False alarm.

[icarus]

It turns out Amazon was just striking terror in my heart covering their bases. I got the book on time and should not have believed random emails about "we might be late." *panics again*

Have read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Loved it. Though if I knew someone about to read the HP series right now, I'd tell them to wait until the next book is out because, while this is not quite a cliff-hanger, it's so close to one as to leave you a little hungry.

Comments

[mark356.livejournal.com]

I didn't think so at all; I thought it was a great place to leave off! But glad you loved it.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

It's a terrible place to end it. Either

1) Snape is really a DE and killed Dumbledore (which I don't buy as it's clearly a set-up with that freezing charm D performed on Harry and Snape's protecting H -- again -- and only defending in that duel); or

2) Snape is going into deep cover and killed Dumbledore (because, why? Dumbledore was going to die anyway? Dumbledore was that sick -- funny, he was getting around an awful lot for someone one his deathbed; seems to me he was more busy than sick. Since when do we kill off our most valuable asset in the middle a war, sick or not? Just for Snape's cover? It's not logical.)

3) Snape is going into deep cover and Dumbledore's done the same. (But we have Dumbledore's body, and witnesses.)

Of all of these, 1) is the most logical, but there are all sorts of signs that's not the right answer. Dumbledore sacrificing himself seems a bit dodgy and excuses of his being sick don't quite hold water. That scene felt too well-planned for it to have been a mistake.

We still don't know what that potion Dumbledore drank does, or why he was acting so oddly afterwards. Since he risked both himself and Harry in that adventure obviously it was very important.

Unlike the prior books, she has not resolved the primary plotline. The majority of the questions remain unanswered. This is clearly a book within a story arc and it doesn't stand on its own as well as the other books.

When the story is complete this will probably be my favourite (love that spell of Snape's, and the dark moment at the end where he hits the road and the potions text). But for now it's left a lot dangling.

Including me.

Oh, and it needs more Percy. ;)

Icarus

[electricandroid.livejournal.com]

My pet theory of the day - Drinking the potion made DD a horcrux. Have to reread to check if it follows through - but could make sense? Hence death of DD = one less horcrux (man I don't like that word) in the world?

[scary-sushi.livejournal.com]

I definitely agree that it needs more Percy.

Out of all your endings, I suppose 2) has one of the most viable chances: we know Dumbledore was cursed and 'lost' his hand. It is very possible that the curse wasn't entirely lifted, and he could have been dying all along, but at a very slow pace (think of it as cancer: sometimes people discover metastased cancer in its terminal stage while having a random check-up). That's why he could have been overexerting himself trying to find as much information as possible very quickly.

Apart from that, we know someone (most likely Regulus Black), had already stolen the locket. I don't remember who posted about it, but they said Regulus had to have drunk the liquid to get the locket. It looks like Dumbledore knew that, and yet he still drunk, probably thinking Regulus hadn't reached the Horecrux : having seen what the liquid had done to Regulus, he warned Harry about its effects, and he knew he was going to die. I really, really hope it's all an elaborate ply to get Snape back in the DE's and Voldemort's good graces, but... The only thing which makes me twitch is: who's going to believe him? Dumbledore's dead and no one trusts Severus. Does he really thing he can off Voldemort alone?

Except if the Order find a memory of Dumbledore in his office which explains the whole thing...

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I'm still reeling at its being a cliffhanger. Of course it's a cliffhanger. It's just--insane that it's a cliffhanger. We know. We know that Snape did all that on Dumbledore's orders. That Dumbledore begged Snape to kill him because either he or Snape was going to die, and he didn't want Draco to be a murderer, and Snape had to keep his cover, and he didn't want Snape to be the one to die--they'd agreed on it, and he was holding Snape to it. Why in god's name does that need to be a cliffhanger if we KNOW?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

The most important part is: what did Dumbledore drink in that cave?

I should mention my private theory that the liquid was one of the parts of Volemort's soul (perhaps the part that Dumbledore thought might be in Nagini?), and Snape's AK killed that.

Icarus

[electricandroid.livejournal.com]

HAHAHHAHA

Just saw this AFTER posted comment

We rock. :D

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

Nice theory. The potion being a part of the soul was my first idea, too, and I was afraid of what that might entail. As it is... I don't think it is; the note by RAB (whom I think is Regulus Black - we know he wanted out of the DE and was killed for it - maybe he got back at Voldy the only way he could, knowing he was dead anyway) seems to imply the Horcrux was taken away. Although that begs the question; how come the potion is still there? Did RAB have another way of getting the Horcrux? Did *he* put the potion htere? Was it there before RAB took the Horcrux? So many questions...

[jaig.livejournal.com]

Or Dumbledore was pleading with Snape to be killed.

Snape's under an Unbreakable, Dumbledore ought to know exactly what was in that charm, he drank the potion and it slowly killed him, it- *flails* seems to point that Dumbledore knew that all he worked for was done and that he had finished his job. He did teach Harry all about Riddle that same year too. It disturbingly makes sense.

