The problem with George RR Martin's A Game of Thrones is that it is a good book. No, that's not a typo- the problem with this book is that it is genuinely different from most fantasy offerings, highly entertaining, and well developed. Of course with such achievements comes praise, hype, and hoopla. Before long the hype actually surpasses the book's merits and expectations going in are so high that no book, regardless of how good it really is, can measure up.

And that pretty much summarizes my own foray into The Song of Ice and Fire saga. 12 years and 1,500 reviews late, I've finally begun my tour of the series by ordering and reading A Game Of Thrones. With so much praise that's been heaped upon the story (and the series in general) throughout the years, my expectations were understandably high. Even still I found the first book to be enjoyable, entertaining, and definitely worthy of the attention it receives.

To begin, Bantam Spectra is only partially correct in labeling this b...

It's around US$7.99 in Amazon.com

In Canada, it costs about CDN$10.91 in Amazon.ca

And it's available in Amazon UK, but I'm not sure about the price.

The most interesting thing about "V for Vendetta" is that the main theme of the novel isn't actually one man standing up to Fascism, though that's an aspect of it. The more relevant political theme is Anarchism, though it's still only partly about that. The primary themes are about people; about people taking their freedom and the responsibility that goes along with it. The creeping Fascism of the book came not from the scheming of an elite, but from the failure of the countrymen to take control of their own lives, and instead taking the simple way out and following the group that promised to take away their fear.

The freedom of "The Land of Do As You Please" isn't the answer, but rather than the opposite of authoritarian ideas of responsibility they're one and the same, both accepting the easy answer rather than standing up and actively choosing. Moore and Lloyd's Anarchism is a freedom of self-rule, where you take real responsibility for governing your own actions among your peers and hol...

It's around US$13.59 in Amazon.com

In Canada, it costs about CDN$18.08 in Amazon.ca

And it's available in Amazon UK, but I'm not sure about the price.

I was a fan of the movie and wanted to get a flavor of the source material. I'm glad I did. Very entertaining and thought provoking. And the more I read, the more impressed I am at how faithfully the movie translated the story and feel into the movie. Can't wait for the next one!

It's around US$78.75 in Amazon.com

In Canada, it costs about CDN$103.03 in Amazon.ca

And it's available in Amazon UK, but I'm not sure about the price.