Review: A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
Blurb:
George R. R. Martin, a writer of unsurpassed vision, power, and imagination, has created a landmark of fantasy fiction. In his widely acclaimed A Game of Thrones, he introduced us to an extraordinary world of wonder, intrigue, and adventure. Now, in the eagerly awaited second volume in this epic saga, he once again proves himself a master myth-maker, setting a standard against which all other fantasy novels will be measured for years to come.
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 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, 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 warfare. 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.
Audacious, inventive, brilliantly imagined, A Clash of Kings is a novel of dazzling beauty and boundless enchantment—a tale of pure excitement you will never forget.
Review:
It took me far too long to finish A Clash of Kings, and I regret that deeply. This book was as wonderful as the first in the series, and it did not disappoint. The book starts off hot and ends hotter, and is a lot more thought out and organized than any thoughts I’m going to put together here, so buckle up.
One thing that I definitely benefited from here was having watched the show, and therefore my imagination is running wild and being filled in all the right ways, so the entire series so far has been an absolute joy. Thankfully, I haven’t watched the show in around 5 years, so a lot of things are still fresh, which is something I was very worried about.
Now, getting into the characters. The POVs for me range wildly in terms of how much I liked them in the books vs the show. Daenerys I found much more likeable in this book, especially everything with the Qaartheen, which was articulated wonderfully and honestly some of my favorite parts of the book. Similarly, I think I like Catelyn better here than the show, because we get a lot more behind her motivations. Sansa I think I enjoyed less, and the same for Theon, and the others were about as I expected; Jon and Arya and Tyrion favorites, and Bran boring. I am a big fan of Ser Daavos though, so his sections were wonderful.
I think the world was expanded expertly in this story, especially across the sea and beyond the wall. There was a lot of information on ancient histories and bloodlines and things of that nature that I could not get enough of and I’m excited to see more about as well. I will say, though, that a lot of the “king clashing” happened off screen so to speak, especially Stannis, which I was hoping to see more of. I also would have liked a bit more Robb towards the end, but I’m excited for the next book.
I think the individual plot lines were phenomenal, especially Arya’s and Dany’s, and I’m very excited to see how they grow and change. Sansa has been fairly stagnant, as has Bran, but I kind of know what’s coming so I can’t complain on those fronts.
As always, it was hard to keep all the knights and lords and ladies straight in my head, especially when they were mentioned once and never again, but oh well.
My favorite scene had to be between Jon and Qhorin Halfhand towards the end, as well as Arya in Harrenhal and Theon getting his just desserts.
All in all, another fantastic installment in the series, and I can’t wait to get into book 3, except for the POVs with Jamie and Cersei, but there are a few deaths I’m excited for (can I say that?) so I guess we’ll see.
If you read A Games of Thrones but haven’t continued, this is your sign to!!
