Written by George R. R. Martin

Number 2 in A Song of Ice and Fire

Publisher: Voyager Books
Pages: 784
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 1998-11-16
Original Language: English

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an 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. 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. Here is the second volume in George R.R. Martin magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R.R. Martin stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

Read from 2013-05-04 to 2013-05-23
Read in English
Rating: 4/5
Review: Fortunately I never really expected to enjoy A Clash of Kings as much as I enjoyed Game of Thrones, and therefore I wasn’t that disappointed when I didn’t. I found the story to be a bit more clunky, a little more predictable, and less immersive. It is more political than the previous book, something I don’t necessarily mind, but large parts of it seemed to exist with the purpose of being a set-up for future books. Now, with all the negativity out of the way, I’ll hasten to add that Clash of Kings is still a highly enjoyable book, and I’m eager to see how the story continues from the end of it.