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Summary: Great fantasy-- great action
Review: A great action read. Fast-paced in an exotic setting. If you want to lose yourself for a while, check this book out. Also recommend R. Doherty's Area 51 series of books which is building up to something very deep and exciting.
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Summary: Absolutely Brilliant!
Review: The realism, plot, and characters were wonderful. An outstanding book.Well done.
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Summary: Martin keeps it up!!
Review: COK is a worthy sequel to GoT. Martin's writing is atmospheric and powerful, his characters thrilling and complex - no villain is all despicable (except perhaps the boy king) and most heroes have their faults (although Arya, Bran and Jon are quite clearly 'white hats'). The world-building is excellent. I devoured this novel and am anxiously awaiting the next one. However, a couple of caveats : 1) There are a lot of major events which happen off-stage. Some of them I would really like to have 'attended' first-hand (we never see what the Stark's army is up to). 2) The magical plot brewing in the background does so very very slowly - a little to slow for my tastes (I am quite the sucker for impressive monsters in my fantasy-reading). 3) As others have said, I hope the story doesn't spill out into an interminable rehashing of the previous novels (Jordan). The overall slow pace does give rise to that fear somewhat. 4) Personally, I think too many of the principals are too young. Bran is Eight, Joffrey twelve, Sansa too, Arya tennish... They all tend to act far more maturely than their age. Don't get me wrong, I still like them a lot, but it does bother me somewhat - and it would definitely jeopardize a filmed version of the story. But rest assured, you will not be disappointed!
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Summary: Amazon!
Review: Can I order the 3rd book right NOW
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Summary: The greatest fantasy epic since "The Lord of the Rings"
Review: I have to admit, I wasn't sure if Martin could top his award-winning "A Game of Thrones". But he has. "A Clash of Kings" not only equals the first book in terms of action, complexity, characterization, and plotting; it surpasses it. "A Clash of Kings" is darker, grittier, and more complex than the original, and is filled with surprises, cliffhangers, and hair-raising scenes of action and intrigue. The climactic battle that ends the book is worth the price of the entire novel. The only down side is that you'll go crazy waiting for the next book in the series. Martin's saga is definitely the best epic fantasy series of the decade, and when all is said and done, may even surpass Tolkien. Martin has proven that he is not merely interested in writing a carbon copy of "Lord of the Rings". He is trying to re-invent the genre and take it in new and exciting directions. He is not afraid to kill off "good guys", even main characters. Martin writes good literature. The fantasy setting adds spice to the tale, but it is the story of these characters and their wounded world that makes it one for the ages.
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Summary: Compelling, I was beyond the Wall.
Review: Just like A GAME OF THRONES, this installment of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE gripped me from start to finish. The twists and turns, the suspense, the absolute disbelief I would experience as my favourite characters were plunged further and further into seemingly inescapable choas. Fantastic! Mr. Martin, please write quickly, very quickly. Volume 3 cannot come soon enough. Long live Bran!
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Summary: The SF/Fantasy Master Strikes Back
Review: ACoK is "The Empire Strikes Back" to AGoT's "Star Wars." Everything is won (or lost) at a great price for all major characters. But the struggles and seeming realism only make the characters and story stronger. The imagined world and its peoples' histories grow more powerful and detailed. Big and little surprises abound. There's a naval battle that will make your eyes bug out. My only quibbles included a couple of slow initial chapters and plot events left hanging at the end. But ACoK never falls under its own considerable weight or fails to deliver full-scale thrills in any of its many plot threads. As other reviewers have indicated, G.R.R.M. towers above all living sf/fantasy authors -- and most from other genres. Enjoy, but be sure to read AGoT first!
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Summary: WELL WORTH THE WAIT!
Review: I couldn't help it... I had a friend buy the UK release of this novel and ship it to me. It's fantastic! A wonderful sequel to A Game of Thrones! I've been a fan of G.R.R. Martin for as long as I can remember, and this series, thus far, is a masterpiece. I read it slow to savor it for as long as possible... Who knows when the next book will come out!
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Summary: Painfully Good...
Review: Occassionally, I chance upon a book which inspires me while also reminding me of how limited my own writing talents are. One such book was "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons. "A Game of Thrones" and "A Clash of Kings" are similar works. If you enjoy fantasy, you must read them...and you will be thrilled. If you write, you must still read them,...if only to be humbled. Cheers, Mr. Martin. Well done.
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Summary: Gritty, gripping and great!
Review: When I read the first book, "Game of Thrones" it made many of my previous favourites look shallow. Then to have to wait for the second installment! Now that I've read "Clash of KIngs" I guess I'll have to wait some more for the next book - but as the adage goes - the best things in life are worth waiting for - well something like that. I like the style of writing where several narratives are strung together. I've always liked Julian May's Many Coloured Land series for that reason. The characters all have depth and are quite believable. No goody two shoes here! Even outright thugs like the Cleganes have depth to their character. Other characters are complex - such as Catelyn, yearning for a return to days gone by. The whole world is gritty and beliveably medieval - you can almost smell the pervasive stench of raw sewage, sweat and death in Kings Landing during the siege. The plot hangs together quite well and is gripping in a way that many other fantasy books are not. The one minor irritation is the time scales quoted - for example the 'wall' is allegedly 8,000 years old! This use of immense scales seems inappropriate especially when one thinks of what has happened in the last few thousand years in our own time. This was one book I found hard to put down and not because of any publishers tricks with velcro either!
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