Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not quite as good as A Game of Thrones.
Review: It is inevitable that the second book in a promising series would be compared to its predecessor. And I realize that not every link in the chain can be as strong as every other link, when humans are concerned that is. Nevertheless, I never enjoyed an opera with too many recitatives. A Clash of Kings is good, but the narrative was not as engaging and less streamlined than A Game of Thrones. Each episode had the same quality if not better than A Game of Thrones, but the overall picture was fuzzier. Meaning you'll be absolutely delighted with particular chapters but won't like the overall book as much as A Game of Thrones.Of course, this is in comparison to one of the best modern fantasy books available, and A Clash of Kings still have much less of the abrupt feel than any Wheel of Time book I've read.
Rating:
Summary: Impeccable - A "realistic" fantasy
Review: After the triumph of A Game of Thrones, I feared that I was in for the inevitable letdown with its sequel, A Clash of Kings. Yet another author milking a never-ending fantasy series. I could not have been more wrong. This book continues and deepens the mature, multilevel plotting that made its predecessor such a joy to read. Though the various plotlines alone make this series worthwhile, it is Mr. Martin's characters that really hold the reader. Characters to love and admire, characters to hate, and many that seem to defy easy categorization. The story is told from the point of view of about 10 different characters that vary from a physically twisted but mentally agile dwarf, to a 10 year old girl struggling to survive in the wake of her lord father's murder, to the wife of the murdered lord who struggles to save what's left of her widely scattered family. It is a testament to the author's skill that he can write from such varied perspectives convincingly, while at the same time keeping the various plotlines moving at breakneck speed. This book moves. Assassinations. Betrayal. And the looming specter of much worse things to come. Major characters die -- sometimes without warning -- the plotlines are always advanced, and the reader gets the feeling that the author knows exactly where his story is going. The author has committed to six books -- no more -- and that committment has remained following the recent completion of the next volume, A Storm of Swords. So, for those adults who may have thought they were too old for fantasy, and for those who have been scared off from epic fantasies that have no end in sight, grab A Game of Thrones as fast as you can and get started. You will not regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: ONLY 4 STARS BECAUSE THE 1st BOOK WAS SO GOOD
Review: I've read 'em all: Anthony, Eddings, Tolkien, Modesitt, and many others, but no book has had me on pins and needles like "A Game of Thrones". Quite simply, the best first installment on a series that I have ever read (repeatedly). The bar was raised so high for me that the second book couldnt possibly live up to the first, could it? When I coughed up the bucks for the hardback, I was not disappointed. The drama continued to build, the plot thickened and my love for this series grew. Martin is it, the real deal right now. He threw away the blueprint for epic fantasy series' and has obliterated the competition, whom I am sure is awaiting the third book just like the rest of us. I wish he could have just written a 30,000 page book, because I hate waiting for the next book. The harbor battle was one of the greatest ever, I wish it could have gone on forever. Six years is a long time to wait for this series to finish but Martin has gained a fan for life here. Question: Does Tyrion's behavior constitute a "bad guy"? I actually think he is emerging as one of the more noble figures in the book and would love it if he stuck a knife in his fathers back ( or sister or brother for that matter). Support this Author.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, and it doesn't look like he's finished yet!
Review: 'A Game of Thrones' was the best opening to a fantasy series that I have read in ages - 'A Clash of Kings' somehow manages to surpass it. This is historical, epic fantasy at its very best, and Martin deserves all the praise it is possible to give, for being prepared to take risks which others shy away from. He employs an innovative method of structuring his chapters, is not afraid to kill off his main characters in the early stages of the series, and steers clear of the temptation to make everything happen too quickly, instead giving his world, and it's characters, depth and meaning. Unfortunately, this last trait has ensured that 'A Song of Ice and Fire' won't be finished anytime soon, but at least it gives us fantasy fans something to look forward to. Roll on Book 3!
Rating:
Summary: A Story Fit for One King or Many...
