Wicked by Gregory Maguire was the first fantasy book I read, in which I fully understood it was about politics while I read it. It was also the book that made me realize I love reading political stories. It surprised me again and again when I'd recommend the book to customers when I worked at Borders because they said they loved the musical, to which they'd reply, "No thanks, I heard it's very political" or "I tried to read it, but it's too political." Both of these phrases now translate to "I tried to read it, but it was just to interesting" for me, though that's me being mean. I'm a specfic reader not for escapist fun, but for escapist getting-something-done.