrux. Rowling has stated that Harry never became a proper "Dark object" since the Horcrux spell was not cast. Regardless, as with all Horcruxes, Voldemort would remain immortal so long as his soul fragment remained within Harry. That portion of Voldemort's soul is unintentionally destroyed by Voldemort himself in Deathly Hallows . As
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#17327728736901560-511: A hidden passageway. The map is a blank piece of parchment when not in use, but it becomes a detailed layout of Hogwarts when it is activated. It shows the locations of secret passages and instructions on how to access them. It also depicts the location of every individual at Hogwarts in real-time, including their movements. A Probity Probe detects hidden magical objects and concealment spells. Probity Probes are depicted as thin golden rods in Order of
1690-470: 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 to Charles Dickens 's depictions of London as it was "brooding, broken, gold-lit, as living a character as any other." Christopher Paolini called the darker tone "disquieting" because it was so different from the earlier books. Liesl Schillinger, a contributor to The New York Times book review , also noted that Half-Blood Prince
1820-484: A print run of about 100,000 copies. Bloomsbury later released a paperback "Special Edition" on 6 July 2009 and a "Signature Edition" paperback on 1 November 2010. The film adaptation of the sixth book was originally scheduled to be released on 21 November 2008 but was changed to 15 July 2009. Directed by David Yates , the screenplay was adapted by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman and David Barron . The film grossed over $ 934 million worldwide, which made it
1950-404: A remote cave, Harry and Dumbledore overcome many obstacles before seizing the Horcrux . Back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore unexpectedly immobilizes Harry under his invisibility cloak . A group of Death Eaters arrives with Draco, who falters in an attempt to kill Dumbledore. Snape then casts the killing curse on Dumbledore and sends him falling to his death. Harry tries to fight Snape as he flees, but
2080-524: A shop known for its connection to the Dark Arts . At Hogwarts, the students learn that Slughorn will be teaching Potions , while Snape will be taking over Defence 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
2210-501: 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 and Ginny 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 kisses Lavender Brown . Meanwhile, Harry develops
2340-570: Is a bright red eraser, used to make invisible ink appear. It first appears in Chamber of Secrets when Hermione tries to make hidden writing appear in Tom Riddle's diary. A Secrecy Sensor is a Dark detector that looks like "an extra-squiggly, golden television aerial." It vibrates when it detects concealment and lies. In Half-Blood Prince , every student and owl entering Hogwarts is inspected with Secrecy Sensors to ensure no Dark objects enter
2470-508: Is a magical flame that cannot be extinguished unless it runs out of fuel. Voldemort's creation of Horcruxes is central to the later storyline of the Harry Potter novels. Voldemort intended to split his soul into seven pieces, with six Horcruxes and the last piece reposing within his body. When Voldemort attacked the Potter family, and his body was destroyed by the rebounded Killing Curse, a piece of his soul splintered off and attached itself to
2600-643: Is considered a genre of speculative fiction and is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the absence of scientific or macabre themes, respectively, though these may overlap. Historically, most works of fantasy were in written form , but since the 1960s, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films , television programs , graphic novels , video games , music and art. Many fantasy novels originally written for children and adolescents also attract an adult audience. Examples include Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ,
2730-498: Is killed, defeated, or disarmed. Through a series of events, Voldemort comes to possess the Elder Wand, even though Harry is its true master. Unaware of the wand's loyalty to Harry, Voldemort attempts to duel him near the end of the novel. The wand refuses to kill Harry, with the result that Voldemort's curse rebounds on him, and he dies. After Voldemort's death, Harry uses the Elder Wand to repair his own broken wand. He then returns
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#17327728736902860-421: 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. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth novel in the Harry Potter series. The first novel, Harry Potter and
2990-486: Is that the piece of soul within Quirrell was able to exist without its container, as it abandoned Quirrell and left him to die in the underground chambers. Tom Riddle (later known as Lord Voldemort) created his first Horcrux during his fifth year at Hogwarts, using his own school diary. In order to cast the spell, he murdered his fellow student Myrtle Warren . In Chamber of Secrets , Ginny Weasley becomes possessed by
3120-426: Is too bland or simplistic creates the impression that the fantasy setting is simply a modern world in disguise, and presents examples of clear, effective fantasy writing in brief excerpts from Tolkien and Evangeline Walton . Michael Moorcock observed that many writers use archaic language for its sonority and to lend color to a lifeless story. Brian Peters writes that in various forms of fairytale fantasy , even
3250-448: The Harry Potter series, The Chronicles of Narnia , and The Hobbit . Stories involving magic and terrible monsters have existed in spoken forms before the advent of printed literature. Classical mythology is replete with fantastical stories and characters, the best known (and perhaps the most relevant to modern fantasy) being the works of Homer (Greek) and Virgil (Roman). The philosophy of Plato has had great influence on
3380-629: The Kalevala , they compiled existing folklore into an epic to match other nation's, and sometimes, as in The Poems of Ossian , they fabricated folklore that should have been there. These works, whether fairy tale, ballads, or folk epics, were a major source for later fantasy works. The Romantic interest in medievalism also resulted in a revival of interest in the literary fairy tale. The tradition begun with Giovanni Francesco Straparola and Giambattista Basile and developed by Charles Perrault and
