#16: Irvin Khaytman, Dumbledore: An Unofficial Exploration

[kareila]

Further subtitled The Life and Lies of Hogwarts's Renowned Headmaster, this is a fannish exploration of the calculations and motivations behind the decisions that Dumbledore makes in the original seven Harry Potter books. I found it to be very interesting reading, delving into some of the lingering questions I had about the series, such as why such a fuss is made over the prophecy in Book 5 (answer: it was always a decoy to distract Voldemort while Dumbledore searched for Horcruxes) and how Dumbledore could have foreseen Harry gaining mastery of the Elder Wand from Draco in Book 7 (answer: he didn't! what he actually intended was... complicated). Although the author persuasively depicts Dumbledore as a Machiavellian manipulator, his undeniable affection for Harry both dooms and redeems him.