Review: "A Clash of Kings" is a marvelous continuation of the intriguing story begun in "A Game of Thrones". George Martin has created a rich, fascinating world peopled with believable, sympathetic characters who do sometimes-noble-but-mostly-terrible things. Nothing is certain in this tale and no one is safe, so don't go thinking "Oh, Martin can't possibly kill off THIS character". He can. He has. He will again. I loved it! I raced through the second book, then went back and read it again. While I wait for book three, I find myself constantly returning to the previous two, looking for clues to resolve the many mysteries, or hoping to guess what's going to happen next. I'd sworn off fantasy series (they all began to sound alike to me), but the Books of Ice and Fire have made me a believer again! Not since I read "Lord of the Rings" have I been so excited about a series of books, and that's the highest praise I can muster. Yay for George Martin!
Rating: 
Summary: Who dies next?
Review: The first book introduced a very detailed world and the rather "earthy" tone of the writing was refreshing. My question is whether this is really simply a narrative of some role-playing group's campaign? It seems that the author by some random means--perhaps dice?--decides every hundred or so pages to kill of what one thought to be a main character. Also, for the amount of pages you would hope there would actually be more movement in the story rather than introducing yet another mildly interesting character for no apparent reason. I truly hope that Martin hasn't bought into the Jordanesque "let's see how much I can milk this for" style of writing. It would be a shame, because the story line shows some very good flashes.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely great
Review: I had given up on fantasy trilogies,after getting worn out by Thomas Covenant,and the like. It hasn't been since Tolkein that I read a story that was so rich and textured that I looked forward to what happened to each charactor. And there many, many charactors in this story, believe me. I keep going to the sci-fi fantasy sections of book stores, looking for the next book, without even knowing the name of the next one. This book is not to be read all at once. It is written to be savored, once piece at a time.If you want to read a great story, and have the patience, and don't get turned off by a cast of thousands (literally), then this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Fantasy
Review: This book fullfills the promise of its predecessor, I look forward to part III! The many plotlines and characters against a sublime background are sure to keep any fantasy-lover enthralled. Simply magnificent.
Rating: 
Summary: Get to the point already!
Review: Oh for the love of all that is good and holy! This book illustrates perfectly why there are no fantasy novels written about stable hands or cooks or characters that die off in a couple chapters. It seems as though we have regressed to the Dickensian era when writers were paid by the word because 40%+ of this novel was pure unadulterated filler. A variety of perspectives help the plot progress but too many create an immobile plot. We all knew that Jon Snow was going to end up beyond the wall but Lord above did Mr. Martin pull teeth in getting us there. And honestly, does anyone care to read about a demon crawling from the loins of a woman(*shudder*). It appears as though the author has caught a mutated strain of the Jordan/Goodkind virus. He's not writing a horrendous monstrosity like Mr. Goodkind but it's taken him only 2 books to get to the same level of gibberish it took Mr. Jordan 5 books to get to. Please...please...PLEASE! Get to the point already! The word trilogy exists for a reason...
Rating:
Summary: A Sad Dissapointment
Review: The first thing I did after finishing the "Game of thorns" was to order by fastest mail the "clash of kings".It came with hard cover-a beutiful new book-the seqeule to my favorite-what excitment! .Now here I must say that a book is something to savor with all sensess:first look-the cover,the drawing,then the touch smell and yes even the sound of pages can make music.And this book was a dilaght to all sensess.But then one must read as well.And so I read.It was but a shadow of its predesessor.It held only half of the suspense and had little from the previos drama.There were to many carrecters names to remember and too little plot and action.I maight excuse it by thinking that maby I was so excited and expectent that I read too fast-and some books requier slower reading pace.But for that reson I tried to read slowly one chapter again and to no sucsess.So to sum it all up I'd say that I will surely want to read the next one and that the writer can still fix the dammege done because the first was so good-but every body looses patiance at the end,and if he wants to continue with his previos sucsess he must do much beter.Good luck for I love a good book and his sucsses is my plesure.
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