A Clash of Kings – George R. R. Martin
A Clash of Kings – George R. R. Martin
Boo 2 – A Storm of Fire and Ice Series
Reviewed by Ciara
SPOILER ALERT: Major spoilers for Game of Thrones season one, and A Game of Thrones (the book)
I, for one, am not ashamed to admit that my first introduction to George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire was the HBO series, Game of Thrones.
Since then, I have become increasingly obsessed with the books. I’ve bought them all, I’ve gotten my friends and family to read them, my Amazon wishlist is now dominated almost entirely by board games, computer games, calendars, card games, posters and box sets of the books and TV series.
The books have romance, action, intrigue, betrayal, sex, murder, adventure, fantasy, swords, new worlds and so much more. They are, it seems to me at least, flawless (and I say that as someone who has never really loved fantasy).
They are breathtaking in their breadth. The story is told in the third person, through the eyes of maybe 20 characters, so I really found I had to concentrate on who’s-who.
The characters are stunningly detailed and in-depth, to the point where you feel as though you are reading first-person narration. Even minor characters get very extensive treatment, and effectively get a whole backstory and family tree (the similar names doesn’t help me remember who’s who!)
George R.R. Martin creates a whole new world in these books, a continent called Westeros, which is similar to Medieval Europe.
Most of the story takes place in the Seven Kingdoms, which were united under one king before this series began. Now that King Robert Baratheon is dead, a civil war is ravaging the country as the fight for the Iron Throne continues.
Ned Stark’s eldest son Robb was declared ‘King in the North,” following his father’s death, and now leads an army against the Lannisters.
Robert’s older brother Stannis has declared himself king, but so too has his younger brother Renly, and they’re fighting amongst themselves.
Tyrion Lannister (one of my absolute favourite characters) returns to King’s Landing to serve his sister and nephew King Joffrey as Hand of the King.
In this world, summers and winters can last for years, and the winter is harsher than any we could imagine. There is a land where it is always winter, beyond which all sorts of creatures are said to roam. Guarding the rest of the kingdoms from these creatures and the wildling humans who live with them, are the Night’s Watch, who serve from a giant wall made of ice.
Ned’s bastard son Jon Snow serves here, and in this book, we get out first good look at the land beyond the wall, as a scouting party sets out from the wall.
Daenerys Targaryen (or hot dragon lady, as one of my friends calls her) is on another continent, plotting and gathering soldiers for her march on King’s Landing, as she believes she is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
The intricately woven plot just gets thicker and thicker, as everyone acts with their own hidden agenda, and many are ruthless enough not to care what needs to be done or who needs to be killed.
I’ve never read a series as thoroughly enjoyable and absorbing as this one. I genuinely cannot find a flaw, and if you’ve read any of my reviews here, you’ll see I find flaws in everything I read.
It’s very simple. Thanks to the amazing job HBO did casting for the TV series, it’s almost exactly as it is in the book. If you like the TV series, you’ll love the books.
Go, read these books. They are stunning. I’d be willing to bet most of you will get hooked and be unable to read anything else until you’ve finished these. Friends and family are still buying me other books to read, but they’re simply gathering dust on the shelf. Nothing else matters but the fight for the Iron Throne.
|
||||||||
Recent Comments