[projectramo]

What age did you read them at?

There is something about reading your first Tolkien fantasy book around 13-15 that just feels different. If you had read any of the Tolkien facsimiles at that age (Shannara, Wheel of Time etc) you may feel the same way. But if you reread those books now, you may feel different.

[Houyhnhnms]

That's a good point; I read Tolkien in early teens, then read Earthsea in my 20s, so that would make a difference