A Clash of Kings
George R. R. Martin, 1998
★ 4.42 from 1.1m ratings on Goodreads
Five kings claim one throne. In the capital, the cleverest man alive has been handed the job of defending it. A grim, patient read: councils and armies grind against each other while the voice stays wry, gothic and close to family loyalties.
Feels like dread, wonder and grief. About war, power and family.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy tangled court politics, large casts and morally complicated families, with Tyrion's dry talk a likely highlight. Be warned that many readers find this second volume darker and slower than the first, so expect a long middle stretch.
Why read it
Read it for the pleasure of watching power contested by clever, flawed people, and for a world that feels lived in rather than explained.
A page from the book
The glory of battle, as remembered by a man who prefers a chair.
He laughed. “No, I’m done with fields of battle, thank you. I sit a chair better than a horse, and I’d sooner hold a wine goblet than a battle-axe. All that about the thunder of the drums, sunlight flashing on armor, magnificent destriers snorting and prancing? Well, the drums gave me headaches, the sunlight flashing on my armor cooked me up like a harvest day goose, and those magnificent destriers shit everywhere. Not that I am complaining. Compared to the hospitality I enjoyed in the Vale of Arryn, drums, horseshit, and fly bites are my favorite things.” What readers say
Readers are often hooked by the intricate politics, rich world, and complex characters, with Tyrion a standout favorite. Many find it darker and slower than the first book, and opinions split on whether it improves on it.
George R. R. Martin.Before the novels, Martin was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, doing alternative service with VISTA in Iowa — and running chess tournaments on the side.
Books that feel like this
More by George R. R. Martin
A Feast for Crows
George R. R. Martin, 2005
After a war of kings, the survivors divide the wreckage—and queens, outlaws and broken men get their turn.
A Storm of Swords
George R.R. Martin, 2000
For the prologue alone: a frozen conspiracy, a migrating people, and a steward sharpening a grudge.
A Dance with Dragons
George R.R. Martin, 2011
Exiled and out of gold, Tyrion Lannister crosses the narrow sea into a merchant's manse, where his wit is the only thing he still owns.
Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is A Clash of Kings for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy tangled court politics, large casts and morally complicated families, with Tyrion's dry talk a likely highlight. Be warned that many readers find this second volume darker and slower than the first, so expect a long middle stretch.
- What is A Clash of Kings like?
- A grim, patient read: councils and armies grind against each other while the voice stays wry, gothic and close to family loyalties. Feels like dread, wonder and grief. About war, power and family.
- What should I read after A Clash of Kings?
- If you liked A Clash of Kings, try Morning Star (Pierce Brown), Dune (Frank Herbert) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J. K. Rowling).
A taste of the feed
Everything is cracked except the moments that make it worth it.
I breathe in the full scent of her. If it ends tomorrow or in eighty years, I could breathe her for the rest of my life. But I want more. I need more. I tilt her slender jaw up with my hand so that she’s looking at me. I was going to say something important. Something memorable. But I’ve forgotten it in her eyes. That gulf that divided us is still there, filled with questions and recrimination and guilt, but that’s only part of love, part of being human. Everything is cracked, everything is stained except the fragile moments that hang crystalline in time and make life worth living.
Morning Star · Pierce Brown
What to say to yourself when fear arrives and will not leave.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Dune · Frank Herbert
How much changes when a choice stops being made for you?
It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew — and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents — that there was all the difference in the world.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince · J. K. Rowling
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