A Clash of Kings: A Song of Ice and Fire (Book - 2) New Edition

Ok i will confess , i had read this book about 11 years back and frankly hated it . I was young and had expected a high fantasy tale of a mighty hero vanquishing scheming villains . Instead what i got was a book that had no well defined heroes or villains,that killed of leading characters just when u start caring about them and instilled such sense of hopelessness that it inevitably left me very depressed and emotionally drained. This is defiantly not a tale for the young or for those who want a Happy endings story.

However very recently i happened to watch the HBO series based on the Game of thrones and was pleasantly surprised and how much i enjoyed it . I immediately dug out my now badly aging copy of the Clash of kings and finished reading the book in a single marathon 10 hour siting . It was almost like i was reading the story with a new pair of eyes . I really could not explain how i could hate such a beautifully written book with such colorful and varied characters and such an unpredictable narrative . The book does have a few flaws but they are all overshadowed by how engaging the story is .

I have just finished reading all the five books in THe Song of Fire and Ice series Back to Back over the past one month . The first three books in this series are un matched masterpieces that should be part of any ardent readers collection . However the sad part is the quality of the writing does fall of a cliff in the fourth and fifth book and they are quite a chore to get through . The Clash of kings is a Automatic Classic and a must read irrespective of what ones reading preferences may be .

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Hands down.

If you think J K Rowling is the best fantasy writer then wait till you finish this book. The entire Harry Potter series pales down in front of George R R Martin's awesomeness.

The book is narrated from the point of view of Bran Stark, Tyrion Lannister, Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, Ser Davos The Onionknight, Catelyn Stark, Theon Greyjoy, Daenerys Targareyn and Jon Snow.

Allow me to get into the technalities of this book and explain why this a great read:

1. Attention to Details: The way the author explains the setup is simply mindblowing. He goes into length to explain the architecture of palaces, the food served on the table, the battlefield and these exquisite details pull you right in the middle of the place and let you visualize everything.
Example: He won't just say there a Gargoyle on the palace wall. He will go at length to describe how it looked, which direction it faced, how were its expression and what was it made of.
The fantasy world just becomes real to you with all these tiny little details.

2. The Dialogues: The lines are just fantastic! And no doubt the best ones are reserved for Tyrion Lannister and Varys. You will find countless lines to copy-paste on FB/Twitter.

3. The Narration: He weaves a magic that makes you keep turning the pages one after the another until you reach the last page. All the chapters end with a cliffhanger and you won't be able to keep the book down to rest and before you know it, you are done with all the 900 pages or so.

Brief summary of the book without revealing any spoilers:

1. Robb Stark is now the king of the north and he's marching west now.
2. Arya Stark is being taken to Winterfell alongwith the Night's Watch recruits from King's Landing.
3. Stannis and Renly Baratheon are fighting for the Iron Throne.
4. Theon Greyjoy has some vicious plans of own.
5. Daenerys goes far into east with her khalasar tribe to gather an army of her own.
6. Tyrion Lannister continues his awesomeness as the Hand of The King.

They say it is hard to get sequels right. George R. R. Martin, however, gets it spot on. This series is epic in every sense. It has a vast array of characters, most of whom are worth investing your time in. There is brilliant variety in the characters, their motivations and their own perceived notions of morality.

What is most impressive and refreshing, is George R. R. Martin's desire to buck trends, as the ending of Book 1 - A Game of Thrones showed. The expected rarely ever happens in this universe, which makes it intriguing to watch the drama unfold. The absence of a well-defined protagonist in the series may not appeal to many, and as such is a bold idea, but the book is well worth persisting with.

The book does have it's flaws though. Certain story arcs don't seem to be going anywhere in particular while for certain others, even when the destination is known, George R. R. Martin takes his own sweet time getting there. And without doubt, the quality of the series drops radically after Book 3 - A Storm of Swords.

A Clash of Kings tells a terrific story and that should be reason enough to go read it.

I was very excited the moment i unwraped the shipment, but something struck me very hard as i turned the pages. The font was legible yet very small. I bought this book because of publisher's excellent quality in the first book.(harper voyager). I would have liked if the publisher had increased the size of the book by 1 inch on either sides. Then that would be a delight to read. I would have 5 ***** right away. But flipkart left the dimensions of the book as a guesswork for the buyer. I would prefer another publisher to Harper voyager for this book at least. But for 300 bucks you must not expect supreme quality.

All this said, the series is epic and this book just adds to my collection. :).

Books from this series are highly recommended for any fantasy enthusiast. Even if this is your first endeavor into the world of fantasy novels, A Song of Ice & Fire is a great place to start.

I have seen the TV version of this book and am halfway through it right now. Each episode was amazing and the book is even more gripping.

The attention to detail, multiple plots all woven together, and plot twists make this a novel that you just cant let go of. Go for it!