JK Rowling has completed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and it seems likely that it will be released midway through 2005. This is almost exactly 2 years after Order of the Phoenix was completed.
Hurrah!
The particularly good news is this means the last book will likely be fully completed before the last movie needs to get made.
YAY!! But can you pre-order on Amzon yet??
Me good typer! :rolleyes:
Is that the last book then, or is there another after it? Also, any hint as to whether Rowling’s editor is still afraid of her? (IMHO the last couple of books could have used a bit of trimming)
Editor shmeditor. The last few books were great. Whatever they’re doing, don’t change a thing!
I would suspect (although I have no proof at all) that if the editor’s have been skimping it would be due to pressure to get a guaranteed cash cow on the shelves as soon as possible rather than because they’re in awe of Rowling.
The difficulty is, 90% of what she includes in the books may seem like unecessary padding, but often has relevance to the overall story which we won’t learn about until these last two volumes.
Atleast this is what we hope. 
ahem
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Sorry. Had to get it out somewhere.
I love it! How many other cites on the SDMB require you to answer six riddles to get the information you’re looking for? 
IAwhile back, I had a who-is-the-Half-Blood-Prince poll. The computer I’m on is too ancient and slow to search, otherwise I’d link it. My current favourites are:[ul][li]A new character[/li][li]Remus Lupin[/li][li]Godric Gryffindor[/ul][/li]But we still don’t know what the Prince is, so maybe my list is premature. 
What do you guys think?
And who do you think will be the new DADA teacher and the new Minister for Magic?
:: squeals excitedly :: Too cool!
DADA teacher: Somebody completely new. It’s always somebody we’ve never heard of before (although I think Snape might get the position in Book 7).
MoM: Well, I hope it’s going to be Amelia Bones, but I have this sinking feeling it’ll be someone evil. Marietta Edgecombe’s mother, perhaps?
And I’m pretty sure the HBP is either Godric Gryffindor or Salazar Slytherin, but I’ve got no idea which one.
I enjoy the padding of the books, I think it makes them richer and you never know what might be a clue about something down the line.
I also think that Rowling is one golden goose that no publisher with any sense with want to tamper with.
I think the half-blood prince will probably be a new character.
Why six months before it can be published? That seems like an eternity.
Neat theories, but unfortunately she nixed both of them on her website.
She says she doesn’t see Harry having a career in education – he’s too action-oriented.
And she says that Arthur won’t be the next minister for magic. My guess is it’ll probably be Amelia Bones.
Put me down for another who likes the padding. Even if none of it turns out to be some kind of clue, her prose is brilliant, imaginative, and usually very funny. I’ve never found it tedious at all.
True enough, but every once in awhile she makes a mistake, and it’s helpful if her publishers call her up and say, “Uh, Jo? Did you mean to write this?”
There are two different versions of Goblet of Fire because no one pointed out
That Lily’s shade should have come out of Voldemort’s wand last. In later reprints, the scene was slightly rewritten.
That – plus spelling – is probably what editors are looking for.
'Course, the US will get it later than Canada, because the US distributor does an English-to-English translation. You guys also commission chapter art and different cover art. Raincoast Books in Canada just slaps the novel unchanged onto ancient-forest-friendly paper and ships it out.
So they can print the 18 kajillion copies including the foreign language versions for a simultaneous worldwide release.
I know there’s supposed to be a clue as to the identity of the half-blood prince as early as book 1 or 2, but I still haven’t recognized it. My speculation is as follows:
Prince: Hagrid
DADA teacher: Someone new. Or Tonks. I agree with Fretful Porpentine that it will be Snape in book 7.
Minister of Magic: Hmmm… Not a clue, really. Again, agreeing that it’s not going to be someone we like. Perhaps a relative of the Malfoys?
Speaking of that…am I the only one who doesn’t care much for the American illustrator?
Obviously, I don’t read the site. Think maybe I should? :smack:
The high-graphics version is some of the most fun on the net, but it can bring slower computers to a standstill. Fortunately, she has a text-only version, but you can’t play her weird little games on text only
(For instance, following the link in the OP, you would have use the hairband portkey to get to the door of the Room of Requirement – where she puts her most interesting announcements. She makes you play a different game each time to get there, though.)
Her FAQ section (the paperclips), her Extra Stuff (the coffee cup portkey) and her Rumours section and New section will tell you a lot that isn’t in the books.
If you’re thinking about upgrading (or maybe downgrading) to rabid, obsessed fan, you could always try the The Harry Potter Lexicon, an exhaustive compilation of everything in the books, on the trading cards, the website, and every interview Rowling has ever done, arranged in carefully-constructed categories. A little terrifying, actually, but Rowling says she consults them on things when she doesn’t have her books and notes handy, so at least they seem to be accurate.