Is it any good?

If I hadn't already read Lord of the Rings (a couple of times), I would probably be put off reading it by the reviews on Amazon.com. The reviewers seem to be divided into two types: the majority who can't enthuse enough about the AMAZING, LIFECHANGING experience this novel is, and those who wearily wonder what all the fuss is, claiming the book to be dull and childish.

Normally, this would set off all of my alarm bells: fans are obsessed with it, normal people find it unreadable. Avoid. However, I'm glad to say that this is not that type of book: it's a genuine classic of English Literature. Like most classics, not everybody will love it, but its appeal extends far beyond fans of fantasy literature.

So, as with any book it's possible that you will not like it, but this book comes with such a weight of recommendation that you really shouldn't miss out on reading it. The odds are pretty good that you will find it as intensely rewarding as do the rest of the world.