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A Clash of Kings

(A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2)

By George R.R. Martin

(518)

| Hardcover | 9780553108033

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Book Description

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.

7 Reviews

1 person find this helpful

Go on!!!

Lives up to expectations! The rythm keeps the reader trapped, being terribly slow and fast at the same time, situations stagnate and suddenly explode, running so fast it's hard to keep up. New amazing characters come to stay or soon go. The old ones evolve, change and remain the same, explaining the ... (continue)

Lives up to expectations! The rythm keeps the reader trapped, being terribly slow and fast at the same time, situations stagnate and suddenly explode, running so fast it's hard to keep up. New amazing characters come to stay or soon go. The old ones evolve, change and remain the same, explaining themselves better. The known world keeps growing, as its internal borders become blurred. It can be hard (let's say impossible) to remember who is who of every character and in every situation, but to sometimes go back through the pages and chapters to find the relations and roles is a small price to pay for this great journey... Let's keep it up!

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maCmq said on Aug 7, 2011 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

Not as good as the first one--too many descriptive passages slow down the narrative in some places, and after a while it's difficult to keep track of the various minor lords and houses. What was good in the first book is present here as well: well crafted story and politics, memorable battles (albei ... (continue)

Not as good as the first one--too many descriptive passages slow down the narrative in some places, and after a while it's difficult to keep track of the various minor lords and houses. What was good in the first book is present here as well: well crafted story and politics, memorable battles (albeit at least one fairly recognizable as a real one, fought by the Byzantine Empire, if I'm not too much mistaken) and believable characters. A very good follow up to A Game of Thrones.

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Matteo F. said on Aug 7, 2010 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

Good reading BUT...

Not my cup of tea. I like very much Martin's realistic fantasy, where no one is safe (not even main characters) and where magic isn't at every corner, but I found really boring his detailed description of banquets and of every uniform and clothing, from the King to the last of the squires. Plus, too ... (continue)

Not my cup of tea. I like very much Martin's realistic fantasy, where no one is safe (not even main characters) and where magic isn't at every corner, but I found really boring his detailed description of banquets and of every uniform and clothing, from the King to the last of the squires. Plus, too many characters for me. He's definitely good, but maybe I'm done with fantasy.

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Luciferasi said on Aug 18, 2007 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

It's clearly one story in 5/+ books, so I'm holding off judgement until concluded, but I have to say this: Martin clearly knows/cares jack squat about structure and point of view relevancy.
I hope that Dance will stop adding to the list of people we don't really need to know about, but I know it's ... (continue)

It's clearly one story in 5/+ books, so I'm holding off judgement until concluded, but I have to say this: Martin clearly knows/cares jack squat about structure and point of view relevancy.
I hope that Dance will stop adding to the list of people we don't really need to know about, but I know it's just wishful thinking.
What baffles me is that he's got a core of interesting and strong characters everyone would love to read more about, so why waste pages and effort on utterly irrelevant stuff?

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Erialti said on Jul 12, 2011 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

«Because it will not last [...] Because they are the knights of summer, and winter is coming.»

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amandale said on Jan 17, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Le cose non sono quasi mai come sembrano...un po' come nella vita reale insomma.
"Sansa, permit me to share a bit of womanly wisdom with you on this very special day. Love is poison. A sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same."
Per una volta concordo con Cersei.

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NyxViola said on Jan 4, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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Book Details

Rating:
(518)
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English Books
Hardcover 768 Pages
ISBN-10: 0553108034
ISBN-13: 9780553108033
Publisher: Spectra
Pub date: Feb 02, 1999
Dimensions: 1548 mm x 968 mm x 323 mm Just how big is that?
Also available as: Mass Market Paperback, Paperback, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Others and eBook
In other languages: other languages Libros en Español