3510-456: The Age of Enlightenment . Many of Perrault's tales became fairy tale staples and were influential to later fantasy. When d'Aulnoy termed her works contes de fée (fairy tales), she invented the term that is now generally used for the genre, thus distinguishing such tales from those involving no marvels. This approach influenced later writers who took up the folk fairy tales in the same manner during
3640-534: The Elizabethan era in England , fantasy literature became extraordinarily popular and fueled populist and anti-authoritarian sentiment during the 1590s . Topics that were written about included " fairylands in which the sexes traded places [and] men and immortals mingl[ing]". Romanticism , a movement of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, was a dramatic reaction to rationalism, challenging
3770-558: The Harry Potter films, the Sorting Hat is voiced by Leslie Phillips . The Mirror of Erised is a mystical mirror discovered by Harry in an abandoned classroom in Philosopher's Stone . On it is inscribed "erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi". When mirrored and correctly spaced, this reads "I show not your face but your heart's desire." As "erised" reversed is "desire", it is the "Mirror of Desire". Harry, upon encountering
3900-736: The Middle East has been influential in the West since it was translated from the Arabic into French in 1704 by Antoine Galland . Many imitations were written, especially in France. The Fornaldarsagas , Norse and Icelandic sagas , both of which are based on ancient oral tradition influenced the German Romantics, as well as William Morris , and J. R. R. Tolkien . The Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf has also had deep influence on
4030-552: The Muggle Prime Minister , Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge , and his successor, Rufus Scrimgeour , was a concept Rowling tried to start in Philosopher's Stone , Prisoner of Azkaban , and Order of the Phoenix , but she found "it finally works" in Half-Blood Prince . She stated that she was "seriously upset" writing the end of the book, although Goblet of Fire was the hardest to write. When asked if she liked
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4160-534: The Romantic era . Several fantasies aimed at an adult readership were also published in 18th century France, including Voltaire 's " contes philosophique " The Princess of Babylon (1768) and The White Bull (1774). This era, however, was notably hostile to fantasy. Writers of the new types of fiction such as Defoe , Richardson , and Fielding were realistic in style, and many early realistic works were critical of fantastical elements in fiction. However, in
4290-513: The philosopher's stone , the stone is owned by Nicolas Flamel and first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . The stone is legendary in that it changes all metals to gold, and can be used to brew a potion called the Elixir of Life , making the drinker immortal. The Philosopher's Stone is seen only in the first and last book, although it is referenced several times throughout
4420-563: The "First Terrible Fate that Awaiteth Unwary Beginners in Fantasy", alluding to young writers attempting to write in Lord Dunsany's style. According to S. T. Joshi , "Dunsany's work had the effect of segregating fantasy—a mode whereby the author creates his own realm of pure imagination—from supernatural horror. From the foundations he established came the later work of E. R. Eddison , Mervyn Peake , and J. R. R. Tolkien. In Britain in
4550-520: The Cloak to Harry, who uses it throughout the series to sneak around Hogwarts on various adventures. During the First Wizarding War, Alastor Moody lost his eye and replaced it with an enchanted glass eyeball. With the eyeball, Moody can see through solid objects, invisibility cloaks, and the back of his own head. Following Moody's death in Deathly Hallows , the eyeball ends up in the possession of Dolores Umbridge . When Harry infiltrates
4680-474: The Elder Wand to Dumbledore's tomb. In the film adaptation of Deathly Hallows , Harry snaps the wand in two and throws the pieces off a bridge. J. K. Rowling revealed in an interview that the first working title for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was Harry Potter and the Elder Wand . The Resurrection Stone allows the bearer to communicate with the dead. The form of Sirius Black generated by
4810-578: The Forbidden Forest as he reaches Voldemort's encampment. Harry survives the encounter and he and Dumbledore's portrait later agreed that Harry will neither search for the stone nor tell others where it is. In the Harry Potter universe, an invisibility cloak is a rare type of cloak used to make the wearer invisible. Rowling's 2001 book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them states that invisibility cloaks may be crafted from Demiguise pelts. Invisibility cloaks can also be ordinary cloaks with
4940-554: The Forbidden Forest does destroy the fragment of Voldemort's soul within Harry, but only sends Harry's soul into a near-death state. Harry could return to his body despite being hit by the Killing Curse from the Elder Wand because Voldemort had used Harry's blood to regain his full strength in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , and because the actual master of the Elder Wand, Draco Malfoy, had been defeated by Harry, making Harry
5070-622: The French précieuses was taken up by the German Romantic movement. The German author Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué created medieval-set stories such as Undine (1811) and Sintram and his Companions (1815), which would later inspire British writers such as George MacDonald and William Morris . E.T.A. Hoffmann 's tales, such as The Golden Pot (1814) and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816) were notable additions to
5200-470: The GobIet selects one champion from each of the three schools in competition. The Sword of Gryffindor is a goblin -crafted sword. It was once owned by Godric Gryffindor , and can magically present itself to any Gryffindor student who needs it. During the course of the novel series, the sword is used to kill a Basilisk and destroy three of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Based upon the ancient alchemical idea of