And when Harry calls Snape a coward, he reacts far too violently, which may be because he can't bear to be called a coward after he obeyed Dumbledore's orders to kill him.

*flails again*

[jaig.livejournal.com]

Erm. Reply to your above reply.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I read Garlandgraves post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/garlandgraves/3409.html) and it is very convincing. But I'd rather think for myself.

If this ending were planned, then there's no way Dumbledore would be dead. But if Dumbledore wasn't expecting to be poisoned or near death and this isn't planned, then yes, two Legilimens would be able to communicate and come up with this quick Plan B.

It fits better with JKR's overall goal of isolating and putting the responsibility on Harry's shoulders.

But I'm not sold and will wait for the next book for answers rather than speculation. We don't know what that substance was. We don't know if it was poison. We're making an assumption there, and it's clear to me that what happened in that cave is far more important than anything and the standoff and Snape's betrayal is yet another of JKR's red herrings.

My theory is the substance Dumbledore drank was one of the parts of Voldemort's soul, and Snape's AK killed that.

Icarus

[marksykins.livejournal.com]

I agree that it was a quick Plan B, too. But definitely planned in that short space of time.

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've thought similar things, myself. And Dumbledore said that about Harry's blood being more valuable than his own...

And I still think Dumbledore is not so foolishly trusting as people think he is. I think he *does* have something on Snape. I think Snape's made him an Unbreakable Vow all those years ago... There are plots within plots here.

[ajuxliapose.livejournal.com]

They did that with my mum who bought a book for my sister over christmas. mum was in a sate of panic.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

It covers their asses in case something goes wrong, but I notice they wait to tell you when it's hard for you to cancel your order or find the item someplace else.

Icarus

[ragnhildholm.livejournal.com]

A *little* hungry? Gah!!

*wibbles*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

So... that was something of an understatement.

It's going to be years until the next book. *blinks* The fanfiction world is going to go nuts.

Icarus

[guest-age.livejournal.com]

I agree that it wasn't a great place to leave off. Obviously, it was for JK, for she has now ensured our desire to know which side Snape is really on. Was he really a Death Eater all along? But Dumbledore trusted him! Maybe this was all part of a plan and Dumbledore sacrificed himself in order to ensure Harry a way to defeat Voldemort. I don't know. At first I was outraged at Snape (I knew who died, but my God, to die like that...by him, it just took the breath out of me), but the more I sat there and digested the story, the more I began to think that it was all part of an elaborate plan. Surely Dumbledore had a reason...then again, he trusted Quirrell, Lockhart, and Moody/Crouch Jr. and they had all betrayed his trust.

Yes, she picked a bad place to leave off. Bad for us, that is, but very good to ensure future sales of book 7. She isn't called a literary genius for nothing, now is she? :-D

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I think that's a marketing genius, myself. ;)

Icarus

[yayaness16.livejournal.com]

the cliffhanger was terrible!

Seriously depressed right now.

When is the 7th book coming out? 2 years?

::dies::

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

*claws out eyes*

But at least we have a lot of shiney new Snape canon (and Voldemort backstory) to play with.

Icarus

[maelwaedd.livejournal.com]

I think it was a poopey place to leave off. Had she finished it twenty pages earlier, I would have been stunned and possibly even applauded.

But I skipped over most of the last chapter. I listened to techno! The book was soooo brilliant, and then meh.


I wrote a story once, in grade ten, and couldn't figure out how to end it. So I wrote this absolutely insane ending that made no sense and didn't really fit in with the story. My English teacher told me later that the story was great, but that he tore off the last page because it ruined it. Not that I'm really comparing JKR with myself at fifteen, but I'm tempted to mentally tear out the last chapter.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

It's not a complete book, but rather a set-up for the final book. It'll work great in the entire, complete story arc, but being left hanging like this? So very wrong.

Some people say "she's clearly been reading fanfiction" -- well, here's the proof. She just wrote a published WIP, knowing that we will come back for the next part and are well-innured to being left hanging.

*head in hands* Augh. I think I'll be like Snape and take my frustrations out on Peter.

Icarus

[brightsun301.livejournal.com]

Seriously.. My first thought when I got done was 'Where's the seventh? Why didn't I buy that on Saturday too? ... Oh yeah.. it's not written/finished/published yet. Silly me.' >.

[harveywallbang.livejournal.com]

when i first finished, i felt betrayed. i felt betrayed and horrified for two whole days, wanting to delete absolutely everything on my computer that had anything to do with snape.. but i didn't, because i figured i'd probably later regret it...
after reading garlandgraves's thing, i don't feel betrayed.. and that's so much better for my disposition... i'm not 100% sold on the theory, but it makes the most sense. i KNEW something wasn't quite right when snape was so adamant about not being called a Coward...
but still, harry will never know or if he did find out, he'd never believe it. it's the end of his trust for snape (what little he had due to dumbledore).. and that makes me really really sad... rowling loves the tragedy...but then so do i...
yeah..
and i so thought Horcruxes were like... bugs or something, after only reading the word itself... hahaha..