I love these books! This is what a "fantasy" book should be: literary, imaginative, challenging, and full of memorable characters and unique ideas. I love that this author refused to accept the categorization of his books as "children's" books when he had written them for everyone. Even as an adult who is fairly well read, I found his vocabulary sometimes challenging. These books are based on the premise of a response to Milton's "Paradise Lost" and are the progress toward paradise regained. There are characters in these books that I want to meet and who I will never forget. Serafina Pekala and Iorek Byrnison are two of my favorites.
