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Yesterday, during my lunch hour, I popped down to Foyles to have a look around and see if there were any books worth buying. I love Foyles in all it's labyrinthine splendour - more up escalators than down, its almost completely random distribution of books, the bizarre layout which means you're almost guaranteed to find sections you never even knew existed, the hunt for the exit after you've finished looking around the floor you're on - marvellous.
I came away with several books, including the "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman (as I'd heard some quite good things about them - including the almost obligatory "better than Harry Potter" comment - from several people).
Well, I'm about a third of the way through the first in the trilogy, "Northern Lights" and whilst it's tempting to compare it with Harry Potter (after all, they're both aimed at kids) it wouldn't be fair to do so. Admittedly, there are some common elements between them, but they are treated in substantially different ways. In Harry Potter, there is a distinct difference between the world of Hogwarts and magic and the "real world" of the muggles; in Northern Lights, it's vastly more complex, achieving something more akin to Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age" than the more traditional atmosphere of JK Rowling's universe.
It's also a far darker work, full of political intrigue and subtext. You sometimes have to remind yourself that it's actually a kids book. The pace is fast, without being overwhelming, and keeps the pages turning - it's actually quite difficult to stop turning them, too (and tend to small children, for instance).
Anyway, I've rambled enough - after all, I'm not even halfway through yet and for all I know the rest of the book may be tripe. Seems unlikely, though. I can't wait to read the rest...
You can regard me as one of those who recommends them wholeheartedly. I came to them quite late, but I'm glad I did.
I don't really get why so many people insist on comparing them with the Harry Potters, as they're really in entirely different categories - the only thing in common as far as I'd say is that they're both 'children's fantasy books' that are entertaining to adults.