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...

Looking back, this is one of my favorite books in the series. It marks beginning of Tyrion and Cersei's back and forth struggle for influence. Tyrion is the star of this installment, in my opinion. He develops more and more as a character and the reader starts to get a clear picture of where his head is. He sees there are some underhanded things going on around him and he continually uses his cunning to set things right, or to what he believes is right. He has to be a little underhanded himself to accomplish these things at times. Arya's story also picks up tremendously. We follow her travels and the perils she faces on her way to the Wall with Yoren (who is supposed to return her to Winterfell). Characters such as Hot Pie, and Gendry are central to her story as well along with the introduction of one of my favorites, Jaqen H'Ghar. Chance meetings with Amory Lorch and Gregor Clegane's forces make for an exciting read. We see Robb's further rise to power through the eyes of Catelyn Stark. She does her best to provide counsel, but the more Robb settles into his role as the king, the less he heeds it. We also learn more of Renly and Stannis Baratheon's new quest for the throne. We're introduced to Davos Seaworth who tells the story of Stannis Baratheon's bid for the throne through his eyes. He is suspicious of Stannis' new found religion, worshiping R'hollor, The Lord of Light. A red priestess, named Melisandre is introduced as a pivotal character in this story. Possibly the most important development in this installment is the story of Theon Greyjoy. He returns to Pyke and means to claim his rights as his heir to his father Balon. We're also introduced (in a hilarious way) to Asha Greyjoy, Theon's sister. Other new Greyjoy's emerge in his uncles Aeron "The Damphair" Grejoy and Victarion Greyjoy. He isn't received as warmly as he would have liked and gradually, becomes more desperate to make a name for himself. A wonderful depiction of what lust for power and riches can do to a man's soul. We also have Bran in Winterfell fulfulling his role as acting Lord of Winterfell. With a little help from Rodrick Cassel and Maester Luwin, he entertains guests who will later play an important role in the saga such as Wyman Manderly, and Jojen and Meera Reed. Bran faces some of the most heartbreaking challenges of anyone in the book. Sansa's story continues as she struggles with the death of her father and living under the same roof and her betrothal to the boy that ordered Eddard's demise. She endures much and remains wary of Cersei's ostensible comfort and grooming to become a queen. Of course, the story of Jon on the wall continues as they venture beyond the wall in search of answers and hopefully, Benjen Stark's whereabouts or demise. He travels with Qhorin Halfhand and faces a monumental decision that questions his very vows to The Night Watch. Also Daenerys' story continues as she tries to move forward after the death of Khal Drogo and gather power behind her dragons. We're introduced to Quaithe, Pyat Pree, and Xharo Xhoan Daxos, representatives of Quarth. Each with their own counsel for Daenerys to gather more power along the way. It's an amazing read just as the first and the three after it are. This series will certainly go down in history as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, fantasy stories of all time.

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 best edition for these wonderful books, font dimension is large, and the pages are of good quality if compared to other editions. Only thing negative is the plastic cover that gets ruined after a few times you bring it with you in a bag, but if you use bubble wrap or something there will be no problem. Perfect shipping