To: grellis
Initial impression: I feel like I was stabbed in the back, and not by the characters, but by J.K.R. herself. I say that as a reader and as a sometimes writer.
Let me also add that I did enjoy this book and that I probably enjoyed it more than 4 (which seemed stretched out and then unfinished) and 5 (which didn't seem to go anywhere and had a needless death added in).
I though Neville might have had a bigger part in this. And I wasn't even on the right track before picking up the book as to whom the Half-Blood Prince was (I was thinking Hagrid) but my first guess was Snape when it was a Potions book that was still in the school. Now a few complaints, starting with:
The wisest man in all of wizarddom was simply taken in by Snape? If Snape's that good, the Dark Lord ought to watch out because even he couldn't do that. And Dumbledore had no idea right until the very end? And then a feeble cry for help before his life was ended?
What left me unsatisified:
- Dumbledore doesn't usually reveal his reasoning until the end and then we find that indeed he was so wise. If he was going to be wrong this time, we should have known something somewhere along the way. Which leads to:
- What was the reason that Dumbledore trusted Snape? There must've been a reason that he felt that he would make the best double agent. When Snape proved himself, we were supposed to see Dumbledore's wisdom as he once again revealed that he outthought everyone. Now we're left without that reason.
- And why finally make him DADA teacher?
- Rowling likes setting things up in ways that things are not. Suspicions have always fallen on Snape ... suspicions which had then been red herrings, would have made for great prose, but instead, it's just a bunch of sloppiness.
- The Unbreakable Vow: Okay, so who was wondering how Snape was going to get out of that one? Surprise! He didn't have to because he meant every word of it! And, really, if the Unbreakable Vow was so binding with no loopholes and Snape would have to be on the Dark Side to follow through with it (or die!) then why didn't anyone think that this was serious when Harry mentioned it? (I'm not going back to find out if he told Dumbledore this part or not.)
Some thoughts for the next book:
- I hope Harry meets R.A.B. early, say about the sixth or seventh chapter and he says something like, "Oh, yeah, I've gotten to four of the horcruxes already. You did the diary? cool, only one more and then after I drop dead getting that one, you can face Voldemort alone as it most be."
- Instead of Snape being vindicated and coming off as someone who is just nasty to be around but one of the Good Guys, he now gets to be mercilessly tortured. Snape wasn't being controlled. He's a murderer. Aint no way around that.
- Will the Muggle world be in danger? I got one chapter about the Prime Minister and that was the end of it. He wasn't around again. Nor was Fudge.
That's all for now. I still have 250+ posts to read through.
TS
381 posted on
07/19/2005 2:59:41 PM PDT by
Tanniker Smith
(When you're ready to have a mature discussion about the Green Lantern, you have my email address.)
To: Tanniker Smith
Read through the rest of this thread, my friend. There's almost nobody on here who believes that Snape betrayed Dumbledore. The clues are everywhere.
382 posted on
07/19/2005 3:18:44 PM PDT by
Not A Snowbird
(Official RKBA Landscaper and Arborist, Duchess of Green Leafy Things)
To: Tanniker Smith
What was the reason that Dumbledore trusted Snape? There must've been a reason that he felt that he would make the best double agent. When Snape proved himself, we were supposed to see Dumbledore's wisdom as he once again revealed that he outthought everyone. We don't know the reason yet, but I think there definitely IS one. Harry went to Dumbledore's office (immediately prior to their leaving to retrieve the Horcrux) and he was so upset because he had just found out that Snape had told Voldemort about the prophecy. Dumbledore explained to Harry that he believed the reason Snape returned from the Death Eaters was because of the great remorse he felt when Voldemort's interpretation of the prophecy spurred him to murder Harry's parents.
But he's a very good Occlumens, isn't he, sir?" said Harry, whose voice was shaking with the effort of keeping it steady. "And isn't Voldemort convinced that Snape's on his side, even now? Professor ... how can you be sure Snape's on our side?"
Dumbledore did not speak for a moment; he looked as though he was trying to make up his mind about something. At last he said, "I am sure. I trust Severus Snape completely." (from page 547)
There IS a reason why Dumbledore trusts Snape completely. He considered telling Harry at that point; however, as he had commented earlier, Harry was "never a good Occlumens". I think he decided not to tell Harry why he trusted Snape because of the risk that Voldemort, a highly skilled Legilimens, would "read" Harry and discover that Snape was truly loyal to Dumbledore.
For what it's worth!
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