813/.54Preceded byFollowed byA Clash of Kings is the second novel in, an series by American author expected to consist of seven volumes. It was first published on 16 November 1998 in the United Kingdom, although the first United States edition did not follow until February 2, 1999 Like its predecessor, it won the (in 1999) for Best Novel and was nominated for the (also in 1999) for best novel. In May 2005 released a limited edition of the novel, fully illustrated by.The novel has been adapted for television by as of the TV series.A Clash of Kings is also the name of the first expansion to the.

• A Storm Of Swords

Contents.Plot summary A Clash of Kings depicts the Seven Kingdoms of in, while the mounts a reconnaissance to investigate the mysterious people known as. Meanwhile, continues her plan to reconquer the Seven Kingdoms.In the Seven Kingdoms With King dead, his alleged son and brothers and all claim the throne of Westeros. Is declared 'King in the ' while declares himself king of the and attacks the western coast of. Robb's younger brother finds new friends in and.Stannis Baratheon, as Robert's eldest brother, declares himself King of Westeros, encouraged by of Asshai, a priestess who believes Stannis the of Azor Ahai, a figure of her faith.

The war is dubbed the., under orders from her son King Robb Stark, meets Renly and Stannis to discuss alliance against the Lannisters, but despite Stannis offering to make Renly his heir over his daughter Shireen, the ensuing parley ends in acrimony and Renly resolves to destroy his brother with his larger army. Renly has married, the daughter of the greedy and arrogant Lord Mace Tyrell, who is therefore supporting his attempt to usurp the throne. However, without warning, a mysterious shadow comes to life in Renly's own tent and kills him. Shocked, Catelyn and the only other witness, the warrior-maid Brienne of Tarth, flee the scene. Having lost Renly, the storm lords have no choice but to declare for Stannis.

Renly's fortress of Storm's End only falls, however, when Stannis' aide Ser Davos Seaworth, a former smuggler, sneaks Melisandre below the castle in a small boat. To his horror, Melisandre gives birth to a shadow which enters Storm's End and slays its stubborn castellan Ser Cortnay Penrose.arrives at as acting Hand of the King, the closest adviser to the monarch Joffrey. Whilst intriguing against Joffrey's mother, the Queen Regent, Tyrion improves the defenses of the city. Learning of Renly's death, Tyrion resolves on two courses of action. Knowing that the Tyrells will not be happy following Stannis, he decides to make them a better offer. He also resolves to bring the Martells of Dorne into the war on his side. He sends to treat with the Tyrells and sends other messengers to Dorne.

The negotiations are solidified by marriage arrangements. Mace Tyrell agrees to wed Margaery to Joffrey, whilst Prince Doran Martell agrees to marry his youngest son Trystane to Joffrey's sister Myrcella.To conquer the North and to impress his father Balon, Ned Stark's former ward captures Winterfell, taking Bran and captive; but Bran and Rickon disappear in the night. Rather than admit his failure, Theon murders two anonymous peasant boys similar in size to Bran and Rickon and mutilates their faces to enhance the resemblance. Believing this ruse, Stark supporters besiege the castle, joined by a force from House Bolton.

Theon has conspired with Roose Bolton's bastard son, and the Bolton soldiers turn on the besiegers. However, when Theon opens the gates to the victorious Boltons, they destroy Winterfell, slaughter its inhabitants, and take Theon prisoner.

Osha, a captured wildling turned castle servant, takes Rickon to safety while Bran, accompanied by Meera, Jojen, and his simpleton manservant Hodor, travels north. Robb Stark wins several victories against the Lannisters, and advances against him, but receiving news that King's Landing is threatened, withdraws.Arya Stark, posing as an orphan boy named Arry, is taken north by Yoren as a new recruit for the Night's Watch.

However, they are attacked by Lannister freeriders led by Ser Amory Lorch and Yoren is killed at a town on the shores of the Gods Eye. The survivors are taken to Harrenhal and put to work as servants in the undermanned castle.

For saving his life during the attack, a man named Jaqen H'ghar promises to repay Arya by killing three men of her choice. For her three choices, Arya selects Chiswyck, a soldier in Gregor Clegane's forces; Weese, her servant overseer; and Jaqen H'ghar himself. The first two murders he carries out without question; in lieu of the third choice, Arya leverages H'ghar to help her slay the Lannister soldiers guarding Robett Glover, who had been taken prisoner by the mercenary company the Brave Companions. After Glover is freed, the Brave Companions turn their cloaks and join with the North. H'ghar gives Arya a mysterious iron coin and tells her to find him in Braavos if she should ever desire to learn his secrets. He then adopts a new identity and leaves. Control of Harrenhal is ceded to Roose Bolton, whom Arya serves as cupbearer, but soon escapes.In the Battle of Blackwater Bay, Stannis Baratheon's army reaches King's Landing and launches assaults by both land and sea.

The Baratheon forces vastly outnumber the Lannister defenders but, under Tyrion's command, the Lannister forces use 'wildfire' (similar to ) to ignite the bay, and raise across its mouth to prevent Stannis' fleet from retreating. Stannis's attack fails when Tywin Lannister leads his army (and the remaining forces under Mace Tyrell) to King's Landing. During the defense of the castle, Tyrion is attacked by one of Joffrey's Kingsguard, and rescued by his squire, Podrick Payne, killing the Kingsguard. Stannis' fate is left uncertain.Beyond the Wall A scouting party from the Night's Watch learns that the wildlings are uniting under 'King-beyond-the-Wall'. The Watch then continue to an ancient hill-top fortress known as the Fist of the First Men, where sends and Qhorin Halfhand with others to the Skirling Pass, where they are hunted by wildling warriors. Facing certain defeat, Halfhand commands Jon to infiltrate the wildlings and learn their plans.

They are captured by wildlings who demand Jon fight Qhorin to join them. Jon kills Qhorin with the aid of his, Ghost, and learns that Mance Rayder is advancing on the Wall with thirty thousand wildlings, giants, and.Across the Narrow Sea Daenerys Targaryen travels east, accompanied by the knight, her remaining followers, and three newly hatched.

Scouts find a safe route to the city of, where her dragons make Daenerys notorious. Xaro Xhoan Daxos, the leader of the Thirteen, a prominent group of traders in Qarth, initially befriends the outsiders; but Daenerys cannot secure aid in claiming the Iron Throne, because she refuses to give away any of her dragons. As a last resort, Daenerys seeks counsel from the of Qarth, who show Daenerys many confusing visions and threaten her life, whereupon one of Daenerys' dragons, Drogon, burns down the warlocks' House of the Undying. Publishers Weekly. February 1, 1999. From the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012.

^. Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-25. Crider, Michael. From the original on 21 June 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.

Shindler, Dorman (February 21, 1999). 'In Martin's 'Clash of Kings,' the delight is in the details'.

The Dallas Morning News. Hopper, Jim (March 19, 1999). 'They're wiping out intelligent races - What? The San Diego Union-Tribune. Pilon, Danielle (March 28, 1999).

'Second book in Martin series shines amid dull tomes'. Winnipeg Free Press.

Sinor, Bradley H. (April 25, 1999). 'All the king's horses.'

Tulsa World. Perry, Steve (June 27, 1999). 'Adventure drives medieval-style fantasy'. The Oregonian.External links. title listing at the. at the Internet Book List.

Series: A Song of Ice and Fire (Book #2)Genre: FantasyPage Count: 768First Published: November 16, 1998I am continuing my journey through A Song of Ice and Fire, and I am here to tell you: the second book in the series does not disappoint. I can't say that I loved it quite as much as (check out my review ), but I still enjoyed it a lot.

I can't tell you much about the plot without ruining the first book, but long story short: MAYHEM IN THE REALM. Be prepared to learn more about those who survived, but also to meet quite a few new characters and get introduced to new landscapes.I think your enjoyment of depends on why you like reading A Song of Ice and Fire: if you want a lot of action, you won't get into this book right away—it has a bit of a slow start. However, if you love the twisted politics of Westeros—this will be right up your alley. For me, I can definitely say this was a bit slower than I would have liked, but it was all worth it in the end.

Another thing to be ready for is that most of this book has to do with King's Landing and the surrounding 'activities'. This makes sense, considering the huge political shifts at the end of, but at the same time if your favorite characters aren't Tyrion, Sansa, and Arya, you may find yourself a bit disappointed.Speaking of characters and being disappointed, probably the most disappointing part of the book for me were the chapters that had to with Daenerys.

There aren't that many of them, and there was only one that truly got my attention—the one that had to do with prophecies and the House of the Undying. The other character's PoV I wasn't all that interested in was Catelyn, which is funny because I really like her in the show. On the other hand, Bran and Jon have unexpectedly grown on me—their characters are pretty slow-building, considering that I didn't care much for them in, but really made me interested in both of them. Bran is someone I expect to be an 'endgame' character now, after thinking he is more of a 'placeholder' for a while. The person I wanted to strangle in this book is Theon. What a sleazy guy! He's definitely up there with Joffrey for me, on the villain list.

It would take a lot for him to redeem himself in my eyes, and I don't even know if it's possible at this point. If I'm comparing to season 2 of Game of Thrones, I have to say the book flowed much better for me.

A Storm Of Swords

Season 2 is my least favorite one, particularly because I thought it was very confusing and not very eventful. Though there we a couple of things added to the show in the same time frame that I enjoyed, I still think the book dealt with this transitional period of the story much better, and there were a few twists that were much more effective in compared to how they were presented in the show.Overall, it goes without saying that I will be continuing with the series. Though not quite as exciting as, is still a solid sequel and that's why I'm giving it 4 out of 5 stars. I can't wait to read the next book!RATING:★★★★☆P.S. If you're a fan of the show, have you been watching my weekly episode recaps?

Check out the latest one below, and take a look at my.