5330-448: 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 for Goblet of Fire and had to rewrite an entire third of the book. She started writing the book before her second child, David, was born, but she took a break to care for him. The first chapter, "The Other Minister", which features meetings between
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5460-452: The Half-Blood Prince and demonstrated in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . If all of someone's Horcruxes are destroyed, then the soul's only anchor in the material world would be the body, the destruction of which would then cause final death. The creation of Horcruxes is considered the darkest of all magic. This method was chosen by Voldemort to attain immortality. J. K. Rowling uses Horace Slughorn 's expository dialogue to reveal that
5590-487: The Half-Blood Prince , the discovery of Voldemort's diary is revealed as the proof that lead to Dumbledore beginning the hunt for other Horcruxes, as it not only gave absolute proof that Voldemort split his soul, but also that there were likely other, better-protected artifacts. J. K. Rowling revealed on Pottermore that Quirinus Quirrell served as a temporary Horcrux when Voldemort's soul possessed his body during Harry's first year at Hogwarts. A notable difference, however,
5720-496: The Ministry of Magic, he steals the eyeball from her office and buries it in the forest. A Foe-glass is a mirror that depicts the enemies of its owner. The Marauder's Map is a magical map of Hogwarts created by Sirius Black , Remus Lupin , Peter Pettigrew , and James Potter while they were students at the school. In Prisoner of Azkaban , Fred and George Weasley give the map to Harry so he can travel to Hogsmeade through
5850-463: The Mirror, can see his parents, as well as what appears to be a crowd of relatives. The last thing Harry saw in the mirror was Voldemort defeated. Dumbledore cautions Harry that the Mirror gives neither knowledge nor truth, merely showing the viewer's deepest desire, and that men have wasted their lives away before it, entranced by what they see. The Mirror of Erised was the final protection given to
5980-493: The Philosopher's Stone , was originally published by Bloomsbury in 1997. Philosopher's Stone was followed by Chamber of Secrets (1998), Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Goblet of Fire (2000), and Order of the Phoenix (2003). Half-Blood Prince was followed by the final novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . Half-Blood Prince sold 9 million copies in the first 24 hours of its worldwide release . Rowling stated that she had Harry Potter and
6110-417: The Philosopher's Stone in the first book. Dumbledore hid the Mirror and hid the Stone inside it, knowing that only a person who wanted to find but not use the Stone would be able to obtain it. Anyone else would see themselves making an Elixir of Life or turning things to gold, rather than actually finding the Stone, and would be unable to obtain it. What happens to the mirror afterwards is unknown. In Order of
6240-483: The Phoenix , Sirius gives Harry a mirror he originally used to communicate with James while they were in separate detentions. That mirror is a part of a set of Two-way Mirrors that are activated by holding one of them and saying the name of the other possessor, causing his or her face to appear on the caller's mirror and vice versa. Harry receives this mirror from Sirius in a package after spending his Christmas holiday at Grimmauld Place. Harry, at first, chooses not to open
6370-405: The Phoenix. After Voldemort's return, Probes are used to protect Gringotts Bank and to scan Hogwarts students for Dark objects. A Remembrall is a small glass orb. It contains smoke that turns red when the person holding it has forgotten something. It does not tell the holder what has been forgotten. Neville Longbottom is sent a Remembrall by his grandmother in Philosopher's Stone . A Revealer
6500-399: 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 with Voldemort by educating him about Voldemort's past as Tom Riddle. While a student at Hogwarts, Riddle had asked Slughorn about objects called Horcruxes , which can grant immortality by encasing fragments of
6630-584: The Resurrection Stone to talk to his deceased family. The curse disfigured his hand and began to spread into his body. Although Snape partly contained the spread in the damaged and blackened hand, Dumbledore was doomed to have, at most, a year left to live. The stone is later passed to Harry through Dumbledore's will. Harry uses the Stone to summon his deceased loved ones – his parents, his godfather Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin – to comfort him and strengthen his courage, before he goes to meet his death at Voldemort's hand. The stone falls unseen from Harry's fingers in
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#17327728736906760-532: The Southwest Wind an irascible but kindly character similar to J.R.R. Tolkien 's later Gandalf . The history of modern fantasy literature began with George MacDonald, author of such novels as The Princess and the Goblin (1868) and Phantastes (1868), the latter of which is widely considered to be the first fantasy novel written for adults. MacDonald also wrote one of the first critical essays about
6890-479: 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 of Albus Dumbledore , many coming from the town of Bungay where it was believed the books were being printed at the time. Betting was later reopened. Additionally, in response to Greenpeace 's campaign on using forest-friendly paper for big-name authors, Bloomsbury published
7020-541: The United Kingdom by Bloomsbury and in the United States by Scholastic 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, a record eventually broken by its sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . There were many controversies before and after it was published, including the right-to-read copies delivered before
7150-701: The Vampire ), a collection of various fantasy tales set within a frame story is, according to Richard Francis Burton and Isabel Burton , "the germ which culminated in the Arabian Nights , and which also inspired the Golden Ass of Apuleius , (2nd century A.D). Boccaccio 's Decamerone (c.1353) the Pentamerone (1634, 1636) and all that class of facetious fictitious literature." The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) from
