A Clash of Kings: The Review

English: George R.R. Martin signing books in a bookstore in Ljubljana

After a month of heavy reading, I have now finished A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin. This is such an amazing read, so many twists and turns. One minute in the heat of battle, the next your waiting in the cold with Jon Snow.

A quick summary before my review. The book is set in region called Westeros. At the end of the previous book The Game of Thrones, There were 2 Kings, Joff who rules of the southern regions and governs from Kings Landing. The second king is Robb Stark, king of the north. Ironically their ‘dads’ were great friends. Towards the middle of the book three more kings will rise. And as the name suggests a clash begins. However outside of Westeros, in the Free Cities, Daenerys Targaryen is beginning her rise to power.

So what did I think of the book? Well it was really interesting meeting old and new characters. Seeing how each characters plays their role in the grand scheme of things. Even though there is a lot of battles that take place during the timeline of the book, only a few are actually visited during the book. The ‘real’ battles fought by schemers, such Tyrion and Ceresi Lannister, Catelyn and Arya Stark.

The story is told well, with enough description for you to picture a character/scene but not too much that your spoon fed. From reading the books then watching the films, it’s amazing how much different the my version of Starks are compared to the film. It also adds interest and motivation by swapping viewpoints at various points in the book. It leaves you on a cliff hanger with some, which makes you eager to read on and find out what happens. There is also a big shocker half way through the book, which I won’t ruin.

So would I recommend this book? Yes and you need to read the previous and sequels too, it is such an amazing world which easily is more believable and interesting than Middle-Earth.

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