A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
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.
I eagerly started this sequel to A Game of Thrones….and wasn’t disappointed. This novel enriches the story, while complicating it still further.
Tyrion and Dany remained my favorite characters. Other viewpoint characters I enjoyed: Theon Greyjoy, John Snow, and Ser Davos. I enjoyed Arya’s storyline, but I find her rather annoying as a character. I know a lot of people love her, but I just don’t.
I loved seeing Tyrion in his new role as Hand of the King and following Dany and John, as they explore the East and the North, respectively. Jaqen H’ghar was another great character introduced in this book. As always, I enjoyed the scheming of the Lannisters.
The tv series also makes a good run of this…the Battle of the Blackwater was amazing.
I don’t want to give away too much, but if you’ve read the first book in the series, you should definitely continue on with this one!
Since I’m not talking much about the events of this book, leave me a comment down below about how you liked it. If you don’t want spoilers, I would avoid the comments!
