I loved the series, but to say it’s uneven is to put it mildly. The pacing is off, the characters are often the worst kind of stock paper-cut outs, etc. BUT I found myself over and over again stopping to think through the implications of various passages or ideas, not least the very bleak image of reality given in dark forest theory. For me, it worked as an wellspring of ideas more than it did as a story.
That said, I think the bones of an amazing story are there, so I’m looking forward to the adaptation… which is opposite of my usual reaction. Hoping that a different medium with different editorial eyes makes it shine.
Absolutely. For me it’s LoTR. My older brother introduced me to Tolkien when I was in 5th grade, at the beginning of a period in my life I didn’t like very much. I’ve returned to the series over and over again, it feels like coming home.