Joyce Millman

I know that it seems kinda pointless to read a debate on whether or not Snape is good or evil now that the Deathly Hallows is published, but Severus has always been my favorite character and I was curious to read the 'Snape is evil' side of the debate. I was a bit disappointed that both sides used the same data for Snape is good and Snape is evil. None the less a very quick read and entertaining to say the least.

Note that this is a Borders exclusive, so buy your copy now if you're at all interested. It's enjoyable enough, but not a work for the ages. There's a snappy tone throughout that's meant to be hip but is quite off-putting. This includes numerous transient pop-culture references and little boxed riffs that don't contribute to the discussion and seem very out of place.

Like all Harry Potter exegesis, it's fun, particularly since the authors use many of the same data to support both Snape's show more innocence and his evil. However, their hearts aren't really on the side of "evil," which is a shorter section with more unsupported generalizations. Orson Scott Card's section is the best written and most interesting, and addresses the Snape question by appealing to literary conventions.

Two nitpicks:
1. This is not, as it claims, a "flipbook." A flipbook uses a series of similar static images to provide the illusion of motion hen flipped. This is a "double" or "double title," a format used by ACE and other publishers to offer two novellas in the same binding in the heyday of science fiction.

2. If you're going to quote and cite, give a reference page or at least footnotes. show less

Well, the first essay on each side was what I was after, but the others were not really worth reading. I finished the book not knowing whether Snape was good or bad, so I think each side did it's job pretty well.

Amy Berner did a good job in collecting evidence and presenting it in an objectionable fashion about Severus Snape's loyalties.