A Clash of Kings Review


“When you play the game of thrones, you win, or you die.” With a fantastical medieval world rife with knights, lords, ladies, with a sprinkle of incest, riddled with a few grisly deaths, and the aura of suspense, A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin, the second novel in the Ice and Fire series, will utterly entrap you within its pages. Following up the already immensely popular A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings became an immediate success when it was published by Bantam Books in 1999, enjoyed by both longtime fans and newcomers. This book deserves a 5 out of 5 star rating.


The second installment to the series, this book has most definitely lived up to it’s predecessor. A novel divided up by many chapters, each a different point of view, old endearing faces resurface, and new perspectives from never before seen characters also appear. With an overall genre of fictional fantasy, the series has a heavy political influence, and is based on situations in the real world, a mirror of things that happened back then and are happening even now. Characters such as the quirky, boyish, rebellious Arya Stark, or the cocky, witty, but scorned and degraded Tyrion Lannister will capture your hearts, while irritating and tiresome Joffrey and obnoxious and snooty Theon Greyjoy will make you grind your teeth in hatred, providing a wide character range to love and despise. Rich with heart-dropping cliffhangers and sudden, gruesome deaths make you ponder and fearful of what is to happen next, creating just a greater lust for the next chapter. Nobody is ever safe while playing the game of thrones.



The central plot mainly focuses on where the first book, A Game of Thrones, dropped off. After the hugely unjust beheading of Lord Eddard Stark, the entire kingdom has dissolved into chaos. The lords are fighting amongst themselves, there are five kings who all claim to deserve the deadly Iron Throne, and the smallfolk and commoners are in disarray, for deaths and horrible atrocities are occurring to innocents due to poor choices or cruel lords. Robb Stark, who pronounces himself King of the North and revolts in revenge for his father’s death, Lord Balon Greyjoy calls himself King of the Iron Islands, brothers Stannis and Renly Baratheon both start their own armies and announce themselves the lawful Kings of Westeros, and King Joffrey, the reigning “king” all squabble over the power of the throne. Meanwhile, far far north, the oblivious kingdom is cloaked with the impending threat of the rising white walkers planning to invade, while in the sister continent Essos, the ambitious Daenerys Targaryen gathers her power and begins on her journey to one day take back the Iron Throne, which she believes rightfully is hers.

Even amongst the panicked storyline, bits and pieces of humor, sexual encounters, and hilarious happenings occur to the characters to provide slight comic relief. A major theme and word to describe the story is power. Everyone wants power, those who have it can’t control it, or want more, resulting in costly mistakes, those who don’t have enough will kill to own some, and it is a main goal for several characters to achieve. George R. R. Martin really brings the plot, circumstances, and plights of the characters to life, making you cringe along at certain scenes, like Joffrey’s brutal treatment of his betrothed, Sansa, but laugh with at others, such as Tyrion and Bronn’s lighthearted banter and jests. Each character faces a challenge and has a goal they desire to accomplish, with some more complicated than others, which reveals much of their varying personalities.
I immensely liked reading this book, even as much as I enjoyed reading the first book, and was entrapped in the world so distant from my own, with subtle bits of magic and mythical creatures, yet so similar, unable to put it down. The author’s use of language, description,and ability to make the fictional world come to life right before your eyes is also what makes this book deserve such a high rating. If you will enjoy fantasy novels with a bit of a unique, realistic twist, A Clash of Kings is an amazing choice for you.