Rating: 
Summary: Classic in the making
Review: Suspense, mystery, sibling rivarly, all tossed with a bit of magic make for a compelling story.Wonderful characters , superbly writtten, keep the pages turning into the wee hours. The only question left is when is the next story coming out.
Rating: 
Summary: I want more...
Review: I enjoyed this book and i think it is one of the better books that i have read. The only draw back, I think, is that there are too many people, leaving each character without enough content. I often find myself looking forward to find that I have to read through another 60 - 100 pages before I can get another ten or so of the character I am currently interested in. Longer chapters or less switching between different characters would increase my enjoyment of this book greatly.
Rating:
Summary: Keeps up the pace
Review: Well, I must say I was impressed by the second installment of the Song of Ice and Fire. It kept up the pace of the first book. He continues his fine ability to give us a complex plot with plenty of intrigue. Speaking of complex just look at all the different angles: The Iron Islands attack, The ambiguous threat from the north, of course the dragons, and of course the Baratheon vie for power, the battle of the Starks to reestablish the independence of the north, and the Lannisters attempt to retain an empire under a sadistic adolescent. And those are just the major elements. I love how much duplicity he has in this book, it makes you wonder who is on whose side. Which I think will play very well into the culmination of this story. True, there seems to be a lot to be resolved, but up until this point I see no reason to believe he isn't up to the challenge. I highly recommend this book and hope that the third installment is not so long in the waiting. In the interim read Michelle West, another intelligent writer.
Rating:
Summary: As Robert Jordan said:
Review: It's brilliant. Mr. Martin has blessed the genre with a wonderfully written series. I am eagerly awaiting the next book. Let's hope we don't have to wait as long for his installment as we do for Jordan's.
Rating:
Summary: Warning: This Book Is Too Good To Put Down
Review: I picked up the first book in this series in a used book store, liking the price and the description on the back cover. I loved that one, and A Clash of Kings is just as good, if not a bit better. The storyline evolves significantly over what happened in A Game of Thrones, and it only gets more intruiging and entertaining as the pages go by. This one is suggested to anyone who has read and enjoyed the Wheel of Time, the Sword of Truth (though this series is much darker), and the Dark Tower books. But read A Game of Thrones first, or you'll ruin the whole story!
Rating:
Summary: Intrigue, Plot, and Realism
Review: Are you tired of superheroic fantasy types who can walk through the most dangerous situation, yet always escape unscathed. Try GRRM for a dose of realism. He plays with his characters like an angry and unpredictable nature god, removing heads and other parts from key characters to let us know this series is for keeps. The good guys don't seem to be winning, but the action is always there. Characters are shades of grey rather than black and white, and the bad guys don't seem to necessarily get their due. All in all, the best books and series in fantasy I have ever read. Of course, I don't like the stylism of Tolkien, but GRRM's tight writing style is fabulous and taut with action. A depth of world comparable to Jordan without the often ponderous review necessitated by a dozen book series.
Rating:
Summary: Forwarding the tale without giving too much away.
Review: I think what needs to be said of the second book is that it does forward the plot of the first. It definitely fleshes out the characters of the first book more! Tyrion - must keep the delicate juggling act he has started going smoothly. He not only has to deal with who he KNOWS the enemy is, but must wade through the deception at the Rock to see who he can trust and who he can't. When you think you know, you're dead wrong, and there IS a price to be paid. Dany - not enough of her in this book, but what is there is jam packed. Now with her sun and stars dead, she must take the few that follow her and build them into an army that can reclaim her throne. Along the way, however, are the curious and the deadly - people who want to see the Mother of the Dragons, but also want to take those dragons from her! Just when you think this poor kid can not catch a break, she gets one in the end. Jon - Jon FINALLY gets a plot, and it centers around his missing Uncle. He and the Watch must take on the deadly mission of going into the woods and beyond the wall to find where their Black Brothers went. What they find frightens them, and staying alive becomes a daily struggle in the harsh weather. Arya- This little girl is learning some hard, fast lessons about life. Through out the book, she buils a piece of mental armor for herself, and at the end, you can almost hear the last piece click into place as this little child leaves the days of youth behind her and becomes a young adult who will do anything to get back to what little family she has left. The Lannisters - Ah, how fickle is youth! Just when Cercei thinks she has the control she wants, she finds out that she can not control her young son as she thought she would be able too. Her father is not pleased with the way Joffrey rules his land, and the neither is the town in which they live. They find out that lesson hard. Slowly, oh VERY slowly, the wheel of justice starts to turn back towards them. Not quickly enough, but it does. Two brothers go to war over the crown, one aided by a scary new ally/enemy. The Starks - Catelyn continues her hard road of justice and revenge. She has few allies, and is in constant worry of her remaining family as Robb marches into war. Bran finds an unexpected new side effect of his fall, some new friends to help him with it, and remembers the truth. Towns burn, people die and stronghold's crumble in this book. Innocence is lost, brutality becomes common and hearts are broken. But the game continues on, because if you play the game, you win or you die.
Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait for the Next Installment
Review: With "A Clash of Kings," Martin continues the same wonderful juggling act of multiple characters, plots and sub-plots he began in "A Game of Thrones." My only complaint is having to wait for the next book in this series.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece, but....
Review: Well, Martin's done it again. He's given the fantasy world yet another splendid addition. The characters are vivid, the world he has created is enormous and exciting, the pace is never boring and the writing is always solid. It is easy to get wrapped up in Martin's world of emotions, chivalry and treachery. It's simply a fun world. Beyond all this, Martin's series has shown incredible attention to detail and adherence to real historical events and characters that only further the genius of the books. However, I must issue a caveat: By the end of A Clash of Kings, I thought to myself that Martin may be digging himself into a Robert Jordan-like rut. Both authors wrote amazing books early in their respective series but, Jordan (and it is still to be seen with Martin) got bogged down. I simply hope that Martin's Song of Ice and Fire doesn't face the same fate as Jordan's Wheel of Time series. In the latter, Jordan seems to be tripping over all the webs he's weaved throughout his world. Complexity in a fantasy novel is a must, but there is such a thing as too much of it. An author can create a world where he loses control and vision. In the last few chapters of A Clash of Kings, I started feeling the inkling of the beginning of a notion that perhaps Martin has introduced too many characters and plot-lines into his story that may make it difficult for readers to stay interested and his story to remain true to its origins. Yet so far, Martin has shown a deft touch in his ability to handle the enormity of his fabulous tale.
Rating:
Summary: I'm waiting for the third book in this series!
Review: I bought this book before I ended the first in the series so I wouldn't have to wait to read what happened to the leading characters and to found out who won the battle. George Martin now keeps me waiting for his third, and I hope, final book. I can't keep going with the suspense - how about some closure and a happy ending, George? These books are not for the fainthearted; it does get gruesome and some characters you come to admire get killed off. Still, the magic, the wonderful character descriptions, and the interweaving of plots keep this series on my top reading list.
| 
