A Clash of Kings

George R.R. Martin

A Song of Ice and Fire #2

Summary:

A comet the colour 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 at 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.

Plot:

This series is extremely well written. The detail is exquisite and the descriptions make you feel like you could touch the stone of a castle or smell the food the characters are eating without ever becoming just a litany of descriptions. The story remains gripping and doesn’t let up once as far as suspense goes. You can’t read this story all in one sitting, there’s just too much information and things happening, your brain would explode. However it never gets too confusing, and if you are confused the author always manages to clarify after a while. There are amazing twists and turns, and things you never see coming, while at other times things happen exactly as you predict, which makes it much harder to anticipate what could happen.

Characters:

I’m not sure how to feel about these characters. You are never quite clear on who’s the hero or who’s right. Obviously you start to like some more than others, but none of them are perfect and sometimes you even wonder about your favorite characters’ motives. Another thing about this author, he has no qualms about unapologetically killling off his characters, so I would not get too attached.

Who should read this:

16+, and like I said before, even then I advise extreme caution, the violence, sexual content and language is not for the faint-hearted or sensitive. However, fans of high-fantasy should definitely read this. You should also keep in mind that these books are not quick reads, they will take up a lot of your time. If you didn’t like the first book, don’t waste your time with this one.

My rating:

I’ve said before that I’m not a fan of grisly or graphic descriptions, especially not when it’s violent, but this book is so undeniably well-written that I cannot give it less than 4/5.

Quote:

“The brightest flame casts the darkest shadow.”

Read my review for the first book 'A Game of Thrones' here!