I picked up the audio book of this at the library almost at random. I was going to be driving for a few hours, and I needed something to listen to- and the book I stopped off at the library to get wasn't there so I grabbed this one. I was hooked. My husband and I commute together, and I convinced him to listen at least to the first CD, and now he's hooked too.
It's a very interesting book, and we still aren't done with it. The technicalities of internet political discussions were so much like what went on in Manwe (kinda sorta) that I got interested and looked up the publication date. It was published as a novellete in 1977, and in book form in 1985. Did they have the internet idea all worked out then? They must have... but I sure hadn't seen it back then.
And then I found out they are going to make a movie of this. Darn it! I much prefer to see movies FIRST, then read the books. Oh, well. I'm already spoiled for the movie. Might as well read the whole series now.