BEIJING, Dec. 24 (-- Christmas came early for fans of the fictional boy wizard Harry Potter Tuesday, with news that author J.K. Rowling has finished the sixth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

    The book, set to be published July 16, 2005 in Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, picks up the story of Harry Potter¡¯s sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as his evil foe Lord Voldemort¡¯s ¡°power and followers are increasing day by day,¡± Rowling¡¯s publishers Bloomsbury and Scholastic said.

    ¡°I know you all expected this to happen on Christmas Day, but I was sure that those of you who celebrate Christmas have better things to do on the day itself than fight your way into my study,¡± Rowling said in a message on her Web site, accessible only after fans solve several riddles.

    Scholastic, which holds the U.S. publishing rights, said the book will retail for US$29.99. The UK edition will have a price of 16.99 pounds (US$33.10).

(Source" Shenzhen Daily-Agencies)