Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I unfortunately ordered The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew - More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond before this one (my incessant need to buy anything asoiaf-related), and it was a disappointent. Recipes that weren't related to the book, no pictures, no glossy pages....pretty much BORING. This, on the other hand, the "official cookbook." It was made by diehard blog fans and GRRM even gives you an introduction. I'm going to break the book down so that you can decide whether or not this book is for you. INTRODUCTION - you get a short and sweet introduction from GRRM LOOK/STYLE - this book is gorgeous, with glossy pages and tons of pictures. Looks beautiful! STOCKING YOUR MEDIEVAL KITCHEN - this will tell you how to properly prepare your kitchen for these recipes (it's not too difficult or expensive) and common substitutes for medieval ingredients. For example, they tell you that aurochs should be replaced with beef or bison (aurochs are extinct). They also tell you how to make sauces that may be required for recipes (examples - roux, medieval pastry dough, medieval fish sauce). RECIPES BY REGION - the book breaks down recipes for you by region. Pretty cool, huh? There's the Wall, the north, the south, King's Landing, Dorne, and across the Narrow Sea. BOOK RELEVANCE - recipes are taken from meals straight from the book, and the book is even quoted. DIFFICULTY - since a lot of these recipes are obviously medieval-esque, it's not always easy. There are lots of pies, soups, and wine, and not always the most common ingredients. However, some of the recipes have two versions: a "medieval" and "modern." For example, there is Medieval Leek Soup and Modern Leek Soup. They have different tastes, and the medieval one calls for Poudre Forte (which they tell you how to make in the "stocking your medieval kitchen.") They do this for a LOT of recipes and I think it's a really neat idea, since medieval dishes can be too unusual for some people's palates or too complex to make. Basically, this book is just all-around amazing. With its beautiful, glossy pictures and pages, varieties of recipes, and best of all - GRRM's stamp of approval, you can't go wrong with this.