The Bourbon Logs

It is, very much so. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a thrilling, delightful, and heartfelt piece of work. The thing has pace and flow, inhabiting all of the best landscapes of previous books and introducing another layer of depth to the mix. We learn more, and we are left wanting more. I like the many millions (of Annabels and Williams) am holding my breath for the finale. The storytelling is sharp as an arrow and Rawlings aim is dead on. If i had a criticism of the last book it was that it seemed to go on at times. There was some dreary patches in it when Harry was full of anger and doubt and the book just seemed to drag. There is none of that in book six: it moves with purpose through its paces, with enough story to keep us turning the pages and more economy than in the previous effort.

I’ve also come to the thick-headed realization of what it is that Rawlings is saying in her books. It seems to me that it is exactly this: there is magic in the world, and everyone can partake in it. That magic is called imagination, and by making good use of it we can turn a Dursley-like existence into a Hogwarts with a flick of our mental wands. In a sense the magic she is talking about is art: bring art into your life and you will bring magic into your life. Of course there’s some other stuff there about loyalty and love and a ripping good yarn, but i think the principle message is clear. Imagination: use it or be a muggle.

We picked the book up on Friday at midnight and I handed it over to Chris at 9:00 or so Sunday morning. Your turn.