About this title: The sequel to A GAME OF THRONES, this massive novel follows behind-the-throne machinations in all corners of the Westeros, as men (and women) vie to seize the kingdom by trickery, bloodshed, or magic. Meanwhile, the various disjunct members of House Stark struggle to survive in the war-torn land, while Daenerys Taragaryen and her ever-growing ...
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Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Spectra Books
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780553579901ISBN:0553579908
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Light edge and corner wear. Corner creases on back. No marks. Tight, square book. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 1040 p. Song of Ice and Fire (Paperback), 2. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Spectra Books
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780553579901ISBN:0553579908
Description: Poor. No dust jacket as issued. Tear on the back cover, a few stains on the outside, pages clean and readable, no odor. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 1040 p. Song of Ice and Fire (Paperback), 2. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Spectra Books
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780553579901ISBN:0553579908
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 1040 p. Song of Ice and Fire (Paperback), 2. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Very Good. 0553579908 Mass Market Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Description: Good. Paperback in good condition. The book has a couple creases, the back bottom corner is starting to split just a little, pages are very clean and tight. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Spectra Books
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780553579901ISBN:0553579908
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 1040 p. Song of Ice and Fire (Paperback), 2. Audience: General/trade. Book is in excellent condition. Cover has some light edge wear. Pages are clean, binding is tight. We ship daily, Satisfaction Guaranteed. read more
"Read most of this in a bed-and-breakfast in Sardinia, on vacation from my vacation.
I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first one. At times I wonder if George R. R. Martin likes the pillage as much as some of the personages in here do - has anyone ever suggested to these people that maybe rape is not an admirable hobby, even for a grubby faux-Middle Ager?
The geopolitics are becoming a little formulaic, too. Most of the pivotal characters in here would get honorary doctorals from Felix Dzerzhinsky U, though Tyrion remains interesting in that he often finds ways to force the convergence of mercy and power politics. And yet by the end of the book, despite her dead moral center, it's hard even not to empathize with Cersei, which is an accomplishment.
That's not to say that there isn't some patchy writing here. Ex. A, p. 255: "Guyard the Green, who fancied himself a singer, diddled a harp and gave them a verse about tying lions' tails in knots, parts of which rhymed."
The whole series is starting to remind me of a remark in Rules of the Game - tout le monde ont leur raisons. Everyone has their reasons, whether they're incinerating their enemies, murdering children, feeding their overlords to their own dogs, or hacking off other people's limbs with whatever implements are handy. I'm still curious to see where it goes, and whether it culminates in something more grand than just a war of all against all. For all my bitchery, Arya and Tyrion are compelling me to read on.
Next book on its way already - thanks for feeding my habit, Amazon Prime. Here I imagined that during my lengthy period of unemployment I'd be working my way through the complete works of Shakespeare or doing that close reading of Being and Time I'd always planned. So much for that."
"It's tricky to review series books because you can't say much once you get past the first book, if you're trying not to ruin anything for those who haven't read it. This is the second in Martin's Song of Ice and Fire saga, a follow-up to A Game of Thrones. The battle for the Iron Throne and dominion of the Seven Kingdoms continues. Each chapter is a different POV of some of the main players - primarily those who plan on taking the throne for him/herself. Some of the characters are compelling: Arya, daughter of the old king's Hand Eddard Stark, who for all her youth has survived the most brutal of existences while on the run and trying to get back home to Winterfell; Tyrion Lannister, the new Hand to the King and member of the powerful Lannister family; Queen Cersei, the prototypical evil queen who likes slipping between the sheets with her brother; Sansa, Eddard Stark's other daughter, who is just trying to stay alive as she's held a virtual prisoner (guised as a betrothed bride-to-be) by the new King; Bran, another Stark son, crippled except in his dreams when he becomes a wolf; and my personal favorite, Jon Snow, Stark's illegitimate son and member of the Watch.
I go back and forth in my feelings on this book and on this series. On the one hand Martin's talent at weaving this complex epic is a marvel. On the other hand, it's very much a guy thing, full of battles, swords, raping and pillaging. It gets very tiring, for me. I'm really weary of men with no manners and all their 'whores', and women who are either too boring or annoying to waste time on. It probably doesn't help that I've never been a fan of the fantasy genre and only wanted to read this series because I like to keep up with some of the more popular genre fiction. There are two more books published in the series so far, and a 5th is planned. I'm done with it, but for the fantasy lover this is surely one of the richest and most satisfying tales ever spun, and Martin deserves much credit for his imagination and ability to bring this invented world to life so vividly."
""In real life, the hardest aspect of the battle between good and evil is determining which is which." -- George R.R. Martin
One of the best fantasy book series out there today is the epic Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. As of this writing, there have been four books released in a planned seven title series, and in my humble opinion all of them have been brilliant. HBO is planning a live action adaptation (starring Peter Dinklage, perfectly cast as my favorite character Tyrion), and if it's anything close to the source material, it should be incredible.
It helps that Martin is a fabulous writer with a free flowing style that is a joy to read and a grasp of dramatic storytelling that is unmatched. His characters are all multi-faceted and his plot is full of surprises. He's not afraid to shake things up with a shocker or two, but he doesn't throw twists at his reader for shock value alone -- each tense moment, each revelation, each jarring death serves the overall tale and advances the plot.
Folks who are not fans of speculative fiction should read this series. The magic and fantasy elements aren't over the top but fit the story in a believable fashion. The world Martin has created is rich in detail and comes alive in the reader's imagination thanks to his descriptive prose. Yes, there are dragons, and sorcery, and supernatural creatures, and precognitive dreams, and a world whose geography and seasons are like nothing on Earth, but like Shakespeare's best tragedies, it's all set in a saga of universal themes.
If he can keep up the thrills he created in A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, and A Feast for Crows, I eagerly await George R.R. Martin's continuing novels to see what happens next to Tyrion, Daenerys, Cersei, Jon Snow, and all the rest."
"A Clash of Kings is a worthy successor to A Game of Thrones. Just as with the first novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire cycle, Martin doesn't pull any punches. This book is brutal and rarely uplifting. It is littered with twists, some of which the reader will cheer, others which they'll boo. A Clash of Kings is also significantly more action packed than its predecessor, with several blow by blow depictions of epic battles. Despite this, Martin's language remains somewhat elusive throughout the novel. He will often describe reactions without mentioning their cause. In short, his style is a very underspoken one.
Plotwise, Martin begins to draw in the net he cast out in A Game of Thrones. The links between characters and events begin to take shape, and all of the disparate characters introduced in the first novel begin to come together in, often, unexpected ways. In addition, the the rich lore of Martin's world is more fully fleshed out in this novel. The hints and whispers scattered throughout A Game of Thrones begin to take a more concrete form here. Just as with the first entry in Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Clash of Kings offers a thoroughly engaging read for any reader who can stomach the bleak and violent character of the series' world. For those to whom this is not a problem, this novel (and the rest of the series) is a must-read."
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