On the advice of my wife, I read the books about three years ago and thoroughly enjoyed them, even though it is outside of my usual reads. The second book is a bit boring, but overall, a ripping good yarn. And I agree with Bee. From the beginning, I had an extremely detailed visual while reading, which to me, is what a good book should do.

I will be (pleasantly) surprised if the movies can come even close to capturing it.

On the surface, it does appear to be a simple story, but there is quite a bit going on. If the story had been attempted in one book, it would have been a failure, IMO.