7280-469: The Willows . Rosenberg wrote that the two main themes of Half-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. Zipp noted trust and redemption to be themes promising to continue in
7410-803: The Year Award and the 2006 Royal Mail Award for Scottish Children's Books for ages 8–12 in its native United Kingdom. In the United States, the American Library Association listed it among its 2006 Best Books for Young Adults. It won both the 2005 reader-voted Quill Awards for Best Book of the Year and Best Children's Book. It also won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Seal for notable book. Before publication, 1.4 million pre-orders were placed for Half-Blood Prince on Amazon.com , breaking
7540-399: The ability to speak and understand Parseltongue . It is also revealed by Rowling in an interview that Harry's frequent pain in his scar when Voldemort is either active, nearby, or feeling strong emotions, is really the trapped bit of soul yearning to depart from Harry's body and rejoin its master's soul. This yearning was one of the reasons why the Killing Curse used by Voldemort on Harry in
7670-529: The aftermath of World War I, a notably large number of fantasy books aimed at an adult readership were published, including Living Alone (1919) by Stella Benson , A Voyage to Arcturus (1920) by David Lindsay , Lady into Fox (1922) by David Garnett , Lud-in-the-Mist (1926) by Hope Mirrlees , and Lolly Willowes (1926) by Sylvia Townsend Warner . E. R. Eddison was another influential writer who wrote during this era. He drew inspiration from Northern sagas, as Morris did, but his prose style
7800-407: The allegiance and mastery of the Elder Wand when he defeats and disarms its prior owner, Draco Malfoy, who unwittingly won it from Dumbledore just before Dumbledore's death. The Elder Wand is described in Deathly Hallows as a legendary and extremely powerful wand made of elder wood with a core of Thestral tail hair. Harry discovers that the Elder Wand's allegiance is transferred when its owner
7930-553: The book on 30% recycled paper. In early July 2005, a Real Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam , British Columbia, Canada, accidentally sold fourteen copies of The Half-Blood Prince before the authorised release date. The Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books , obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court of British Columbia that prohibited the purchasers from reading the books before the official release date or discussing
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#17327728736908060-609: The book received a 77 out of 100 based on 23 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Liesl Schillinger of The 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." 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
8190-416: The book, she responded, "I like it better than I liked Goblet , Phoenix or Chamber 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!" Rowling revealed the title of Half-Blood Prince on her website on 24 June 2004. This
8320-432: The canon of German fantasy. Ludwig Tieck 's collection Phantasus (1812–1817) contained several short fairy tales, including "The Elves". In France, the main writers of Romantic-era fantasy were Charles Nodier with Smarra (1821) and Trilby (1822) and Théophile Gautier who penned such stories as "Omphale" (1834) and " One of Cleopatra's Nights " (1838) as well as the novel Spirite (1866). Fantasy literature
8450-436: The climax "tragic, but not uncomfortably shocking." Yvonne Zipp of The Christian Science Monitor praised the way Rowling evolved Harry into a teenager and how the plot threads found as far back as Chamber of Secrets came into play. On the other hand, she noted it "gets a little exposition -heavy in spots," and older readers may have seen the ending coming. The Boston Globe correspondent Liz Rosenberg wrote, "The book bears
8580-454: The clock reveals the location or status of each family member. The known locations are: Home , School , Work , Travelling , Lost , Hospital , Prison , and Mortal Peril . In the sixth novel, all nine hands point to mortal peril at all times, except when someone is travelling. Mrs. Weasley takes this to mean that with Voldemort's return, everyone is always in mortal peril, but she cannot verify this as she does not know anyone else who has
8710-406: The connection that formed as a result is used to explain several important plot points. Throughout the series, Harry is able to receive insight into Voldemort's mental and emotional states, allowing the reader to eavesdrop on the series' primary antagonist. This insight is usually accompanied by pain in the scar on Harry's forehead. Through Voldemort, Harry also inherited many of Voldemort's powers and
8840-462: The contents. Purchasers were offered Harry Potter T-shirts and autographed copies of the book if they returned their copies before 16 July. On 15 July, less than twelve hours before the book went on sale in the Eastern time zone , Raincoast warned The 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
8970-411: The continent. Other writers, including Edgar Rice Burroughs and Abraham Merritt , further developed the style. Several classic children's fantasies such as Lewis Carroll 's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), L. Frank Baum 's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), as well as the work of E. Nesbit and Frank R. Stockton were also published around this time. C. S. Lewis noted that in
9100-482: The creation of a Horcrux requires one to commit a murder, which, as the supreme act of evil, "rips the soul apart". After the murder, a spell is cast to infuse part of the ripped soul into an object, which then becomes a Horcrux. In the final book of the series, Hermione finds the spell in a book titled Secrets of the Darkest Art . Rowling has revealed that she intends to detail the process and spell used to create
9230-489: The development of fantasy with their writing of horror stories. Wilde also wrote a large number of children's fantasies, collected in The Happy Prince and Other Stories (1888) and A House of Pomegranates (1891). H. Rider Haggard developed the conventions of the lost world subgenre with his novel King Solomon's Mines (1885), which presented a fantastical Africa to a European audience still unfamiliar with
