A Clash of Kings (Song of Ice and Fire #2) (UK Ed.)

George R. R. Martin's superb fantasy epic continues in consummate style as bloodshed and alchemy lay waste the Seven Kingdoms in the second volume of A Song of Ice and Fire.

The Iron Throne once united the Sunset Lands, but King Robert is dead, his widow is a traitor to his memory, and his surviving brothers are set on a path of war amongst themselves. At King's Landing, the head of Lord Eddard Stark rots on a spike for all to see. His daughter Sansa is betrothed still to his killer's son Joffrey – Queen Cersei's son, though not the son of her late husband Robert. Even so, Joffrey is now a boy-king, Cersei is his regent, and war is inevitable. In Dragonstone, Robert's brother Stannis has declared himself king, while his other brother Renly proclaims himself king at Storm's End – and Eddard Stark's fifteen year old son Robb wears the crown of the north at Winterfell.

A comet in the night sky, red and malevolent, the colour of blood and flame, can only be an omen of murder and war. Stannis's child Princess Shireen dreams of dragons waking from stone. And a white raven has brought word from the Citadel itself, foretelling summer's end. It has been the longest summer in living memory, lasting ten years, and the smallfolk say it means an even longer winter to come…The first rule of war is never give the enemy his wish. But winter will be the biggest enemy. From beyond the Wall the undead and Others clamour for freedom, and from beyond the sea the long-dead Dragon King's daughter hatches her revenge. Robb Stark will be exceedingly lucky to reach adulthood.

Accolades

Locus Award Winner 1999.

Reviews for Song of Ice & Fire series

‘In the grand epic fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best. Tense, surging, insomnia-inflicting.’ Time Magazine

‘Destined to be one of the greatest fantasy series ever written.’ Denver Post

‘Truly epic! With its magnificent action-filled climax, it provides a banquet for fantasy lovers with large appetites.’ Publishers Weekly

‘I always expect the best from George R.R. Martin and he always delivers. A Game of Thrones grabs hold and won’t let go. It's brilliant.' Robert Jordan

‘George R.R. Martin is one of our very best writers, and this is one of his very best books.’ Raymond E. Feist

‘Colossal, staggering! Martin captures all the intoxicating complexity of the Wars of the Roses or Imperial Rome in his imaginary world ! The writing is always powerful.’ SFX

‘Fantasy literature has never shied away from grandeur, but the sheer mind-boggling scope of this epic has sent other fantasy writers away shaking their heads!’ Its ambition: to construct the Twelve Caesars of fantasy fiction, with characters so venomous they could eat the Borgias.' Guardian

‘Such a splendid tale. I read my eyes out – I couldn’t stop till I'd finished and it was dawn' Anne McCaffrey

‘A Game of Thrones offers the rich tapestry that the very best fantasy demands: iron and steel within the silk, grandeur within the wonder, and charactrs torn between deep love and loyalty. Few created worlds are as imaginative and diverse.’ Janny Wurts

Author Biography

George R.R. Martin has written six novels and many screenplays for television and feature films.