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

First off, I'm a heavy duty fan of GRRM. I've read over a 100 different fantasy authors in my time (started at 12; I'm now 32). Took about 5 years off from the genre b/c I felt it was all getting too formulaic and cliched. Typical archetype character who turns out to be the missing heir or boy wonder who saves the world against the Dark Lord. So, when I came back to fantasy at the end of 1999, I read the usual: Goodkind, Jordan, etc. and then someone told me about GRRM and man, that was the kicker! Here are the reasons to choose GRRM. I've also listed the reasons not to choose him to make it fair b/c I know their are certain personalities who won't like this series: WHY TO READ GRRM (1) YOU ARE TIRED OF FORMULAIC FANTASY: good lad beats the dark lord against impossible odds; boy is the epitome of good; he and all his friends never die even though they go through great dangers . . . the good and noble king; the beautiful princess who falls in love with the commoner boy even though their stations are drastically different . . . the dark lord is very evil and almost one sided at times . . . you get the idea. After reading this over and over, it gets old. (2) YOU ARE TIRED OF ALL THE HEROES STAYING ALIVE EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE UNDER CONSTANT DANGER: this gets even worse where the author kills a main hero off but that person comes back later in the story. Or, a hero does die but magic brings him back. This sometimes carries to minor characters where even they may not die, but most fantasy authors like to kill them off to show that some risked the adventure and perished. (3) YOU ARE A MEDIEVAL HISTORY BUFF: this story was influenced by the WARS OF THE ROSES and THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR. (4) YOU LOVE SERIOUS INTRIGUE WITHOUT STUPID OPPONENTS: lots of layering; lots of intrigue; lots of clever players in the game of thrones. Unlike other fantasy novels, one side, usually the villain, is stupid or not too bright. (5) YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BIASED OPINIONS AND DIFFERENT TRUTHS: GRRM has set this up where each chapter has the title of one character and the whole chapter is through their viewpoint. Interesting tidbit is that you get their perception of events or truths. But, if you pay attention, someone else will mention a different angle of truth in the story that we rarely see in other novels. Lastly and most importantly, GRRM doesn't try to tell us which person is right in their perception. He purposelly leaves it vague so that we are kept guessing. (6) LEGENDS: some of the most interesting characters are those who are long gone or dead. We never get the entire story but only bits and pieces; something that other fantasy authors could learn from to heighten suspense. Additionally, b/c the points of views are not congruent, we sometimes get different opinions. (7) WORDPLAY: if you're big on metaphors and description, GRRM is your guy. Almost flawless flow. (8) LOTS OF CONFLICT: all types, too; not just fighting but between characters through threats and intrigue. (9) MULTILAYERED PLOTTING; SUB PLOTS GALORE: each character has their own separate storyline; especially as the story continues and everyone gets scattered. This is one of the reasons why each novel is between 700-900 pages. (10) SUPERLATIVE VARIED CHARACTERS: not the typical archetypes that we are used to in most fantasy; some are gritty; few are totally evil or good; GRRM does a great job of changing our opinions of characters as the series progress. This is especially true of Jaime in book three. (11) REALISTIC MEDIEVAL DIALOGUE: not to the point that we can't understand it but well done. (12) HEAPS OF SYMOBLISM AND PROPHECY: if you're big on that. (13) EXCELLENT MYSTERIES: very hard to figure out the culprits; GRRM must have read a lot of mystery novels. (14) RICHLY TEXTURED FEMALE CHARACTERS: best male author on female characters I have read; realistic on how women think, too. (15) LOW MAGIC WORLD: magic is low key; not over the top so heroes can't get out of jams with it. REASON TO NOT READ GRRM (1) YOU LIKE YOUR MAIN CHARACTERS: GRRM does a good job of creating more likeable characters after a few die. But, if that isn't your style, you shouldn't be reading it. He kills off several, not just one, so be warned. (2) DO NOT CARE FOR GRITTY GRAY CHARACTERS: if you like more white and gray characters, this may unsettle you. I suggest Feist or Goodkind or Dragonlance if you want a more straight forward story with strong archetypes. (3) MULTIPLE POINTS OF VIEWS TURN YOU OFF: if you prefer that the POVS only go to a few characters, this might be confusing for you. (4) SWEARING, SEX: there's a lot of it in this book just as there is in real life. If you have delicate ears, this book may upset you. (5) YOU DEMAND CLOSURE AT THE END OF EVERY BOOK: this isn't the case for all stories in the series. Some are still going on; some have been resolved; others have been created and are moving on. (6) IF YOU WANT A TARGET OR SOMEONE TO BLAME: this can be done to some extent but not as much. This is b/c he doesn't try to make anyone necessarily good or evil. (7) ARCHETYPES: some readers like archetypal characters because it's comfortable; we like the good young hero (sort of like Pug in Feist's THE RIFTWAR SAGA); it's familiar and we sometimes like to pretend we're this upcoming, great hero. You wont' get much of this in GRRM with the exception of one or two characters. There really aren't any super heroes compared to all the other characters as it's more grittier and no one is shooting fireballs every milisecond or carrying around some super powerful sword. (8) LENGTH: you don't want to get into a long fantasy epic series. In that case, look for shorters works as this is biiig. (9) PATRIARCHY: men are most of the main characters with lots of power (one female exception). While this is realistic of the medieval era, some readers may not prefer this if they want more girl power, so to speak. By the way, if you don't want to commit to a big book until you know the author better, check out his short story, THE HEDGE KNIGHT, in LEGENDS. Overall, this is a great series and I happily purchase the hard cover when it comes out...