9360-711: The diadem in Albania , where it was eventually found by Voldemort. The Dark Lord turned the diadem into his fifth Horcrux, and later sequestered it in the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts. In the novel Deathly Hallows , the diadem is destroyed by a Fiendfyre spell cast by Vincent Crabbe . In the film adaptation, Harry stabs the diadem with a Basilisk fang before Ron Weasley kicks it into the Fiendfyre. When Voldemort attempted to murder Harry as an infant, he inadvertently sealed
9490-446: The earlier part of the 20th century, fantasy was more accepted in juvenile literature, and therefore a writer interested in fantasy often wrote for that audience, despite using concepts and themes that could form a work aimed at adults. At this time, the terminology for the genre was not settled. Many fantasies in this era were termed fairy tales, including Max Beerbohm 's " The Happy Hypocrite " (1896) and MacDonald's Phantastes . It
9620-508: The epic Mabinogion . One influential retelling of this was the fantasy work of Evangeline Walton . The Irish Ulster Cycle and Fenian Cycle have also been plentifully mined for fantasy. Its greatest influence was, however, indirect. Celtic folklore and mythology provided a major source for the Arthurian cycle of chivalric romance : the Matter of Britain . Although the subject matter
9750-434: The epilogue of the last film, the scar has faded to an ordinary-looking scar on Harry's forehead. The sixth Horcrux was Nagini, the snake Voldemort had with him constantly. This Horcrux was created by Voldemort when he was hiding in the forests of Albania; the murder victim whom he used for its creation was Bertha Jorkins. He found Nagini, and becoming smitten by the snake, turned it into a Horcrux, being connected with it. In
9880-519: The fantasy genre, "The Fantastic Imagination", in his book A Dish of Orts (1893). MacDonald was a major influence on both Tolkien and C. S. Lewis . The other major fantasy author of this era was William Morris, an admirer of the Middle Ages and a poet who wrote several fantastic romances and novels in the latter part of the 19th century, including The Well at the World's End (1896). Morris
10010-616: The fantasy genre. In the Christian Platonic tradition, the reality of other worlds, and an overarching structure of great metaphysical and moral importance, has lent substance to the fantasy worlds of modern works. With Empedocles ( c. 490 – c. 430 BC ), elements are often used in fantasy works as personifications of the forces of nature. India has a long tradition of fantastical stories and characters, dating back to Vedic mythology . The Panchatantra ( Fables of Bidpai ), which some scholars believe
10140-407: The fantasy genre; although it was unknown for centuries and so not developed in medieval legend and romance, several fantasy works have retold the tale, such as John Gardner 's Grendel . Celtic folklore and legend has been an inspiration for many fantasy works. The Welsh tradition has been particularly influential, owing to its connection to King Arthur and its collection in a single work,
10270-422: The final book, which she thought "would add a greater layer of nuance and complexity to some characters who could sorely use it." 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." Paolini had similar views, claiming, "the children have changed...they act like real teenagers." On Metacritic ,
10400-520: The first literary results of this trend was the Gothic novel , a genre that began in Britain with The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole . That work is considered the predecessor to both modern fantasy and modern horror fiction . Another noted Gothic novel which also contains a large amount of Arabian Nights -influenced fantasy elements is Vathek (1786) by William Thomas Beckford . In
10530-458: The first nine weeks of publication, 11 million copies of the US edition were reported to have been sold. The US audiobook, read by Jim Dale , set sales records with 165,000 sold over two days, besting the adaptation of Order of the Phoenix by twenty percent. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was published simultaneously in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Along with
10660-459: The fragment of Riddle's soul that is encased in the diary, which compels her to open the Chamber of Secrets. At the end of the novel, Harry saves Ginny and destroys the diary by stabbing it with a Basilisk fang. Voldemort created his second Horcrux using a ring owned by his grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt. He murdered his father to make this Horcrux, which is later destroyed by Albus Dumbledore, using
10790-723: The genre after World War II was Mervyn Peake 's Titus Groan (1946), the book that launched the Gormenghast series . J. R. R. Tolkien played a large role in the popularization and accessibility of the fantasy genre with his highly successful publications The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Tolkien was largely influenced by an ancient body of Anglo-Saxon myths , particularly Beowulf , as well as William Morris's romances and E. R. Eddison 's 1922 novel, The Worm Ouroboros . Tolkien's close friend C. S. Lewis , author of The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–56) and
10920-435: The genre of high fantasy —prompted a reaction. In China, the idea of fantasy literature as a distinct genre first became prevalent in the early 21st century. China has long had pre-genre stories with fantastical elements, including zhiguai , ghost stories, and miracle tales, among others. It is not uncommon for fantasy novels to be ranked on The New York Times Best Seller list , and some have been at number one on
11050-458: The internet less than two days after release, long before German translator Klaus Fritz could translate and publish the book. Since its wide hardcover release on 16 July 2005, Half-Blood Prince was released as a paperback on 23 June 2006 in the UK. Two days later on 25 July, the paperback edition was released in Canada and the US, where it had an initial print run of 2 million copies. To celebrate
11180-416: The last chapter of Deathly Hallows , Nagini was killed by Neville Longbottom using the sword of Godric Gryffindor. The destruction of the last remaining Horcrux made Voldemort mortal. The Goblet of Fire is an artefact used at the beginning of every Triwizard Tournament . Each student who is of-age and wishes to compete places a piece of parchment with their name on it into the Goblet. At the designated time,
