The War of Five Kings
Cole Gaynor
A Clash Of Kings
George R.R. Martin
“My father once told me that a lord never lets sentiment get in the way of ambition” (Martin 276). In the second installment of A Song of Ice and Fire, many kings with various different intentions take to the fields of battle, while countless more are pulling the strings from every corner of the kingdom. People’s morals are tested, loyalties tried and broken, and people must reconsider all that they know in times of great tumult. What one thinks they hold dear is trampled by Martin’s ruthless Clash of Kings that engulfs the world, the mad grab for power that underlies every word and reigns freely and heartlessly when swords are drawn.
A Clash of Kings picks up roughly where A Game of Thrones, the first book of the series, picks up, though from a different perspective and at a different place in the world. Arya Stark, who had escaped the overthrow by the Lannisters at King’s Landing, is found by Yoren, a member of the Night’s Watch who offers to bring her north along the kingdom’s main road and back to Winterfell, her home, along with a handful of men and boys who are going north to serve as members of the Night’s Watch. Arya, however, is wanted by many, as the Lannisters wish to hold her captive, and any reward from the wealthy Lannisters would be immense. Jon Snow, her half-brother who already was sworn to the service of the Night’s Watch, leaves Castle Black and goes beyond the great wall of ice to the north that kept the kingdom safe for thousands of years to stop the invasion of Mance Rayder’s army of Free Folk, who do not consider themselves bound by any laws of the kingdom and who have no laws of their own. Bran still struggles with feeling helpless amidst the events of the world and must govern his brother’s castle while he is leading an army to the south. Stannis, another hopeful king looking to sit upon the throne, adopts a religion that is completely foreign and practiced by about two people in the entirety of the kingdom, taking a sorceress of the religion as a councilor who is mistrusted by many. Renly, another brother to the dead king Robert, also marches with his army to take control at his own leisurely pace.
Each of these kings, however, are constantly at conflict with one another, hardly comprise all of the dangers to the realm. Supplementing the mind-blowing complexity and depth of the world at war that Martin creates, the characters just keep developing non-stop, so the book just keeps getting better and better on several levels at once. The reader feels like they know the characters since they’ve been developed for over 1000 pages, as well as feeling engrossed and invested in the outcomes of events since it all feels completely realistic. When describing a direwolf belonging to Robb, the King in the North, Martin leaves nothing to be wondered: “A direwolf as large as any elkhound, lean and smoke-dark, with eyes like molten gold. When the beast padded forward and sniffed at the captive knight, every man in that hall could smell the scent of fear” (Martin 108). The book’s epic length is well used and nothing feels too tedious, likely due to the frequent changes in perspective. One of the things that A Song of Ice and Fire does very well is making many smaller, relatable pieces of stories that a reader can easily become immersed in individually combine into an epic, world-shaking saga. In fact, these components which combine to form A Song of Ice and Fire could quite easily stand alone as single-perspective stories telling the path of one character, but combine to make a story that will likely define the genre of fantasy for a time as the Lord of the Rings did before it. This book is never tiring, a flaw which can often seep into long books or series, especially in books as complex as these. The perspective changes really add a lot to the book though, with completely different voices and opinions on sometimes the same events. The supporting characters are still described well, especially for a book with so many protagonists. The depth at which Martin describes them makes the reader feel like if a character were to return at some other point throughout the book, you could recognize them; nobody is ‘just a cousin’ or ‘just a soldier’. This is extremely impressive, considering how many supporting characters come into play, and makes the reader more invested in the books when they can feel like they know everyone as well as the characters in the books. For example, Tyrion, a character that I personally have come to love for his cleverness, is still continuing to grow as a character and remain important to the book’s plot. Despite how overwhelming the story or characters may seem, nothing feels like it’s glossed over, and Tyrion along with all the characters are getting just as much attention as could be desired. The book also carries a strong theme of authority and contains many ideological quarrels over the importance of loyalty, authority and how much people should let themselves be affected by it. This time and setting, in particular, are a fantastic way to emphasize that theme while making the books feel real, creating a system of power where one’s loyalties are always supposed to be for another, yet rarely are.
This read, however epic, might not be for everyone, as with all books. They’re clearly written with the intent of only mature audiences reading them, and certainly never condense the story for simplicity or time. This book is sure to eat up a lot of time, and all the better, for this book is easily a great one to sit down and lose hours reading, with Martin’s brilliant, consuming world and charismatically crafted characters compiling to one of the most masterful series I have ever read. However, dark tides for all are on the horizon as the seasons change in Martin’s saga, and each character will need all the strength of them and those around them to survive the coming winter. As Bran reassures himself, however, people’s ties together are stronger than whatever tries to break them: “The roots of the trees go deep, and under the ground the Kings of Winter sit their thrones” (Martin 969).
