A Clash of Kings: Book 2 of A Song of Ice and Fire Book

A Clash of Kings is the second book in George R. R. Martin's excellent, epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. Those new to the series should certainly begin with the first book, A Game of Thrones, rather than this book but, very briefly, it takes place in Westeros and is a mammoth tale of treachery, greed and war about the various threats that plague the Seven Kingdoms south of the Wall.

Beginning right where A Game of Thrones left off, in A Clash of Kings the Seven Kingdoms are in danger of being torn apart by civil war as each of the families seek to claim the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, the Night Watch are given the additional burden of sending a reconnaissance force north of the Wall to investigate the Wildings who live there. Further trouble lies in the East where Daenerys Targaryen has fled accompanied by Jorah Mormont, her few remaining loyal followers and three newly hatched dragons.

This is another fantastic book in this immense series. Martin has put so much thought into the series and, unlike many fantasy writers, this includes thought about the characters as well as the plots. Both A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings are real character driven yarns and, despite the massive cast featured in each of them, everyone comes across as being fully-developed and convincing. This concentration on making the characters believable and relatable is also reflected in the fact that this series is far grittier than many fantasy sagas. Martin really brings out the squalor and strife that plague the people of the Seven Kingdoms. A Clash of Kings is a brutal and exciting book that hooked me from the very beginning.

A Song of Ice and Fire is one of my favourite fantasy series and I would recommend it wholeheartedly to fans of The Belgariad, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Lord of the Rings and other classics of the genre.

George R. R. Martin's superb fantasy epic continues in consummate style as bloodshed and alchemy lay waste the Seven Kingdoms in the second volume of A Song of Ice and Fire. The Iron Throne once united the Sunset Lands but King Robert is dead his widow is a traitor to his memory and his surviving brothers are set on a path of war amongst themselves. At King's Landing the head of Lord Eddard Stark rots on a spike for all to see. His daughter Sansa is betrothed still to his killer's son Joffrey -- Queen Cersei's son though not the son of her late husband Robert. Even so Joffrey is now a boy-king Cersei is his regent and war is inevitable. In Dragonstone Robert's brother Stannis has declared himself king while his other brother Renly proclaims himself king at Storm's End -- and Eddard Stark's fifteen year old son Robb wears the crown of the north at Winterfell. A comet in the night sky red and malevolent the colour of blood and flame can only be an omen of murder and war. Stannis's child Princess Shireen dreams of dragons waking from stone. And a white raven has brought word from the Citadel itself foretelling summer's end.It has been the longest summer in living memory lasting ten years and the smallfolk say it means an even longer winter to come...The first rule of war is never give the enemy his wish. But winter will be the biggest enemy. From beyond the Wall the undead and Others clamour for freedom and from beyond the sea the long-dead Dragon King's daughter hatches her revenge. Robb Stark will be exceedingly lucky to reach adulthood.

The second book in the A Song of Ice and Fire trilogy. Sansa Stark is trapped in marriage to the feeble Lannister boy child of incest who is King Joffrey. In the North the Starks prepare for battle with the Lannisters.