Reviews

The flawed master: lessons Professor Snape taught me

The flawed master: lessons Professor Snape taught me is author Logospilgrim’s second collection of theological and mystical essays on Professor Severus Snape. Snape is, perhaps, the most complex character in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, and Logospilgrim has much to say about his transformation from antagonist to hero in this second volume of her “Snape Trilogy.” The flawed master is a follow-up to Bring forth the best robes: a spiritual understanding of Severus Snape, but it may stand alone as a volume of Christian spiritual wisdom, inspiration, and guidance for all Harry Potter fans, who, like Logospilgrim and myself, read Rowling’s seven-part series with an overwhelming desire to see the redemption of Professor Snape -a bitter and broken man who had renounced his allegiance to the Dark Lord and pledged his service to one who would defeat him, not by violence, but through love and self-sacrifice. Snape, the flawed master, was proud, angry, sarcastic, and sometimes cruel, and yet he rose above his many flaws to become Harry’s secret protector and Dumbledore’s most trusted accomplice. He was the spy whose bravery and self-sacrifice contributed to Harry’s ultimate triumph over the evil Lord Voldemort. Logospilgrim’s insightful essays are a balm to soothe our wounded hearts. If a man as flawed as Severus Snape can find redemption, then there is hope for us all, even the greatest of sinners. This is an inspiring book for those who seek the deeper meaning that is to be found in the Harry Potter series. The spiritual treasures within it are not merely lessons learned from a flawed master; they are the great moral truths of the Gospels, lessons taught by the One True Master, the one who was without sin, the one who died to redeem us all.
~Denise Roper, author of The Lord of the Hallows: Christian Symbolism and Themes in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter

Bring forth the best robes: a spiritual understanding of Severus Snape

I see a largely secular ethic at work in the Potter series, even though I happily concede that it can open itself to what I call the “spiritual values of a profound faith.” In this book, readers will find exactly that. As an agnostic (or even an atheist) who sometimes senses both the divine and the first stirrings of faith in persistent uncertainties, I found Logospilgrim’s reading of the potions master very moving.
~Edmund M. Kern, author of The Wisdom of Harry Potter

Fans of Severus Snape will find this a very valuable book. I don’t agree with all of Logospilgrim’s conclusions about Snape’s role in the Harry Potter series. However, she has an exceptional level of insight into his character, and the power of her writing sometimes takes your breath away. As well, she writes about her faith with great joy and without moralizing so that both Christians and non-Christians will be moved and inspired. She is working on her second Snape book right now and I am greatly looking forward to it.
~Karen Kebarle, author of “If Rowling Says Dumbledore Is Gay, Is He Gay?” (from Hog’s Head Conversations: Essays on Harry Potter, Vol.1)

Logospilgrim’s Bring Forth the Best Robes: A Spiritual Understanding of Severus Snape is a profound and beautiful meditation on the redemptive power of love, written by an Orthodox Christian author whose insight into the character of Severus Snape is both unique and enlightening. I would highly recommend this book for spiritual seekers who are fans of the Harry Potter series’ most complex and controversial character, as well as recommending it for those readers who wish to explore the Christian dimension of J. K. Rowling’s enthralling series of novels. Logospilgrim, the quiet professor, has painted a portrait of the Potions Master that is tender and deeply moving. In this book, the author’s writing style has seamlessly woven threads of saintly Christian wisdom into her own silken narrative of the life of Severus Snape. From this fine material, Logospilgrim has clad the repentant sinner, the misunderstood outcast Severus Snape, in the robes of the Prodigal Son of Christ’s famous parable.
~Denise Roper, author of The Lord of the Hallows: Christian Symbolism and Themes in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter