Review: A Clash of Kings

Well, George R. R. Martin has done it again.
From where we last left off, the allied lands have fallen into disrepair. King Joffrey reigns over a broken kingdom, alongside his mother and the newly appointed King's hand.
Robb Stark means to make war as the new, and self appointed King of the North, while Joffrey's uncles, Stannis and Renly, try to claim ownership of the Iron Throne.
Meanwhile, Daenerys plots to overthrow the usurpers and rule over the Seven Kingdoms, and Theon Greyjoy appoints himself as the next King of the Iron Islands. And if that's not enough to whet your appetite, Jon Snow and the rest of The Night's Watch ready themselves for some exploration across the Wall.
War is indeed brewing, and it's coming to claim them all, and soon.

A Game of Thrones simply blew me away in terms of sword and sorcery, and I knew I needed time before throwing myself into another 800+ page epic. It's needless to say that A Clash of Kings didn't disappoint, and it was definitely worth the wait. There was a bit more alchemy and magic involved in this seemingly never ending book of war, which I have to say I was really excited to see. I'm completely happy with all the 'sword' bits, but a little more sorcery can go a long, long way.

Unfortunately I'm at an impasse again when it comes to reviewing these books. There is so much information I would love to talk about but am unable to do so, in order to keep it all spoiler free. I loved reading this book though, as well as being disgustingly well written it was just a pure joy to experience, from beginning to end. The complexities of the Kingdoms was beautifully explained and thought out, usually I get confused with the endless barrage of words in stories like this but I found this a lot easier to follow.
I have to admit, it's not without it's faults- at times the plot dragged a bit, particularly with Daenerys. I found her to be almost insignificant in this part of the series, which is a shame as her storyline has potential to be one of the most interesting. It was one of those parts in the book that I wouldn't have missed, should they be removed completely. Although, I did feel that there was decidedly a lack of the Night's Watch in terms of moving  the plot forward. I would have liked to have seen more of it, and taken some of the war bits out. I'm hoping there'll be an improvement when I start the next book.

Even with the lulls, it had a way of pulling me straight back into the plot with no warning whatsoever. There were more 'Oh my God' moments in this book than I've had with any other. At some points I flat out refused the plot direction, it was an unhealthy reminder that Martin is an untrustworthy and malicious author who finds pleasure in ruining my life. He is like J.K. Rowling without the age restrictions. I've been trying  to stop some of the characters from worming their way into my heart, and failing, I don't know what their fates are going to be and it's making me miserable. I get to flex my masochistic muscle and love every detailed description of despair, which is wonderful in it's own messed up little way.

The end of the book, much like the first, just falls away and I'm left in limbo wondering what on earth is going to happen next. My mind was reeling with the sheer amount of information I was left with, and found myself almost drunk with it. The book hangover that followed the next day was awful.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Review: A Game of Thrones

It's been a long time since I indulged in some fantasy, I figured this was the perfect book to reimmerse myself in this wonderful genre. People have been raving about A Game of Thrones for a very long time now, mainly the HBO series but I tried (and failed) to avoid any televised works until I picked up the book. The series was a good as they said, with a slightly guilty conscience I began reading, hoping it would be even better.

I'm glad to say it didn't disappoint. At all. It was a brilliant read.
As far as the plot goes, it's pretty much a staple in the world of sword and sorcery fantasy. Mythical creatures, something supernatural, bouts of sex, bloodshed, and lots and lots of war.
Regardless of it being a not-so-original story arc, Martin excels in it. It was so well written and I was pretty much hooked within the first 50 pages. It sounds like a lot to get through initially but sizing it up against its entirety, a 800+ page epic, it's not very much at all.

It's a difficult one to talk about, there's far too much to say and not enough spoiler free information to say it. The story is centred around the Stark family of Winterfell, Lord Eddard Stark (Ned) has been offered the position as Hand of the King, which requires him to move from the cold north, to the warmer southern climes of King's Landing.
Martin has created a world where the seasons could potentially last lifetimes. Summer has lasted for decades and is now drawing to a close, and the other side of Winterfell's protective Wall isn't the only place where trouble is brewing. Across the seven kingdoms, admist all the lies, manipulation, violence, and betrayal, the quest for the Iron Throne of Winterfell is underway.

The novel is split between the points of view of several of the characters, which include whole House of Stark, a bastard child, a Dragon Heir and the Imp. As always, character jumping gets a little confusing at times but you quickly find your pace with it. I did find myself looking forward to certain character chapters than others, which made parts of the book drag a little. The characters themselves were very well written, I only truly warmed to a few of the characters but it was enough to keep me interested, I was mainly on the edge of my seat hoping that nothing bad will happen to them.

I made the somewhat catastrophic mistake of watching the series before reading the book. It's not something I usually do and I'll let this serve as a fair warning to not do it again. I really loved the first installment in A Song of Ice and Fire but I feel I would have done so even more if I had read it first. It's definitely something I would recommend if you don't want Sean Bean popping up in your head every time Ned's name appears.
Although, if you have watched the series already, I would still encourage you to read this. The televised series pretty much follows it word for word, the extra bits will just seem like extended scenes. The only downside to this book is the weight of it, it's a bit of an inconvenience if you carry it around everywhere like I did.
Trust me though, the pain is worth it.

Rating: ★★★★☆