Royal Stag of Buckkeep, Royal Stag of Baratheon. Now, is it just me, or is it kinda weird that two different authors could nominate the lowly deer as the heraldic device for the royal family? I mean, what's so regal about deer?

Does royalty have ticks and a tendency to stand in the middle of roads and get run over?

I'm reading "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin right now because people repeatedly says it's good. I'm a bit wary though because it's the first book in a series- I hope it's stand-alone. It's good, but it's sort of cheesy... it's very similar in tone to the Farseer Trilogy. You know, gritty "Fantasy Realism" (I invented that term, but now that it's been invented I'll use it a lot), Sex and Violence, a Nameless Evil, People Bickering Over the Succession, the Seven Kingdoms (like the Six Duchies except, LOOKIE! There's another one for Ye Olde Discount Prices!) and of course, Lots of Bastards.

(National Bastard Day- where you show your appreciation for all those bastards who Saved The World.)