I think I liked the last book better than you did, but I agree that this one was much better. I did find it pretty hard to believe that Harry wasn't more suspicious of the mysterious Half-Blood Prince at this late date, especially since the obvious candidate for the title was Voldemort himself. I also thought that the eventual explanation of "Half-Blood Prince" was a little strained, to say the least
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Evidence in favor: the phoenix and related imagery that have always surrounded Dumbledore. The fact that there's clearly more to what happened with Dumbledore and Snape than met the eye.
Evidence opposed: the various indications throughout the books that resisting or coming back from death is at best less than cricket (or should that be less than Quidditch?), and at worst a short path to overconcentration on the Dark Arts. (The least bad instance was probably Nicholas Flamel's use of the Philosopher's Stone, and he gave it up in the end.) We saw a body broken physically as well as killed magically. The metaphysics of Rowling's world don't strike me as having the same room for a literal miracle that Tolkien's did.
I don't think it's quite impossible, though it would severely risk coming off as cheap and/or counter to the general theme of the books. I think it's somewhat more likely that the possibility of Dumbledore coming back will be used as a red herring for something else.
I was imagining a more of an Obi-Wan sort of thing myself. Which also gives an out that "it's all just in Harry's head", and maybe everyone can think he's going crazy...
I also thought that the eventual explanation of "Half-Blood Prince" was a little strained, to say the least.
Must certainly agree here. I also always assumed that Snape was a pureblood...and that the snapes were a wizarding family. hrmmmm. I guessed it was Snape early on, as he was the only potions master that we had ever really known throughout the course of the book, but the half-blood prince was more than a bit pathetic, really.
Much of fandom agrees with you re: Snape being under Dumbledore's orders.
RAB could easily be misdirection (witness most of HBP's red herrings), but it seems unlikely, particularly since she made a point of mentioning that Regulus defected from Voldemort in this one.
Meh, I still don't see Slughorn as a villian....petty in his own way, certainly, but not really a major villain. In fact, it's nice to see a Slytherin be so ...understandable.
Oh, I definitely don't think that Slughorn is a villain in the sense of being on Voldemort's side, or anything like that. I assume he's pretty much what he appears to be: a suck-up to people he thinks can help him and a jerk to everyone else. I was sloppily using the word "villain" to mean "not a nice guy" here--sorry.
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I'd get the French audiobook, only because Bernard Giraudea reads them... mrrrowl! Who reads the UK ones?
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Evidence opposed: the various indications throughout the books that resisting or coming back from death is at best less than cricket (or should that be less than Quidditch?), and at worst a short path to overconcentration on the Dark Arts. (The least bad instance was probably Nicholas Flamel's use of the Philosopher's Stone, and he gave it up in the end.) We saw a body broken physically as well as killed magically. The metaphysics of Rowling's world don't strike me as having the same room for a literal miracle that Tolkien's did.
I don't think it's quite impossible, though it would severely risk coming off as cheap and/or counter to the general theme of the books. I think it's somewhat more likely that the possibility of Dumbledore coming back will be used as a red herring for something else.
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Must certainly agree here. I also always assumed that Snape was a pureblood...and that the snapes were a wizarding family. hrmmmm. I guessed it was Snape early on, as he was the only potions master that we had ever really known throughout the course of the book, but the half-blood prince was more than a bit pathetic, really.
Much of fandom agrees with you re: Snape being under Dumbledore's orders.
RAB could easily be misdirection (witness most of HBP's red herrings), but it seems unlikely, particularly since she made a point of mentioning that Regulus defected from Voldemort in this one.
Meh, I still don't see Slughorn as a villian....petty in his own way, certainly, but not really a major villain. In fact, it's nice to see a Slytherin be so ...understandable.
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Did she? Where?
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