A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2)
In this eagerly awaited sequel to A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin has created a work of unsurpassed vision, power, and imagination. A Clash of Kings transports us to a world of revelry and revenge, wizardry and warfare unlike any you haveever experienced.
A Clash Of Kings
A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which 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, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.
Product Details
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
How does he do it? George R.R. Martin's high fantasy weaves a spell sufficient to seduce even those who vowed never to start a doorstopper fantasy series again (the first book--A Game of Thrones--runs over 700 pages). A Clash of Kings is longer and even more grim, but Martin continues to provide compelling characters in a vividly real world.
The Seven Kingdoms have come apart. Joffrey, Queen Cersei's sadistic son, ascends the Iron Throne following the death of Robert Baratheon, the Usurper, who won it in battle. Queen Cersei's family, the Lannisters, fight to hold it for him. Both the dour Stannis and the charismatic Renly Baratheon, Robert's brothers, also seek the throne. Robb Stark, declared King in the North, battles to avenge his father's execution and retrieve his sister from Joffrey's court. Daenerys, the exiled last heir of the former ruling family, nurtures three dragons and seeks a way home. Meanwhile the Night's Watch, sworn to protect the realm from dangers north of the Wall, dwindle in numbers, even as barbarian forces gather and beings out of legend stalk the Haunted Forest.
Sound complicated? It is, but fine writing makes this a thoroughly satisfying stew of dark magic, complex political intrigue, and horrific bloodshed. --Nona Vero
From Publishers Weekly
The second novel of Martin's titanic Song of Ice and Fire saga (A Game of Thrones, 1996) begins with Princess Arya Stark fleeing her dead father's capital of King's Landing, disguised as a boy. It ends with the princess, now known as Weasel, having led the liberation of the accursed castle of Harrenhal. In between, her actions map the further course of a truly epic fantasy set in a world bedecked with 8000 years of history, beset by an imminent winter that will last 10 years and bedazzled by swords and spells wielded to devastating effect by the scrupulous and unscrupulous alike. Standout characters besides Arya include Queen Cersei, so lacking in morals that she becomes almost pitiable; the queen's brother, the relentlessly ingenious dwarf Tyrion Lannister; and Arya's brother, Prince Brandon, crippled except when he runs with the wolves in his dreams. The novel is notable particularly for the lived-in quality of its world, created through abundant detail that dramatically increases narrative length even as it aids suspension of disbelief; for the comparatively modest role of magic (although with one ambitious young woman raising a trio of dragons, that may change in future volumes); and for its magnificent action-filled climax, an amphibious assault on King's Landing, now ruled by the evil Queen Cersei. Martin may not rival Tolkien or Robert Jordan, but he ranks with such accomplished medievalists of fantasy as Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson. Here, he provides a banquet for fantasy lovers with large appetites?and this is only the second course of a repast with no end in sight. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
A war for succession as king of the realm pits brother against brother in a battle of armies and politics. Caught in the struggle are seven noble families whose fortunes and lives depend on how well they play the game of intrigue, blackmail, kidnapping, treachery, and magic. Martin has created a rich world filled with characters whose desires for love and power drive them to extremes of nobility and betrayal. Fans of epic fantasy should appreciate this lavishly detailed sequel to A Game of Thrones (Spectra, 1996). Recommended for most fantasy collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Customer Reviews
A worthy sequel to AGOT
As with my last review, I won't waste time going into too much depth in describing this book - suffice to say, I feel the hundreds of positive reviews should adequately cover the overall quality of the book. My own experience is much the same - expect increasingly nuanced and interesting characterization of characters you thought you knew, enough action to keep fans of it happy, and a good amount of progression in the plot, which continues to largely revolve around the politics of Westeros.
HIGHLY recommended
A great sequel!!!!
Mr. George R.R. Martin just repeated himself on this second offer in the series of "A Song of Ice and Fire".
Now there are a handful of Kings, all of them ready to kill the next. We also follow the Stark children, all separate from each other and always at risk.
Sansa still captive in King's Land, Robb now is the King of the North and it's facing the Lannisters in battle, Jon is beyond the Wall with the Black Knights and facing incredible horrors, Arya is traveling on the road, hiding her true identity as a boy and later working as a maid in a castle where she finds an strange new ally. Bran and his little brother just escaped Winterfell the great fortress of the Starks now taken and burned to the ground.
Indeed a great read, once you get familiar with the main characters you are ready for long hours of great adventures and clever plot after clever plot, lot's of cliff hangers too.
I'm ready for the next two books "A Storm of Swords" and "A Feast of Crows".
Cheers!!!
Best Fantasy Novel I Have Ever Read
I gave `A Game of Thrones' five stars and `A Clash of Kings' exceeds the first one in every way so what do I give this book?
I absolutely positively love this series. By far its greatest strength is in characterization. After well over 1500 total pages I've grown quite attached to Arya, Bran, Ricken and the rest of the Stark family. I truly want to see Joffrey and Cercei get their heads on a spike and I can't wait to see what Tyrion does next. The midget Tyrion is one of the most inventive and intriguing figures I have ever read. This is a fantastic character and I have to confess that when I see a Tyrion chapter coming up I'll skip forward to take a peek. Actually I found myself peeking forward quite a bit because the book is just so good. At over 960 pages this is probably the longest book I have ever read and amazingly I never wanted it to end and this is coming from a person with a very short attention span.
Martin writes his `Song of Fire and Ice' series like a fantasy soap opera. The chapters jump back and forth between about a dozen or so different storylines so the reader never spends a whole lot of time with any individual character. Robb Stark, from the first book, doesn't appear at all but has become sort of an enigmatic figure winning battle after battle in distant lands. The climax of the book is the huge assault on King's Landing by King Stannis's fleet and it is spectacular. At the conclusion of each book the author treats the reader to several major cliffhangers to keep us eager for the next installment. Lucky for me I'm years behind in the series so I can just grab the next book as I finish the previous.
This is the one to get. This is the best fiction book I have ever read. I loved it so much that I couldn't wait for the next one to arrive so I searched the libraries in my area for `A Storm of Swords' to tide me over until I get my own copy. I'm such a fan that I'm saddened at the thought that some day I'll be finished with the series. Unlike other fantasy writers that seem to be able to crank out a book every six months it takes Martin about 3 years to complete a book and it shows in the quality. These are not books to be plowed through and then tossed into a box. These are literary works. My highest recommendation.
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