You simply can not get away from Game of Thrones at the minute.
There are ads on tv and clips when your browsing the Internet, magazine interviews and Sky seem to keep reminding us that it starts on the 1st of April in between every spare bit of time they have.
We get it Sky. Game of Thrones has the series link set to record on my set top box!!
With the not-so-subtle propaganda dealt with, I just want to say I am turning into quite the fanboy of Game of Thrones. I have successfully stayed away from spoilers and after watching the first series then reading the first book I wished to do it the other way about this time.
Taking straight from where we left off in the first book, main characters have carried on their individualistic journeys which all seem to be connected to one another in a wider sense.
The background to the book is that the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms appears to be up for grabs. King Robert is dead and rumour has it that his son, the young King Joffery, is not the legitimate heir and so many now claim the throne.
Rob Stark is one of those kings, however, his main aim is to avenge the murder of his father Eddard Stark.
Rob's brothers and sisters are spread throughout the kingdom and more or less are trying to survive during this time of turmoil.
There does not seem to be a structure to this story, which makes it more interesting than the last. You dont know what will happen from chapter to chapter.
George R R Martin paints scenes beautifully, I can not express how important the little things are which can make you become lost in a book such as smells, architecture of buildings, describing ordinary non characters, clothing and even things like a character eating, sleeping and relieving themselves.
Yes, this may sound a bit odd but Martin gets these little things right every time and when he does that, you trust him with the important scenes like battle sequences, which are simply, immense. I found myself wincing during the hand to hand combat fighting and willing some characters on.
One of my favourite scenes was an important escape of a main character during the depths of a battle in the middle of night. Elements such as fire, water and the dirt on the ground was described perfectly. A full blown movie was going on in my head.
Martin has chosen to tell his story through lowly characters. A stroke of genus. While others may have chose kings and queens, Martin has chosen children, disabled folk and bastards to carry this tale.
The Good: I have never read large epics at such a fast pace. Be sure to delegate time to read these books as your other half may get miffed off that your spending too much time with your nose buried I this book/kindle! Clash of Kings is darker and more bloodier than the last book.
The bad: Some parts of the book could have been condensed, for example, Daenerys Targaryen, who is trying to come to grips with her husbands passing and her inheritance of 3 actual dragons takes an age of endless traveling and soul searching.
Summary: I apologised when I reviewed the first book, A Game of Thrones, as I sounded like a "gushing reviewer", however I make no apologises now. This book is a fantastic epic and wonderfully written. I give it a 5/5
