Most 12-16 year olds (the ages when most of us geeks were really into that stuff) aren't the worlds greatest literary critics.

You have to understand, those books were *TARGETED* at mainly that audience.


Great plot and character development is completely lost on 99.9% of human beings at that age.


Ask a 14 year old why "The Usual Suspects" is such a great film. And you won't get much response about plot twists, acting, cinematography, editing, the use of sound and music to heighten and release tension....you will probably get "Because there are guns and lots of cuss words", if you don't get "It was boring and too slow".


And, since those of us geeks and nerds who read them at those ages REALLY enjoyed them (mostly I think because at that age our imaginations are beyond measure off the scale, which makes up for *alot* in an average plot-line)...that warm glow that we associate with that memory carries over into adult-hood.


DON'T RUIN MY WARM FUZZIES MAN! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! IT WAS THE GREATEST!!!!!!!!!!!!

I DIDN'T READ THIS POST....I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!! LALALALALALALALALALALALAL I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!!!!!!!


heh.


That all being said. I myself have never read that series. I was too busy with Tolkein, and then Niven and Asimov and other hard sci-fi....then trying to write my own tolkien-rip-off. I had alot of friends that were into it though.