11310-537: The later part of the Romantic period, folklorists collected folktales, epic poems, and ballads, and released them in printed form. The Brothers Grimm were inspired by the movement of German Romanticism in their 1812 collection Grimm's Fairy Tales , and they in turn inspired other collectors. Frequently their motivation stemmed not merely from Romanticism, but from Romantic nationalism , in that many were inspired to save their own country's folklore. Sometimes, as in
11440-431: The list, including most recently, Brandon Sanderson in 2014, Neil Gaiman in 2013, Patrick Rothfuss and George R. R. Martin in 2011, and Terry Goodkind in 2006. Symbolism often plays a significant role in fantasy literature, often through the use of archetypal figures inspired by earlier texts or folklore . Some argue that fantasy literature and its archetypes fulfill a function for individuals and society and
11570-553: The loss of his godfather, Sirius Black . As Albus Dumbledore escorts him to the Weasley home, they visit the retired Hogwarts professor Horace Slughorn , who agrees to resume teaching. Meanwhile, Bellatrix Lestrange and her sister Narcissa Malfoy convince Severus Snape to make an Unbreakable Vow to protect Narcissa's son Draco at Hogwarts. While out shopping for school supplies, Harry, Ron Weasley , and Hermione Granger observe Draco making inquiries at Borgin and Burkes ,
11700-467: The mark of genius on every page" and praised the imagery and darker tone of the book, considering that the series could be crossing over from fantasy to horror. The Associated 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." Emily Green, a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times ,
11830-550: The messages are continually updated for current societies. Ursula K. Le Guin , in her essay "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie", presented the idea that language is the most crucial element of high fantasy , because it creates a sense of place. She analyzed the misuse of a formal, "olden-day" style, saying that it was a dangerous trap for fantasy writers because it was ridiculous when done wrong. She warns writers away from trying to base their style on that of masters such as Lord Dunsany and E. R. Eddison , emphasizing that language that
11960-465: The modern image of "medieval" is more influenced by the romance than by any other medieval genre, and the word medieval evokes knights, distressed damsels, dragons, and other romantic tropes. At the time of the Renaissance romance continued to be popular, and the trend was to more fantastic fiction. The English Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory (c.1408–1471) was written in prose, and
12090-641: The most influential writers of fantasy and horror in the 20th century. Despite MacDonald's future influence, and Morris' popularity at the time, it was not until around the start of the 20th century that fantasy fiction began to reach a large audience, with authors such as Lord Dunsany (1878–1957) who, following Morris's example, wrote fantasy novels, but also in the short story form. He was particularly noted for his vivid and evocative style. His style greatly influenced many writers, not always happily; Ursula K. Le Guin , in her essay on style in fantasy "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie", wryly referred to Lord Dunsany as
12220-475: The new master of the Elder Wand. Harry's ownership of the wand used for the curse and the Horcrux-like connection between Voldemort and Harry diminished Voldemort's curse and protected Harry from irreversible death. While Voldemort did learn of Harry's telepathic connection, Voldemort was never aware that Harry was inadvertently carrying a fragment of his soul. With this destroyed, the connections between
12350-781: The oldest recorded form of many well-known (and some more obscure) European fairy tales. This was the beginning of a tradition that would both influence the fantasy genre and be incorporated in it, as many works of fairytale fantasy appear to this day. In a work on alchemy in the 16th century, Paracelsus (1493–1541) identified four types of beings with the four elements of alchemy: gnomes (earth elementals); undines (water); sylphs (air); and salamanders (fire). Most of these beings are found in folklore as well as alchemy, and their names are often used interchangeably with similar beings from folklore. Literary fairy tales, such as those written by Charles Perrault (1628–1703) and Madame d'Aulnoy (c.1650 – 1705), became very popular early in
12480-486: The only living thing remaining in the room, Harry Potter, in a manner similar to a Horcrux. Voldemort went on to complete his collection of the intended six Horcruxes by turning his snake Nagini into one, thus fragmenting his soul into a total of eight (counting the one residing in his own body), not seven, pieces. By that time, though, unbeknownst to Voldemort himself, the first Horcrux (a diary) had already been destroyed, therefore all seven Horcruxes never existed together at
12610-407: The package, although he does discover the mirror after Sirius' death, by which point it is no longer functional. It makes its second appearance in Deathly Hallows when Mundungus Fletcher loots Grimmauld Place and sells Sirius' mirror to Aberforth Dumbledore , who uses it to watch out for Harry in Deathly Hallows . When Harry desperately cries for help to a shard of the magical mirror (which broke in
12740-505: The presence of Harry in Godric's Hollow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . Horcruxes made from inanimate objects cannot be destroyed by conventional means such as smashing, breaking, or burning. The known materials or objects that can destroy Horcruxes are Basilisk venom, the Sword of Gryffindor (which contains Basilisk venom after Harry uses it to kill a Basilisk), and Fiendfyre, which
12870-481: The priority of reason and promoting the importance of imagination and spirituality. Its success in rehabilitating imagination was of fundamental importance to the evolution of fantasy, and its interest in medieval romances provided many motifs to modern fantasy. The Romantics invoked the medieval romance as a model for the works they wanted to produce, in contrast to the realism of the Enlightenment. One of
