Official A CLASH OF KINGS thread of bastards, incest, and fratricide

[Phoenix Dark]

I'm about halfway through or so; I'm a rather slow reader compared to most people, but the benefit is that I remember small details heh. Anyway I must say the book really has continued the awesome momentum that A GAME OF THRONES ended with. And the politics of it all continue to intrigue me. I'm the kind of guy who was more interested in the politics of 24's first two seasons than the terrorist catching. This book offers so many different things, and I love the fact that it includes battles of words/rights as much as battles of swords/armies.

While the first book dealt with a large cast of characters, this one seems to focus more on a few; I've read almost 400 pages and two POVs in particular have barely come up, compared to others which seem to repeat constantly.

The beginning of A GAME OF THRONES is definitely cool, but early on I grew to dislike certain characters such as Catelyn and Sansa. Yet so far with the second book I cannot honestly say I dislike any of the main characters, outside of maybe


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THEON. wtf he's a traitor apparently 

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Things that have impressed/shocked me so far:

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-Renly omg. I didn't see that coming; actually I read that chapter last night and had to read two paragraphs over because it didn't make sense. Killing him in that manner seemed like a cop out to me initially, although now that I think about it...I see. I love how magic and fantasy have been treated with so much mystery in both books, and for awhile you really don't know whether it's real or myth. Yet with the dragons and now this shadow magic from the Red Lady (I'm guessing) it's clearly real. I'd imagine Stannis will be able to use Catelyn as the scapegoat for this, blaming her for the murder thus leading his army against Robb's.

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-I'm looooving Arya's POV so far. It reminds me a bit of Harry Potter, perhaps due to all the younger supporting characters in her story. She was a badass at the end of the first book, and clearly she's going to wreck some shit before this one is done. Also I'm intrigued by Gendry, ie Robert's bastard son. Seems like he has even more claim to the throne than Joffrey since he's actually of Robert's blood. And there's another bastard out there (Storm or something) who has yet to show up. I just hope Robb makes it, although I kinda spoiled a bit for myself :/

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-Catelyn has gone from an annoying lady of privilege to a wise mother. Her involvement with the various kings of the realm is quite interesting. While I root for Robb to survive (although I read a bit of a spoiler :/) it seems like Stannis has the best claim to the throne. Now I just hope Stannis takes on the Lannisters before hitting Robb's armies.

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-Beyond the Wall! Perhaps the most suspenseful POV, Jon's journey into the wilderness is building up to one crazy climax. I just finished the chapter where he finds the buried clothes of a Black Brother. I can't wait to see what happened to the guy from the first book's prologue: uhhh the younger Royce. We know he's alive, but is he a villain now? And how will 200-300 men defeat this terror? omg   

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Very few books keep me on the edge of my seat, or make me so impatient that I contemplate peeking one eye at spoilers on Wikipedia - which is how I almost/kinda spoiled something for myself. I had just wanted to see whether a certain character lived throughout the books lol. I'm not saying these characters are as endearing to me as Harry/Ron/Hermonie, but I'm definitely concerned for their welfare.

[Human Snorenado]

MALAZAN HIJACK!

I couldn't wait for the March 8th release of Reaper's Gale (also couldn't stand the fugnacious US cover art) so I ordered a copy from amazon.ca that should be here tomorrow or Monday probably.

AWESOME IS MALAZAN!  MALAZAN IS AWESOME!

[cubicle47b]

Just wait until you get to A Storm of Swords, PD.

[Phoenix Dark]

Just wait until you get to A Storm of Swords, PD.

You've said this a couple times. I can't wait 

Although with each turned page there's a feeling of dread. With the way things are setting up it seems like many people are going to die  by the end of this book

[cubicle47b]

The battle for King's Landing happens during the last third of the book and it's a damn good read.  The next book is the one I'd call a bloodbath, though.

[Phoenix Dark]

Just finished A Clash of Kings last night; absolutely amazing, on every level. While the first book was indeed great, this one really took things to a higher level in every regard. Every POV was captivating, and each ending made me salivate for moar. The first two thirds of the book really set things up for the final, more action oriented act.

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-As I said, each POV was awesome, and there was much more variety this time. While some POVs seemed to overlap in the first book in terms of various characters having similar storylines, each POV here brought something new to the table - from Jon on the Wall to Sansa imprisoned in King's Landing to Bran's dreams.

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-Theon: Perhaps the most haunting POV, Theon's story elicited emotions of revulsion and sympathy. It was obvious from the very first POV of Game of Thrones (Bran's) that there was something wrong with Theon. Yet despite his constant acts of inhumanity he is quite the tragic figure to me. He was truly never loved, not from his father or Eddard Stark, who took him as his ward. And despite admitting that Robb treated him as a brother, he still double crossed him as well as all those who once considered him an ally. I hated Theon for that. Yet as his POV progressed it seemed like he was struggling to claim love as much, if not more, as claim a crown. He didn't understand why the people turned against him, nor why his own people seemed to not respect him. And by the end of his POV he's dies at the hand of those who he once commanded. At first I wanted him to be killed in the worst fashion, but he isn't even granted a memorable death worthy of song or praise. He dies with nothing, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. On a side note: I had peeked at the POV names of the next few books, so I knew Bran survived.

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-Arya is badass. I liked her the minute she was introduced, and her transformation as a character is going to be very interesting. Her POV also featured the most badass person in the book: Jaqen, the shape shifting assassin dude. DAMN! And lets not forget Gendry and Hot Pie, Arya's partners in crime. This POV reminds me most of Harry Potter, perhaps only due to the reliance on children characters and their interaction.

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-Alongside Arya, Tyrion's POV is definitely a favorite of mine. The complexity of his character is fascinating to me. As I've said before the sheer politics of this battle grab my attention, and Tyrion is always in the middle of it. His various battles with his sister and the members of the king's council are like chess matches, move after move more important than the last. And the end of his POV is pretty shocking as well. It's hard for me to believe that Cersei wanted him to be killed, but if so it'll only set up a truly epic battle of wits in the next book.

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-Jon and Dany's POVs both almost seem like separate stories from everything else, yet both are slowly building up to events that will effect everyone in the series. There are still unanswered questions from the prologue of the first book, mainly what happened to Royce, and what exactly are The Others; sure they're the living dead but how do they fit into the puzzle - are they working with Mance and the wildlings, or are they a separate, more dangerous entity? Seems like Jon will find out in the next book; the end of his POV had my jaw open lol. And while Dany's POV wasn't as solid as last time, it was still interesting.

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-As I've said before, Catelyn has gone from a rather annoying, somewhat weak character to one of the strongest in the books. Her family is in ruins, she still thinks two of her children (at least) are dead, and soon she will be hit with news of Winterfell's sacking.

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-And then there's Bran, who cannot fight to defend his family name, but instead seems poised to lead it while Robb defends all. Pretty impressive for a 9 year old cripple. 

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I'll head to Borders and get A Storm of Swords after class/Valentines Day antics