A Clash of Kings

by George R. R. Martin

Fantasy

Random House Publishing Group, 2011

1009 pages - 10,99 $

En français ici

Why this book 

Because after having enjoyed the first book, I did not want to stop there. I love  series, because it gives you all the time and leisure to know the characters and love (or hate) them. To read a sequel, it's a bit like getting friends at home: hours of fun - well, normally, if not... you might want to read the Marquis de Sade.  I could not wait to plunge into the world so complete and complex of Martin.

Summary

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

What I think of it

Once again I have not been disappointed. Martin is truly a master in story telling. We are spellbound throughout the book. I love the way paragraphs succede each other according to the points of view of characters. It's different and it avoids the chronological appearance in most other novels. There may be two actions simultaneously, but in different places and I like very much this impression to see the unfolding of the story through the eyes of the characters.

Another plus point for which the author is known, nobody is totally good or totally bad, everyone has their reasons. At first I was afraid of the result - because yes, I like that the heroes are heroes unconditionally - but ultimately one can be closer to the characters, because let's face it, it is not easy to compare oneself to a hero without fear and without reproach (especially the blameless side...)

In any case, the 1000 pages of the book go like lightning. I loved Tyron Lannister and his rogue intelligence, I wondered if Arya would return one day to her family, I felt like killing Theon - but then he was looking for trouble - I exulted when Robb became king of the north, I was afraid for Jon ... what amount of emotions experienced! Finally, the only one that I like less is Bran, but perhaps it will eventually revealed something of his adventures.

Let's be brief

A sequel not to be missed ... but honestly, if you've read this book, it's that you have already read the first ... and I do not have much to say to convince you of the quality of this story!

A Storm of Swords

by George R. R. Martin

Fantasy

Random House Publishing Group, 2011

1177 pages - 10,99 $

En Français ici

Why this book

I don't know if I can pretend that I read this book just because it was part of the first four book set that I bought? Well, no, I'm not like to flog me reading a book - let alone a series of books - that I do not like! The truth is that I really love A Song of Ice and Fire serie. So I read this book, because I was eager to see the further adventures of the seven kingdoms and its protagonists - and it was already in my library, as a not buried treasure just waiting to be read.

Summary 

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King's Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world....

But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords. . .

What I think

This is the best of the first three volumes. I've never regretted leaving a book and its world so much - except maybe Harry Potter ... - I've been through some terrible and incredible twists and exaltations (frankly, *** spoiler **** when Daenerys kills the slaver, it's so great! Especially after the fear of seeing her sale her dragon ***).

George R. R. Martin is an author who is not afraid to write what pleases him. He thinks that an author can't please everyone anyway and he kills the characters that we expected to see longer. And it works! This is what is great about the realism of Martin in his novels : as in real life, people die, people betray people band together. This is a fantasy world sprinkled with realism, with characters we love and others we love to hate. Personally, I have a soft spot for Jon, Daenerys and Arya and I would gladly slap Cersei! And you?

Let's be brief 

A must have, must read! We always talk about classics that should be read and here is a classic fantasy to offer and to provide, to read and reread because you never get tired of a world so rich! 1177 pages of pure pleasure ...

Good to know

A Storm of Swords was the first of the series to be nominated for the Hugo Award in 2001 (one of the two most prestigious awards in science fiction and fantasy, but Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire won.

George R. R. Martin also finds that it is the most intense of his books in this excellent interview. He is very cool as author right?