A Song of Ice and Fire (2) - A Clash of Kings (Reissue) [Paperback]

George R.R. Martin writes sword-and-sorcery which concentrates on the swords. A Clash of Kings is the second volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, the sequence which began with A Game of Thrones and will take another four volumes to complete. The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt and blood feud; beyond their Northern borders, the men of the Night Watch fight the coming of a great cold and the walking corpses that travel with it; on the other side of the ocean, the last of the Kingdom's deposed ruling house mourns her horseclan husband and rears the dragonlets she hatched from his funeral pyre. This is character-driven fantasy--we see most events through the eyes of the sons and daughters of the Stark family, the once and future Kings of the North, whose father's judicial murder started the war. Martin avoids the cosy Californian cheeriness of many epic fantasies in favour of a sense of the squalor and grandeur of high medieval life; there is passion here, and misery and charm--and a profound sense of moral ambiguity as we learn to like the Richard III figure in this epic as much as the more virtuous Starks. --Roz Kaveney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

‘Nobody does fantasy quite like George R.R. Martin’
Sunday Times

‘Colossal, staggering… Martin captures all the intoxicating complexity of the Wars of the Roses or Imperial Rome’
SFX

‘The sheer mind-boggling scope of this epic has sent other fantasy writers away shaking their heads… Its ambition: to construct the Twelve Caesars of fantasy fiction, with characters so venomous they could eat the Borgias’
Guardian

The second volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. Now a major Sky Atlantic TV series from HBO, featuring a stellar cast.

Throughout Westeros, the cold winds are rising.

From the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding lands of Winterfell, chaos reigns as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms stake their claims through tempest, turmoil and war.

As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky - a comet the colour of blood and flame - five factions struggle for control of a divided land. Brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night.

Against a backdrop of incest, fratricide, alchemy and murder, the price of glory is measured in blood.

GEORGE MARTIN'S SUPERB FANTASY EPIC CONTINUES IN CONSUMMATE STYLE AS BLOODSHED AND ALCHEMY LAY WASTE THE SEVEN KINGDOMS.

The Iron Throne once united the Sunset Lands, but kind Robert is dead, his widow is a traitor to his memory, and his surviving brothers are set on a path of war amongst themselves. At King's Landing, the head of Lord Eddard Stark rots on a spike for all to see. His daughter Sansa is betrothed still to his killer's son Joffrey. Joffrey is now a boy-king, Queen Cersei is his regent, and war is inevitable.

In each of the seven kingdoms, from Dragonstone to Storm's End, former vassals of the Iron Throne declare themselves kings. And Eddard Stark's fifteen year old son Robb wears the crown of the north at Winterfell.

A comet in the night sky, red and malevolent, the colour of blood and flame, can only be an omen of murder and war. Princess Shireen, the pretender's child, dreams of dragons waking from stone. And a white raven has brought word from the Citadel itself, foretelling summer's end. It has been the longest summer in living memory, lasting ten years, and the smallfolk say it means an even longer winter to come…

The first rule of war is never give the enemy his wish. But winter will be the biggest enemy. From beyond the Wall the undead and Others clamour for freedom, and from beyond the sea the long-dead Dragon King's daughter hatches her revenge. Robb Stark will be exceedingly lucky to reach adulthood.

George R.R. Martin's magnificent epic is a story of intrigue, realpolitik and treachery of unparalleled scope and intensity. His dazzling canvas seethes with utterly memorable characters and scenes of compelling love and terrifying loathing. Evil has the world of the Sunset Lands in its grip, but by the power of his imagination George R.R. Martin, like Tolkien before him, is equal to the task of facing it. 'A Clash of Kings' confirms Martin as heir to Tolkien.

"'A Song of Ice and Fire' is going to be one of the all-time classic fantasy series, right up there with 'The Belgariad ' and 'The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant', and, yes, though it usually infuriates me to hear other authors compared to the Grand Master, 'The Lord of the Rings.'
THE ALIEN HAS LANDED

"'A Game of Thrones' offers the rich tapestry that the very best fantasy demands. Few created worlds are as imaginative and diverse."
JANNY WURTS

"George Martin is assuredly a new master craftsman in the guild of heroic fantasy."
KATHARINE KERR

"This is one of those rare and effortless reads"
ROBIN HOBB

"A dazzling fantasy adventure."
JULIAN MAY

"George R.R. Martin is one of our very best writers, and this is one of his very best books."
RAYMOND E. FEIST

"'A Game of Thrones' grabs hold and won't let go. It's brilliant!"
ROBERT JORDAN

"Such a splendid tale. I read my eyes out. I couldn't stop until I'd finished and it was dawn."
ANNE MCCAFFREY

"An extraordinarily rich novel…The book stands out from similar work by virtue of its superbly developed characters, accomplished prose and sheer bloody-mindedness…Martin's trophy case is already stuffed with major prizes, including Hugos, Nebulas, Locus Awards and a Bram Stoker. He's probably going to have to add another shelf, as least."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

George R.R. Martin is the author of fourteen novels, including five volumes of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, several collections of short stories and numerous screen plays for television drama and feature films. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.