Pre-review note for fans of the TV show Game of Thrones: If you've ever thought to yourself, "Gee, I love this show so much I'd like to read the books, but the first season of the show is supposed to be so faithful to the first book, and I don't want to read 800 pages of stuff I already know," and wondered if you should just start with book 2, A CLASH OF KINGS, here is what you need to know. Yes, you are safe skipping book one. You'll miss out on some worldbuilding & backstory, which are neat, but you won't feel lost. And yes, unlike Season 1/Book 1, there are some pretty major differences between Season 2 of the show and A CLASH OF KINGS. The list of changes is long, and some of the differences really surprised me. And now on to the review. I think? Maybe? Because it's hard to write a review when I have no distance. I haven't been so obsessed with a book in a really long while. I haven't felt so immersed or engaged, so eager to find out what happens next (yes, even though I already know). I want to read, and then I want to talk about what I'm reading, and then I want to read some more. This is not my usual sort of book. Good characters meet bad ends. The characters I root for are hurt and hurt and hurt again, and there's no reason to believe they've got a reward in store during the as-yet-unwritten finale. I think: Oh, I should not love Arya so much, I should not love Bran so much, or Daenerys or Tyrion. They can't all win. They're not going to make friends and get along. But I can't help it. It's hard to explain why anyone should read this series. It seems like an act of masochism, doesn't it? That's part of the reason why I avoided it for so long. But a book that can hurt you is a book that can move you in other ways, too. And the good moments, the character growth, the triumphs...man, they are so satisfying. I read a blog post that pointed out something obvious I should have seen myself. The classic fantasy plot is about a young man who becomes King. That's the trajectory; rising to power is success. And this is a novel with ostensibly the same plot -- there's a throne, it's in jeopardy -- but the books are about the people who surround the kings. The wives, the sisters and brothers, the advisors and vassals. The contenders to the throne (with the exception of Daenerys, who starts the book ruling a clan of 50 people) aren't our POV characters. A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE is a total inversion...and attaining power, in this world, is just as dangerous as losing it. I love the way that GRR Martin has set up the Houses, with images that stick in your mind like burrowing worms. Winter is coming. The iron price. A Lannister always pays his debts. He keeps this sprawling world and cast comprehensible because the imagery is so succinct and memorable. But each character interprets their own family legacy in a unique way. Despite the importance of family, despite that strong stamp of imagery, biology isn't destiny. Some of the Lannisters are foolish (Lancel? Yeesh), and their family words can be a doom or a blessing, depending on who's talking. Every character can choose, can do what's expected or what's easy or what's safe, to seek advantage or do what's right. So the simple image, the character of the family in the words and the banner, is elaborated, extended, perverted or rejected. The same with gender roles. There are characters -- especially the older characters -- that that fit the common types. Men who fight and lead. Women who look pretty and offer support. But those are the minority. Among the men, key characters include a dwarf, a eunuch, a cripple, a fat bookworm. Awesome characters that you love and root for, and you see how strong and capable they are, even if not a one of them looks pretty sitting on a horse in armor. The women hold their own in politics, but the book includes two key women who are evolving as fighters, driven by vengeance, who don't need to be pretty to be compelling or important. At this point, I feel like the series is about change. The characters who survive are the characters who adapt. I think I have been blathering on for a while now. To sum up: personally, I really enjoyed A CLASH OF KINGS. It pulled me deeper into the world, made me more attached to the characters. This is one of those series where more is really more.

Even though I already knew the main plot lines, having watched the TV show prior to reading the books, it still amazes me how awesome of a writer and worldbuilder George Martin is. His prose is superb, full of archaic words and expressions, yet it never tires the reader. The text is seamless; the descriptions are rich, but not excessive, and the depth of characters and storylines are outstanding. I'm well into the third book (A Storm of Swords) and I'm confident to say that the whole series is a must read for the fans of the TV show and fans of fantasy fiction in general.

