St. Paul, can't stand the writing style of st. John.
"His dark Materials" or "Lord of the Rings"?
Definitely Lord of the Rings. the Dark Materials trilogy is a temproary would-be classic, methinks. It's way too cynical, in too adult a way and tries too hard to be clever. Proper fantasy draws out the underlying meaning in mythological material. Pulman too often descends into taking the piss.
Since we're being literary:
T.S. Eliot or Wendy Cope?
(In case ya don't know her, here's one of her Wasteland Limericks:
In April one seldom feels cheerful;
Dry stones, sun and dust make me fearful;
Clairvoyantes distress me,
Commuters depress me--
Met Stetson and gave him an earful. )