A Clash of Kings

One of my 2020 reading goals is to read the entire Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones) series. This is no small task since there are about a billion pages to the five book series.

This second book in the series continues the saga of the Starks, Lannisters, Targaryens, Greyjoys etc as they compete for the iron throne of the Seven Kingdoms. There are many points of view, loads of action, betrayals and plotting and I particularly like the snippets of humour provided by Tyrion's quips.

This was a good addition to the series but not quite as riveting as the first book, A Game of Thrones. The book strays a bit from the TV series (Reek's story in particular) but with the help of the popular TV show, I was able to keep track of who was who - or at least the gaggle of main characters. Similar to the first time I tried to read this book several years ago (I gave up half way through), I found that the story got bogged down with the numerous references to lords/families that are mentioned once and then forgotten. But I persisted and I'm glad I made it through to the other side of this behemoth of a book.

Needless to say, Martin will never be criticized for a lack of characters but there's no arguing that the man can write! This is an epic story set in a captivating world filled with rich characters making it clear why this series is so popular and compelling.

I am finishing the first of my three weeks of self-isolation due to the Covid-19 virus. I've been reading a lot so you know I'll be whittling away at my ginormous TBR pile which may include starting the third book in the series, A Storm of Swords. We'll see.

What are you reading during your Covid-19 self-isolation?

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: George R.R Martin

Genre: Fantasy
Type: Leather Bound edition (1069 pages)

Series: #2 in A Song of Ice and Fire series

Publisher: Bantam Books

First Published: November 16, 1998

Opening Line: The comet's tail spread across the dawn, a red slash that bled above the crags of Dragonstone like a wound in the pink and purple sky.

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.