I read this in middle school and loved it so much, I immediately went out and bought it with the little pocket money I had. I've probably read it about 5 times over the years, as that worn paperback will attest to, and it never gets old. The villains are always as dastardly as can be, the hopelessness in parts is palpable in ways that are seldom captured. It's a triumph of a fantasy that's barely a fantasy. Maybe that's why it works so well- the magic is never bombastic or out of place. It just IS.