A Clash of Kings

I was originally drawn to this series by some comments I read that favorably compared its author to JRR Tolkien--a parallel that Mr. Martin clearly encourages with his own prominent supernumeRaRy middle initials. While I find his Song of Ice and Fire similarly engaging and voluminous thus far, it's no Lord of the Rings. Yet why should it be? As a linguist and a scholar, JRRT spent years independently developing the languages, mythology, and political history of Middle Earth before turning Frodo loose within that world. In terms of depth and immersiveness, LotR derives incalculable benefit from the uniquely backward mode of its conception. It does not surprise me that other fantasy novels' settings often appear thin-fleshed and contrived by comparison (Frank Herbert's Dune being a rare exception).While aSoIaF does exhibit some minor shortcomings in this regard, I think this sort of evaluation is ultimately unfruitful and misleading: Martin's strengths lie elsewhere. His aSoIaF reads as more medieval soap opera than epic literature, its vivid and immediate characterizations revealing the unspoken thoughts and emotions of the many protagonists. Although the supernatural exists, good and evil here are not personified as absolutes (cf. Sauron) but instead are manifest in human interaction, and their interpretation often depends on perspective. Events are told from the characters' point of view and are unavoidably filtered and colored by their egos. It is their hopes and fears, their stratagems and machinations, their interpersonal and physical conflicts that matter most in Martin's world. I wound up caring sincerely about Jon, Arya, Bran, and Tyrion--a dangerous undertaking, given Martin's unflinching (and admirable) refusal to shield his heroes from the Machiavellian, often lethal cruelty of their environment.Several reviewers have decried or defended the graphic language that pervades these books. Martin deliberately aims for a certain coarseness, preferring blunt Anglo-Saxon words to flowery Latin cognates. This is intended to set a gritty, unsparing, medieval tone for the story, and apart from a few jarringly anachronistic turns of phrase ("butt cheeks", e.g.), it works well and is even refreshing, given the suffocating mawkishness of some other novels in the genre. Still, I must say I often found the continual parade of bodily functions, "whores" (willing and otherwise), and "Penthouse Forum"-style sexual conquests gratuitous and distracting, even juvenile at spots. Does the author's quest for ultimate realism require that his readers be privy to every bathroom break in the woods? At such times I felt grateful to Tolkien for all that he left implied or unsaid in LotR. I don't mind graphic sexual imagery used in moderation to serve plot or characterization, but reading Martin sometimes feels like eating an entire bottle of ketchup with a single hot dog (somewhat ironically, the Amazon review editors nixed the Tabasco metaphor I had originally used here). Sometimes, less is more.As with the frequent long "roster for today's tourney" lists of names and house sigils, such bits are easily skipped over without detriment, but it would be perilous to conclude that Martin is inflexibly prolix and incapable of subtlety: Some of the most wrenching plot revelations--I'm thinking of one in particular involving Bran--are first conveyed within the space of a few disarmingly parenthetical remarks! So, you must also keep your eyes peeled, or be prepared to backtrack if you're skimming.Notwithstanding my various criticisms, I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and consider it well worth the effort to read, even if the pace does flag somewhat in the 2nd book. I'm eager to read "A Storm of Swords" as well as the 4th book, after which I suppose I'll join the frustrated souls who impatiently await the concluding installments, wondering how (and if) Martin plans to wrap it all up. I give the series to this point a solid "B", or 4 stars, with Book 1 earning a B-plus and Book 2 a B-minus.

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 b...

This book is interesting in that depending on my mood its the most interesting or the most boring in the series. I think its because I hate Stannis and Theon so much that their parts just drag.I really loved it and was surprised how quickly things went. Some things i swore happened in book 3 happened here!The writing is great and theres some real gut wrenching moments.

I don't get why people seem to hate this book so much more than the first book or two in this series. It's more of the same; I didn't see a decrease in writing quality at all. I wish you could give half stars, because I don't quite feel this deserved 4 stars, but it's better than your average book, so I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. I'd give books 2 and 3 the same rating, and book one would have half a star more at 4. I have not yet read ADWD, but I plan on doing so soon. I do hope after such a long wait that he gives us closure on a few of the stories that happened in this book, though.The only major criticism I can make of this book is that it adds so many new variables and plot lines to the story that, while good, are distracting to the overall theme. My understanding is that the big picture story here is that the Others (or the Other, the god opposing R'hllor, or whatever prophecy you want to go by) are coming, and somehow this fractured world needs to band together to oppose that which threatens all humanity. That being said, I think we've seen enough of the fracturing -- we need to get to the banding together part already. I mean, AFFC was already supposed to be the first half of a book, and then ADWD was split again. The writing is good, the stories are good, the characters are good, but by the fourth book, I expect him to be setting up for the conclusion, and it didn't seem that way to me.The major criticism aside, this book was very entertaining. The only people who won't like it are those who need constant action scenes and battles and blood and gore to be entertained. This book is the playing of the game of thrones at its heart:- The Ironborn play their own game of thrones amongst themselves and then re-enter themselves into the bigger game of thrones for the Seven Kingdoms.-Littlefinger brings Sansa into his plots and scheming and as he gathers more power for himself, you see that he has big ambitions and is actually a strong contender in the game.- Jaime's character develops even more as he discovers his sister is not all he thought she was, and strives to keep oaths he has sworn, despite being despised by all in the realm for breaking the biggest one.- Brienne discovers that honor is not always the high road, that life is more complicated than black and white.- Cersei plots against the little queen, makes good use of her court torturer, and fails to follow the age old advice of keeping your friends close and enemies closer.- Sam's story....admittedly, is the least compelling of the bunch. It's a bit slow, but of all the stories, it's the only one that seems to be contributing to the overarching theme of prophecy and dragons and saving the world, so I'll forgive him the slower plot line there. His chapters really could've been compressed all into one, though, if they were mentioned at all.While some parts were slower than others, it was solid reading throughout and I was never bored. I do want GRRM to finish, of course, but in the meantime, it seems pointless to get angry over waiting for him to finish. I'd rather enjoy the ride. The first installment so far has been the best, but as of this book, GRRM has not slipped yet.