13000-513: The real locket from Dolores Umbridge . Ron then destroys it with the sword of Gryffindor. Voldemort created his fourth Horcrux using a cup that once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff . In Deathly Hallows, Harry and his friends break into Gringotts Wizarding Bank and steal the cup from the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange . Hermione Granger later destroys it with a Basilisk fang. Rowena Ravenclaw 's daughter, Helena, stole her mother's diadem in an attempt to become more intelligent than her. Helena hid
13130-419: The record held by the previous novel, Order of the Phoenix , with 1.3 million. The initial print run for Half-Blood Prince was a record-breaking 10.8 million. 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, which prompted Scholastic to rush an additional 2.7 million copies into print. Within
13260-516: The release date in Canada. Reception to the novel was generally positive, and it won several awards and honours, including the 2006 British 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. After his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry has spent two weeks mourning
13390-549: 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. Simultaneous to the original hardcover release was the UK adult edition that featured a new cover and was also released as a paperback on 23 June. Also released on 16 July was the Scholastic "Deluxe Edition," which featured reproductions of Mary GrandPré 's artwork and had
13520-402: The rest of the books in the Harry Potter series , it was eventually translated into 67 languages. However, because of high security surrounding the manuscript, translators did not get to start on translating Half-Blood Prince until its English release date, and the earliest were not expected to be released until the fall of 2005. In Germany, a group of "hobby translators" translated the book via
13650-421: The ring's antiquity and eventually used it as a Horcrux, a container for part of his soul, being unaware of the stone's additional magical properties. Dumbledore recovered the ring from Marvolo's estate, recognizing it as both a Horcrux and one of the Deathly Hallows. Forgetting that as a Horcrux, it was likely to be protected by curses laid by Voldemort, and blinded by personal desire, Dumbledore attempted to use
13780-432: The same point in time. All of Voldemort's deliberately created Horcruxes were made using objects that had been important to him or that held some symbolic value. He hid some of them carefully so that no one could find and destroy them, but used Nagini to do his bidding on several occasions, and the diary was always intended to be a weapon to carry out Voldemort's plan to remove Muggle-borns from Hogwarts. In Harry Potter and
13910-404: The school. A Sneakoscope serves as a Dark Arts detector. The device is described as a miniature glass spinning-top that emits shrill noises in the presence of deception, for instance, when an untrustworthy person is near or when a deceitful event takes place nearby. The Weasleys have a special clock in their home with nine hands, one for every member of the family. Instead of telling the time,
14040-555: The second-highest-grossing film of 2009 worldwide and the fifteenth-highest of all time. Additionally, Half-Blood Prince gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography . A video game adaptation of the book was developed by EA Bright Light Studio and published by Electronic Arts in 2009. The game was available on the Microsoft Windows , Nintendo DS , PlayStation 2 , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Portable , Wii , Xbox 360 , and macOS platforms. The book
14170-552: The series. It was destroyed at the end of the first book by Dumbledore with Flamel's agreement. In the American version, this stone is called the Sorcerer's Stone. The Sorting Hat is an artefact used to sort Hogwarts students into houses . At the beginning of each school year, the Hat is placed on each first-year student's head. The Hat announces whether the student will be assigned to Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. In
14300-441: The soul becomes increasingly unstable. Consequently, under very specific conditions, a soul fragment can be sealed within an object without the intention or knowledge of the creator. While the object thus affected will, like any Horcrux, preserve the immortality of the creator, it does not become a "Dark object". For example, Voldemort has unusual control over Nagini, and consequently Nagini is able to communicate with Voldemort about
14430-399: The stone tells Harry that he and the other forms created by the stone are part of him and invisible to others. According to the fairy tale concerning the origin of the Deathly Hallows, using the Resurrection Stone drove its first owner to kill himself because he brought his late fiancée back from the dead, and she was very unhappy in the living world because she did not belong there. By the time
14560-529: The stone was seen in Marvolo Gaunt's possession, it had been set into a ring that bore the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, which the ignorant Gaunt believed to be the Peverell coat of arms; he used the ring to boast about his ancestry and blood purity. Harry said this is the Hallow he would desire most, as like Dumbledore he could name people he would like to communicate with again. Voldemort became aware of
14690-484: The sword of Gryffindor. The ring contains the Resurrection Stone, one of the three Deathly Hallows. Voldemort created his third Horcrux using a locket that once belonged to his ancestor Salazar Slytherin . He murdered a Muggle to make the Horcrux. Albus Dumbledore and Harry obtain the locket in Half-Blood Prince , only to discover that it is fake. Later, Harry and his friends infiltrate the Ministry of Magic and steal
14820-530: The trade secret injunction. The injunction sparked a number of news articles alleging that the injunction had restricted fundamental rights. Canadian law professor Michael Geist posted commentary on his blog. Richard Stallman called for a boycott and requested the publisher issue an apology. 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. Commentary
14950-465: The two were also broken, and Harry never again felt pain in his scar. Rowling revealed Harry has also lost the ability to speak Parseltongue, though he regained the ability to understand it in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child after his scar began to hurt again following the rise of Voldemort and Bellatrix's daughter Delphi whom Harry, his son Albus, and his allies defeated and sent to Azkaban. In
