‘A Clash of Kings’ – G.R.R. Martin

A Clash of Kings

Why I ever thought it would be a good idea to try and read this series I don’t know. I started this way back in June – having read A Game of Thrones really quickly – and only a few hundred pages into part two reached a sticking point that I just couldn’t get past. I restarted the book – twice – and I eventually thoroughly enjoyed it, so I’m not sure exactly what happened. My only explanation is that at over 900 pages the book was just too big to hold comfortably/carry round with me, so I picked up other quicker reads and then felt I wasn’t doing it justice so it remained on my bedside table until such a time as I could read it without interruption.

That time was my summer holiday (you’re right, I wasn’t really thinking it through). Taking such a large novel on holiday reminded me of the time my 16 year-old self determined to read War and Peace on a camping holiday to the South of France. Similarly confusing and hard to keep track of who was who, but this was a whole lot more entertaining!

At this point in time we have two dead leaders, and six (so it tells me on the blurb, but it felt like more) factions fighting to control the divided land. We also had other characters pursuing their respective journeys. There was magic; some supernatural weird stuff with the dead coming back to life; people turning into wolves; fighting – lots of it; plotting – lots of it; sex – again, a lot of it; people in disguise and dragons.

I don’t mean to sound glib, but there was just so much going on in this novel that I don’t think I could give anything resembling a coherent review. If you want to know plot details I’m not sure I can help much. While I retained only a very loose grasp of the precise turn of events during my reading of this, I have to say that the characterisation/setting is fantastic. I just pray that Joffrey will die a really painful and bloody death soon, that Arya will eventually gain her rightful place and that Dany and her dragons make it through.

I will continue this series, but I think I might have to pick a time when I can focus on it uninterrupted!