A Clash Of Kings
George R.R. Martin
“My father once told me that a lord never lets sentiment get in the way of ambition” (Martin 276). In the second installment of A Song of Ice and Fire, many kings with various different intentions take to the fields of battle, while countless more are pulling the strings from every corner of the kingdom. People’s morals are tested, loyalties tried and broken, and people must reconsider all that they know in times of great tumult. What one thinks they hold dear is trampled by Martin’s ruthless Clash of Kings that engulfs the world, the mad grab for power that underlies every word and reigns freely and heartlessly when swords are drawn.
A Clash of Kings picks up roughly where A Game of Thrones, the first book of the series, picks up, though from a different perspective and at a different place in the world. Arya Stark, who had escaped the overthrow by the Lannisters at King’s Landing, is found by Yoren, a member of the Night’s Watch who offers to bring her north along the kingdom’s main road and back to Winterfell, her home, along with a handful of men and boys who are going north to serve as members of the Night’s Watch. Arya, however, is wanted by many, as the Lannisters wish to hold her captive, and any reward from the wealthy Lannisters would be immense. Jon Snow, her half-brother who already was sworn to the service of the Night’s Watch, leaves Castle Black and goes beyond the great wall of ice to the north that kept the kingdom safe for thousands of years to stop the invasion of Mance Rayder’s army of Free Folk, who do not consider themselves bound by any laws of the kingdom and who have no laws of their own. Bran still struggles with feeling helpless amidst the events of the world and must govern his brother’s castle while he is leading an army to the south. Stannis, another hopeful king looking to sit upon the throne, adopts a religion that is completely foreign and practiced by about two people in the entirety of the kingdom, taking a sorceress of the religion as a councilor who is mistrusted by many. Renly, another brother to the dead king Robert, also marches with his army to take control at his own leisurely pace.
Each of these kings, however, are constantly at conflict with one another, hardly comprise all of the dangers to the realm. Supplementing the mind-blowing complexity and depth of the world at war that Martin creates, the characters just keep developing non-stop, so the book just keeps getting better and better on several levels at once. The reader feels like they know the characters since they’ve been developed for over 1000 pages, as well as feeling engrossed and invested in the outcomes of events since it all feels completely realistic. When describing a direwolf belonging to Robb, the King in the North, Martin leaves nothing to be wondered: “A direwolf as large as any elkhound, lean and smoke-dark, with eyes like molten gold. When the beast padded forward and sniffed at the captive knight, every man in that hall could smell the scent of fear” (Martin 108). The book’s epic length is well used and nothing feels too tedious, likely due to the frequent changes in perspective. One of the things that A Song of Ice and Fire does very well is making many smaller, relatable pieces of stories that a reader can easily become immersed in individually combine into an epic, world-shaking saga. In fact, these components which combine to form A Song of Ice and Fire could quite easily stand alone as single-perspective stories telling the path of one character, but combine to make a story that will likely define the genre of fantasy for a time as the Lord of the Rings did before it. This book is never tiring, a flaw which can often seep into long books or series, especially in books as complex as these. The perspective changes really add a lot to the book though, with completely different voices and opinions on sometimes the same events. The supporting characters are still described well, especially for a book with so many protagonists. The depth at which Martin describes them makes the reader feel like if a character were to return at some other point throughout the book, you could recognize them; nobody is ‘just a cousin’ or ‘just a soldier’. This is extremely impressive, considering how many supporting characters come into play, and makes the reader more invested in the books when they can feel like they know everyone as well as the characters in the books. For example, Tyrion, a character that I personally have come to love for his cleverness, is still continuing to grow as a character and remain important to the book’s plot. Despite how overwhelming the story or characters may seem, nothing feels like it’s glossed over, and Tyrion along with all the characters are getting just as much attention as could be desired. The book also carries a strong theme of authority and contains many ideological quarrels over the importance of loyalty, authority and how much people should let themselves be affected by it. This time and setting, in particular, are a fantastic way to emphasize that theme while making the books feel real, creating a system of power where one’s loyalties are always supposed to be for another, yet rarely are.
This read, however epic, might not be for everyone, as with all books. They’re clearly written with the intent of only mature audiences reading them, and certainly never condense the story for simplicity or time. This book is sure to eat up a lot of time, and all the better, for this book is easily a great one to sit down and lose hours reading, with Martin’s brilliant, consuming world and charismatically crafted characters compiling to one of the most masterful series I have ever read. However, dark tides for all are on the horizon as the seasons change in Martin’s saga, and each character will need all the strength of them and those around them to survive the coming winter. As Bran reassures himself, however, people’s ties together are stronger than whatever tries to break them: “The roots of the trees go deep, and under the ground the Kings of Winter sit their thrones” (Martin 969).
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