A Clash of Kings, the second book of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, a series also affectionately known as "Game of Thrones," picks up where the first book leaves off. Throughout some 700-800 pages, it introduces new characters, kills off many, and forwards the story.
By the end of the first book, the Stark family had been spread out among different parts of the land, and similarly, the second book primarily follows what happens to each of them. Of course, this opens the door wide for plenty of side stories along the way. Plus we learn more about the almost entirely separate story of Daenerys Targaryen, stuck in the eastern continent of Essos -- you know - that land mass that doesn't get a map in the first two books? Though separate, we learn more about how she is tied in with what's happening in Westeros, where most of everything else happens.
I had earlier complained that the first book was about 5% fantasy and 95% politics and war -- so much so that one might doubt if it could be considered "fantasy," but A Clash of Kings increases the fantasy elements to roughly 20%. Now there are dragons, magic witches, more info on the White Walkers or whatever you call those zombie creatures, and so on. Still nowhere the amount of fantasy in a Robert Jordan book, but getting there.
And as you may suspect, that other 80% that is politics and war continues to engage. It becomes so addictive!
Yet, reading the actual words is still a chore. Martin loves to take pages to describe the simplest of things, which provides a rich and immersive environment, but sometimes I just wanted the story to move on. One of my favorite examples of this was when Theon Greyjoy meets this girl at the beach, convinces her to come home with him, and tries to seduce her along the way. This goes on for about 20 pages. It was worth the payout, but man ... that author can just go on and on.
Around page 400, the run-on sentences seemed to become more frequent, slowing me down even more. It took a while, but eventually I finished reading the book to its end, bringing various endings to each individual Stark story, and making me want to read more ... once I get up enough energy to continue, that is.
I have yet to see the TV show, but I'm still enjoying reading these books. If you have a lot of time on your hands, give it a try.