After I finished "Game of Thrones," I immediately downloaded "Clash of Kings" and began reading, eager to continue the story that so fully captured my attention. This series is highly addicting, and I'm incredibly late reviewing this because it's impossible to stop reading after finishing a book to compose a review. Also, the second and third book sort of run together, which makes it difficult to review them separately. This is the perfect follow up to the first book - carries the momentum from the events introduced there and sets up its own story. It somehow manages to be darker and grittier than the first installment without stepping into the realm of being gratuitous . In fact, it's probably one of the best second novels I've read. Spoilers follow.I usually give a brief summary of the novel's story in my review, but with "Clash of Kings," a brief summary simply isn't possible since there's so much going on in the book and a lot of it ties deeply to the events from the first novel. Instead, I'll supply a very brief overview. With Robert Baratheon dead and the legitimacy of his children brought into question, the Iron Throne is up for grabs and Westeros is plunged into civil war as (at least) four different people claim the Throne as theirs. Meanwhile, the Night's Watch in the North begins to investigate the people beyond the Wall, the Wildlings. In the East, Daenerys Targaryen moves forward with her plan to conquer the Seven Kingdoms for herself. Her following has dwindled after the death of her husband, but her three newborn dragons make her notorious. Though she refuses to give them away to secure aid, Daenerys hopes she can use her dragons to her advantage to reclaim what, in her mind, rightfully belongs to her family.Martin sure knows how to tell a riveting story. I've read a fair bit of fantasy over the years and eventually had to take a break from the genre due to becoming bored with seeing the same clichés and tropes used over and over again. As I read "Clash of Kings," I found myself waiting to see the book fall into the same pattern of predictability that I've seen elsewhere. The first book was great in being unique and unpredictable, but could Martin really maintain that high standard throughout a second book? The joke's on me because he definitely can...and I've learned better than to doubt his originality. There isn't much in the way of resolution in this book, but that's ok since there are several more books that follow it. Instead, "Clash of Kings" serves to propel the ideas established in the first book. We see how events from "Game of Thrones" have unfolded and developed into something bigger and more widespread, and what we see is fascinating. It's also worth mentioning that there are a lot of big players in this war, but Martin manages to make all of them distinct. None are just thrown in to be there and all of them are fleshed out. This isn't a generic world filled with the normal trappings of the genre - Martin's Westeros is unique and fully realized. Reading about the different factions alone would be compelling...combine it with an intriguing plot and you've got one Hell of a good read!It should also be noted that Martin pulls no punches when describing his dark, gritty world. If you're squeamish and prefer to read about characters that blush when thinking about kissing or battles that are over and done with relatively quickly and cleanly, this probably isn't your book. The big theme in "Clash of Kings" is the huge, ongoing civil war that has erupted across the entirety of Westeros, and no detail is spared. The full horrors of the battlefield - bones being crushed, flesh split, the gruesome results of someone being turned into a bloody pulp via being bludgeoned by a blunt object, soldiers being trampled by their own horses, pretty much any awful battle-related thing you can come up with - are portrayed in graphic detail. These fights aren't glorious; they're long, agonizing, and brutal, and Martin writes them so well that you'll find yourself on the battlefield alongside the characters (for better or worse, in some cases). He's done his research on the tools and tactics of the medieval period, and it definitely shows. He also doesn't hesitate to show us the other not-so-pleasant aspects of humanity. Sex (whether consensual or the spoils of war) is a common occurrence and it isn't portrayed in a nice, chaste manner. Like many other things in the books, it's blunt, realistic, and often uncomfortable...both for the characters and the reader. The people who populate Martin's world drink, curse, and entertain lewd, violent, or otherwise nasty thoughts. Sanitation is what you'd expect it to be in a war torn, medieval country. These things often aren't fun to read about, but they add a level of authenticity to the novel, and I personally find it refreshing to read an author who doesn't sugarcoat the realities of armed conflict. The details characterize t...