A Clash of Kings

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, 761 pages

This is book two in A Song of Ice and Fire (sequel to A Game of Thrones). It's really hard to talk about what happens in this series, since so many people die and I don't want to spoil anything, but we'll suffice it to say that the plot is much more complicated than it was in the first book, with several characters making claims for the crown, almost all of them with some degree of legitimacy, whether it comes in the form of line of succession or love of the people. There are LOTS of battles going on here, as each king and his followers jostle for position. Martin doesn't hold back from his descriptions of battles, which are bloody, brutal, and amazingly detailed; one in particular hit me as something that I really want to see portrayed in the HBO series (which I haven't yet watched, being the purist, book-before-movie dork that I am).

The characters that were introduced in the first book are scattered throughout the Seven Kingdoms and beyond, and Martin has introduced a handful of new characters too. While the plot is confusing at times (and I've heard it gets only more confusing as the series continues), the characters are what I love. As a reader, I honestly have no idea what each one will do, though they're remarkably well-realized and easily distinguishable. I particularly like the sarcastic, humorous asides that take place throughout the book; they may seem out of place in a description like the one I've laid out here, but Martin places them well. Looking forward to book three.