Im zweiten Band der Reihe "A Song of Ice and Fire" wird die Handlung nahtlos fortgesetzt. Die Erzählung erfolgt erneut aus den Perspektiven verschiedener Personen, die insgesamt gesehen, die wichtigen Handlungsschauplätze abdecken, so dass man stetig auf dem Laufenden ist, was die einzelnen "Könige" veranstalten. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf Tyrion und Arya, was mir entgegenkam, denn ich liebe diese beiden Charaktere. Gerade Tyrions Abschnitte sind aufgrund seiner sarkastischen Art sehr unterhaltsam. Martin zeigt dabei, wie schon im ersten Teil, nicht nur Momente, die für den Fortgang der Geschichte notwendig sind, sondern auch Momente, die die Charakterzüge der einzelnen Personen näher definieren. Dadurch sind manche Passagen zwar weniger interessant, weil ich beispielsweise einige Charaktere nicht mochte und deshalb auch nicht mehr über diese erfahren wollte, aber lässt die Geschichte insgesamt realer wirken. Wie schon im Vorgänger sind die Landschaftsbeschreibungen und Charakterzeichnungen aussagekräftig und umfangreich, jedoch schafft es Martin den Leser damit nicht zu erschlagen, obwohl etwas weniger einen Tick angenehmer gewesen wäre. Die fantastischen Elemente nehmen in diesem Buch im Vergleich zum Vorgänger zu, in dem immer mehr Magie einfließt und andersartige Wesen auftauchen. Diese werden so in die Geschichte eingeflochten, dass es nicht überdreht oder unwirklich erscheint. Wie schon beim ersten Teil ist das Ende so gestaltet, dass der Leser erneut zum nächsten Buch der Reihe greifen muss. Vor allem wurde im hinteren Viertel nichts mehr zu Robb erwähnt. Man weiß also nicht, wie es um ihn und seine Gefolgsleute steht. Fazit A Song of Ice and Fire bleibt weiterhin ein Lesegenuss der Extra-Klasse. Umfangreich, episch, spannend und tiefgründig ist es eine Empfehlung für Fantasy-Fans, die nicht von einer überfantastischen Welt erschlagen werden wollen, sondern lieber ein real erscheinendes Werk bevorzugen.

The story is gripping and the narrative compelling. The characters intriguing and the world beautiful, terrible and brutal. Sometimes a bit hard to remember each story thread with the chapters structure but otherwise brilliant.

Really love this book! Was on perfect conditions!

The aftermath of book one, A Game of Thrones is at the core of this book, driving it forward. The first book had me hooked and engaged – A Clash of Kings made me fall in love with the series, A Song of Ice and Fire. Somehow, George R. R. Martin upped the stakes and made everything bigger in this fantasy book. The stakes are higher – there are factions and rebellions, new and dangerous characters, and the world just keeps getting bigger. Tyron truly came into his own in this book. He commanded the story and had my favourite arc. Sansa’s chapters were difficult to read but offered a glimpse into the mind of the boy king that we didn’t get (much of) anywhere else. Cat and Robb had a steep hill to climb and their struggle really hit home hard. Bran’s story was quite slow but it’s beginning to pick up the pace. Jon’s arc was brilliant – I want more of that! Arya was on a bit of a travelogue – if a bit of a dark one – which was so much fun to be on because the world was amazing to explore. Daenerys had a hell of a journey, but it’s not over yet. This section is spoiler free, so I can’t really talk about what happened in more detail than that! All you need to know is that continuing with the story is worth it – it’s exciting, bloody, brutal, and engaging. The characters are all fantastic and unique within this world. And the world itself feels so epic, it’s impossible not to get lost in it all. SPOILER SECTION Stannis was a great character to introduce in this book. He felt like a real contender to the Iron Throne, and even though I felt like he couldn’t win because Tyrion was a defender of the city, I was still surprised when he lost. That’s always a good feeling, when a writer can do something like that. His storyline also introduced an element of magic to the books that was previously unseen, much of the time. Davos is a great character to follow for these scenes and I hope to see more of him in the future – despite knowing that George R. R. Martin has to qualms about killing off whoever he likes! Robb really came into his own as King of the North. His storyline, also told through Cat, was exciting and intriguing. I wasn’t expecting so much battle planning to be present in the book. He made a mistake, so he’s got to work through that, but otherwise his arc is brilliant. Theon was another new character to follow in this book. He’s a dick. George R. R. Martin does an amazing job of making the reader hate Theon, but you also feel for him. He’s an outcast in his own family, in his own country, and he wants to prove himself. I hate him, but I also wish him well… Jon’s storyline felt quite slow, even though it was still progressing forward. The introduction of Ygritte was an interesting twist for his character, but it was when he killed Qhorin Halfhand that I realised that his story was going somewhere interesting. Bran’s story was very slow, but again, at the end it seemed like he was finally moving forward (literally and in a plot sense). Daenerys’ story was really good in this book. She overcame the threat of starvation, for herself and her people, found somewhere safe to stay, and then she had to fight her was out of it again. At parts, it felt slow, but for the most part I loved the characters involved and I’m excited for what comes next.