15080-530: The villain's language might be inappropriate if vulgar. Invisibility cloak (Harry Potter) The following is a list of magical objects that appear in the Harry Potter novels and film adaptations . The Deathly Hallows are three magical objects that appear in Deathly Hallows . They are the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility. According to wizarding legend, they can provide mastery over death if one person owns all three. The objects are generally remembered only as part of
15210-589: The work dominates the Arthurian literature. Arthurian motifs have appeared steadily in literature from its publication, though the works have been a mix of fantasy and non-fantasy works. At the time, it and the Spanish Amadis de Gaula (1508), which was also written in prose, spawned many imitators, and the genre was popularly well-received. It later produced such masterpieces of Renaissance poetry as Ludovico Ariosto 's Orlando furioso and Torquato Tasso 's Gerusalemme Liberata . Ariosto's tale in particular
15340-515: Was "far darker" but "leavened with humor, romance and snappy dialogue." She suggested a connection to the 11 September attacks , as the later, darker novels were written after that event. David Kipen, a critic of the San 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. Julia Keller,
15470-436: Was a source text for many fantasies of adventure. During the Renaissance , Giovanni Francesco Straparola wrote and published The Facetious Nights of Straparola (1550–1555), a collection of stories of which many are literary fairy tales . Giambattista Basile wrote and published the Pentamerone , which was the first collection of stories to contain solely what would later be known as fairy tales. The two works include
15600-422: Was also adapted in the 2011 video game Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7 . Fantasy novel Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe , often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic , the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fantasy literature may be directed at both children and adults. Fantasy
15730-470: Was also provided on the Raincoast website. Some reviewers noted that Half-Blood Prince contained a darker tone than the previous Potter novels. The Christian Science Monitor 's reviewer Yvonne Zipp argued the first half contained a lighter tone to soften the unhappy ending. The Boston Globe reviewer Liz Rosenberg wrote, "lightness [is] slimmer than ever in this darkening series...[there is]
15860-501: Was composed around the 3rd century BC. It is based on older oral traditions, including "animal fables that are as old as we are able to imagine". It was influential in Europe and the Middle East . It used various animal fables and magical tales to illustrate the central Indian principles of political science . Talking animals endowed with human qualities have now become a staple of modern fantasy. The Baital Pachisi ( Vikram and
15990-527: Was generally positive about the book but was concerned whether young children could handle the material. Cultural critic Julia Keller of the Chicago Tribune called it the "most eloquent and substantial addition to the series thus far" and considered the key to the success of the Potter novels to be humour. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince won several awards, including the 2006 British Book of
16120-505: Was heavily reworked by the authors, these romances developed marvels until they became independent of the original folklore and fictional, an important stage in the development of fantasy. Romance or chivalric romance is a type of prose and verse narrative that reworked legends , fairy tales , and history to suit the readers' and hearers' tastes, but by c. 1600 they were out of fashion, and Miguel de Cervantes famously burlesqued them in his novel Don Quixote . Still,
16250-412: Was inspired by the medieval sagas, and his writing was deliberately archaic in the style of the chivalric romances . Morris's work represented an important milestone in the history of fantasy, as while other writers wrote of foreign lands or of dream worlds , Morris was the first to set his stories in an entirely invented world . Authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and Oscar Wilde also contributed to
16380-449: Was modeled more on Tudor and Elizabethan English, and his stories were filled with vigorous characters in glorious adventures. Eddison's most famous work is The Worm Ouroboros (1922), a long heroic fantasy set on an imaginary version of the planet Mercury. Literary critics of the era began to take an interest in "fantasy" as a genre of writing, and also to argue that it was a genre worthy of serious consideration. Herbert Read devoted
16510-421: Was not until 1923 that the term "fantasist" was used to describe a writer (in this case, Oscar Wilde) who wrote fantasy fiction. The name "fantasy" was not developed until later; as late as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937), the term "fairy tale" was still being used. An important factor in the development of the fantasy genre was the arrival of magazines devoted to fantasy fiction. The first such publication
16640-559: Was popular in Victorian times , with the works of writers such as Mary Shelley , William Morris, George MacDonald, and Charles Dodgson reaching wider audiences. Hans Christian Andersen took a new approach to fairy tales by creating original stories told in a serious fashion. From this origin, John Ruskin wrote The King of the Golden River (1851), a fairy tale that included complex levels of characterization and created in
16770-493: Was the German magazine Der Orchideengarten which ran from 1919 to 1921. In 1923, the first English-language fantasy fiction magazine, Weird Tales , was created. Many other similar magazines eventually followed. and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction H. P. Lovecraft was deeply influenced by Edgar Allan Poe and to a somewhat lesser extent, by Lord Dunsany; with his Cthulhu Mythos stories, he became one of
16900-426: 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. On 21 December 2004, she announced she had finished writing it, along with the release date of 16 July. Bloomsbury unveiled the cover on 8 March 2005. The record-breaking publication of Half-Blood Prince was accompanied by controversy. In May 2005, bookmakers in
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