Book Review: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

General Fiction > Fantasy

Time is out of joint. The summer of peace and plenty, ten years long, is drawing to a close, and the harsh, chill winter approaches like an angry beast. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who held sway over and age of enforced peace are dead…victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns, as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms prepare to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.

As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky—a comet the color of blood and flame—six factions struggle for control of a divided land. Eddard’s son Robb has declared himself King in the North. In the south, Joffrey, the heir apparent, rules in name only, victim of the scheming courtiers who teem over King’s Landing. Robert’s two brothers each seek their own dominion, while a disfavored house turns once more to conquest. And a continent away, an exiled queen, the Mother of Dragons, risks everything to lead her precious brood across a hard hot desert to win back the crown that is rightfully hers.

A Clash of Kings transports us into a magnificent, forgotten land of revelry and revenge, wizardry and wartime. It is a tale in which maidens cavort with madmen, brother plots against brother, and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside.

Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, the price of glory may be measured in blood. And the spoils of victory may just go to the  men and women possessed of the coldest steel…and the coldest hearts. For when rulers clash, all of the land feels the tremors.

Literary Awards: Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel (2000), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (1999), Ignotus for Novela extranjera (2004)

Book 1: A Game of Thrones review

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A Clash of Kings renewed my interest to George R.R. Martin and his ASoIaF series. This sequel is fantastic to the core, living up to it’s epic popularity among fantasy lovers like me. Let me air this out, though: Tyrion FTW!

900+ pages is no joke to plow through, but the war, politics and never-ending game of thrones were more than enough to push, push me to finish this chunkster. And what an awesome experience it was to finally get to the end!

Daenerys. The exiled queen is getting stronger in character. So much love for this Targaryen. 🙂
Theon Greyjoy. A joy to read from his POV at the start, but when he begins his betrayal, I want him to not die, but suffer from torture for a very, very long time.
Arya. I admire this willful child. I will watch out for her POVs in the upcoming books.
Catelyn. I’m beginning to fall in love with Cat’s chapters. Who wouldn’t? A mom like me will truly understand what Cat’s going through. Oh, the hurt and despair!
Tyrion. He is from House Lannister, but it was impossible to not applaud him for his cunning and bravery. Such big guns from a freaky dwarf, eh? 😉

The ending left me mad.. for more.

A Clash of Kings is one of the best fantasy sequels out there. It’s a definite must read for anyone who read A Game of Thrones and thought it was just so-so.

Vengeance. I want it from the next books.

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A CLASH FO KINGS by George R.R. Martin

Paperback, 913 pages

Published 2003 by Voyager

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5/5 stars