I wonder if people who started with The Dark Is Rising tend to react more negatively to the memory wipe than people who started with Over Sea, Under Stone. It's horrifying on some levels either way, of course, but to me there's a difference between "this series started with magic, and now all the magic is gone" and "this series started with a Kid's Own Adventure that seemed mundane on the surface, and then magic came and went, and now we've come full circle and all that was below the surface is hidden again." I find the latter more narratively satisfying.

I have also been in a rereading mood lately (very rare for me!). I don't know what I'll pick up next. Westmark? Pratchett? Hobb?