Not as good as I remember. I first read this book back in 1998. Back then I thought this was the greatest story ever told. And don't get me wrong, it is still a wonderful story, however, this first book in the series seems too fast paced. Instead of drawing out important events that could easily have a chapter to themselves, they are described in one or two sentences. I don't remember much of the other books, but each one gets progressively thicker, so I'm hoping the pace slows down a bit. Otherwise, it is a great story, and having seen the movies, it's interesting how the brain pictures the movie characters and voices as you read.