Product ReviewsHarry Potter Ser.: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling (2005, Compact Disc, Unabridged edition)

Disks in excellent condition

Excellent condition . I purchased this set used for my blind daughter. It plays very well. Harry Potter is a timeless series. Wonderful fantasy story. I would always recommend them.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: dreambooks_co

Advertised as read by stephen fry but product says read by jim dale not what I ordered

Advertised as read by stephen fry but product says read by jim dale not what I ordered

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: greatde-9009

worth the wait

The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

And yet...

As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate-and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry willl search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort-and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.Read full review...

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

My cassette tape version of this book was damaged so I decided to replace it. The bookstore price is $75 for CD's. As much as I like this book I don't think so. Therefore, I decided to purchase this audio book on EBAY. For Harry Potter fans this latest installment is the darkest and ends with the death of a beloved character. But it sets up the finale of the series with many qustions to be answered. How this final chapter can be written in less than two volumes remains to be seen. The narrator, Jim Dale, is an outstanding talent who creates a voice for each character. He is award winning voice artist who shines in the Harry Potter series. My personal opinion is the story is even better in the audio version. Your imagination is freed up to visualize the story and the voices enhance the experience. You can do other things while enjoying the book like get a drink, wash the dishes, make the bed etc. You are not tied down to reading the pages. If you have not yet experienced audio books or want a new way to experience the Harry Potter books I can not reccommend audio books and EBAY highly enough.Read full review...

like a cauldronful of perfectly brewed potion...

Once again, J.K. Rowling has outdone herself. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" exceeds expectations with plenty of suspense, peril, and adventure. Humor and romance are mixed in to lighten things up a bit, though the "snogging" was rather overdone. Otherwise, the well-crafted plot swirls and thickens like a cauldronful of perfectly brewed potion, bubbling ever nearer to the brim and threatening to boil over. Some old questions, rumors, and theories dissolve in the process, even as new ones rise to the surface.

Many original characters return in the "Half-Blood Prince," including Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Dumbledore, Snape, and Malfoy. Old friends such as Lupin, Ginny, and Tonks reappear, and a few unfamiliar faces are introduced as well. Dumbledore continues to speak for Rowling, most often with regard to observations that are as relevant to our world as they are to Harry's: "Don't you see? Voldemort himself created his worst enemy, just as tyrants everywhere do!" "...the prophecy does not mean you have to do anything! ...You are free to choose your way, quite free to turn your back on the prophecy!"

The relationship between Harry and Dumbledore is more fully developed in this book, particularly their mutual loyalty. Harry himself has always been mature for his age, but in the "Half-Blood Prince," we get the definite sense that he has left childhood behind. At 16, Harry has grown into an admirable young man, determined to meet the challenge of taking his place in the war against Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

This transformation from boy to man underscores the wide appeal of Rowling's books among both children and adults. I have been as involved in the books as my kids (maybe even more so). It's been especially fun discussing this one with them. --Lana Jordan, author of "Journey to Motherhood" and "The Sleepytime Ponies Trick a Trickster"Read full review...

A great way to pass the time

A book on audio is a great way to pass the time on a long car ride. No better book to do that with than the Harry Potter series! The narrator is wonderful and really brings you into the story with his various character voices. Those that have only seen, and are fans of, the Harry Potter films, this gives you a more in depth look into the plot and a greater understanding of the struggles harry endures. I look forward to continuing the series on audio!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: aYaOgNV1RE2@Del...

Great alternative to reading!

Audio books are so enjoyable when you use them while painting or drawing. They can also be used along with the text for children who enjoy Harry Potter but may not be able to read at this level. The narrator is fabulous!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: bmoard

Loose ends start making sense in this brutal installment of the HP series

Rowling's style turned darker

Great quality @ a great price!

I love this book as much as the rest of the series! I can listen over & over and not get bored! This was a fantastic find & I do recommend this book as well as this seller; was just as described and fast shipping!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: goodwill_indust...

The story that launched a thousand books

In her 6th book, the school of Hogwarts and past friendships begin to disappear as so much background noise as Harry starts to come to terms of what must be done to defeat Voldemort. Professor Dumbledore himself guides Harry in this new education.

Voldemort's artificial immortality was created by putting parts of his soul into powerful artifacts called horcruxes. As long as one remains, Voldemort can not truly die. Harry destroyed one, Tom Riddle's diary, in the 2nd book. Sharp readers will quickly guess that Dumbledore destroyed another one before the story begins.

The suspense builds up nicely as Harry is invited to go with Dumbledore to find and destroy a 3rd, but someone beat them to it and a fake has been left in its place. Greatly weakened by the ordeal, Dumbledore is rendered helpless by Draco Malfoy, who has been charged by Voldemort to kill the headmaster. Draco can't bring himself to do it, but Professor Snape does.

While it is not normal for me to tell how the book ends in my reviews, I am making an exception here because the ending is the most fascinating part of the series as a whole. The greatest appeal is how it leads into the 7th book.

The biggest question of all was the motives of Professor Snape. Dumbledore was obviously dying as the result of destroying the 2nd horcrux. Was it a mercy killing? Looking back in past books does not seem to help. We constantly find Snape in questionable circumstances but he always has an excuse for his motives. Ironically, the death eaters in the first chapter must likewise decide for themselves just how much circumstantial evidence and excuses are proof of his evilness.

The other great mystery to come from the book were the horcruxes, of which there are 7. 1 was the journal and the Riddle family ring was another. It seems obvious that artifacts from each house (except Griffendor) are being used (3 more) and that Naja, Voldemort's serpent, is the 6th. So what is the 7th? Since Voldemort has a similar connection with Harry as he does Naja, could it be that he might be the 7th? If he is, then does he have to die to destroy Voldemort?

Despite having so many important questions left unanswered at the end, this book does not suffer from the "middle book funk". The mega story has built to a major turning point but the mini-story has a definite end with successes for the protagonists. The most obvious is that Harry now knows what must be done and how big the task is. Less obvious is Harry's rite of manhood. I've mentioned in other reviews that Harry has matured past his age. Despite being capable (and indeed, usually operating) on his own, Harry still used adults as a safety net. At the end of this book he cuts this final tie of childhood and declares he will hunt down and face Voldemort alone.

In conclusion, JK Rowling has done more than just wrote a great novel. She has brought all the mysteries together and leaves us satisfied that Harry can finish the job he is given. The loss of Dumbledore and the apparent betrayal of Snape were high prices to pay, but they were necessary for Harry to grow into the man he was prophesized to become.

John Holland-author of Necklace of TerrersylvanousRead full review...

Tom Riddle is not a "riddle" anymore!

Having read the books, enjoyed the adventure!... intensely focused on all of the twists and turns....I must admit that hearing the unabridged Half Blood Prince by J.K.Rowling and told by Jim Dale was an incredible pleasure! Ah, Tom Riddle, you certainly were a dark character that needed to be analyzed by J.K.Rowling so expertly in her writings....and it needed to be brought to life through the talented Jim Dale! I recommend that everyone who has read the books...take the time and experience the unabridged audio presentation performed by Jim Dale! Naturally, we haven't seen the screenplay or movie yet, but, the quality of the presentation was so "magnificent" that it was as if I had a "full movie screen" in my head and Mr. Dale outdid the DTS surround sound! What a wonderful prelude to the 7th book! You made it easy for this grandfather to "freshen up" on all of the Harry Potter books, quickly, on trips, at home and at my computer! "Brilliant!" as it has been said so many times! "...bloody brilliant!..." This granddad just wants to say Thank-you!!With kindest regards, Theoden.Read full review...