A Clash of Kings

US hardcover edition
Author George R. R. Martin
Cover artist Steve Youll
Language English
Series A Song of Ice and Fire
Genre Fantasy
Published 1998 (Voyager Books/UK)
1999 (Bantam Spectra/US)
ISBN ISBN 0-00-224585-X (UK Hardback),
ISBN 0-553-10803-4 (US Hardback),
ISBN 0-553-57990-8 (US Paperback)
OCLC 59667381
(https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/59667381)
Preceded by A Game of Thrones
Followed by A Storm of Swords
A Clash of Kings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Clash of Kings is the second novel in A Song of
Ice and Fire, an epic fantasy series by American
author George R. R. Martin expected to consist of
seven volumes. It was first published on 16
November 1998 in the United Kingdom, although
the first United States edition did not follow until
March 1999. Like its predecessor, A Game of
Thrones, it won the Locus Award (in 1999) for Best
Novel and was nominated for the Nebula Award
(also in 1999) for best novel. In May 2005 Meisha
Merlin released a limited edition of the novel, fully
illustrated by John Howe.
The novel has been adapted for television by HBO
as the second season of the TV series Game of
Thrones.
A Clash of Kings is also the name of the first
expansion to the Game of Thrones board game.
Contents
1 Plot summary
1.1 In the Seven Kingdoms
1.2 On the Wall
1.3 In the East
2 Characters
3 Editions
4 Television adaptation
5 Reception
6 Awards and nominations
7 References
Plot summary
A Clash of Kings depicts the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros in civil war, while the Night's Watch mounts a
reconnaissance to investigate the mysterious people known as wildlings. Meanwhile Daenerys Targaryen
continues her plan to reconquer the Seven Kingdoms.
In the Seven Kingdoms
With King Robert Baratheon dead, his son Joffrey Baratheon (Lannister), and brothers Renly and Stannis all
claim the throne of Westeros. Robb Stark is declared 'King in the North' while Balon Greyjoy declares himself
king of the Iron Islands and attacks the western coast of the North. Robb's younger brother Bran Stark finds
new friends in Jojen and Meera Reed.
Stannis Baratheon declares himself King of Westeros, encouraged by Melisandre of Asshai, a priestess who
believes Stannis the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, a messianic figure of her faith. The war is dubbed the War of the
Five Kings. Catelyn Stark meets Renly and Stannis to discuss alliance against the Lannisters; but the meeting
fails, and a shadow created by Melisandre and Stannis kills Renly. Brienne of Tarth and Catelyn Stark are
incriminated in Renly's murder and most of Renly's supporters defect to Stannis, excepting the Tyrells. Renly's
stronghold falls when Melisandre's second shadow kills its castellan, Cortnay Penrose.
Tyrion Lannister arrives at King's Landing as acting Hand of the King, the closest adviser to the monarch
Joffrey. Whilst intriguing against Joffrey's mother Cersei, Tyrion improves the defenses of the city and sends
Littlefinger to negotiate with the Tyrells, gaining their support when Lord Mace Tyrell agrees to wed his daughter
Margaery to Joffrey, despite Joffrey's earlier betrothal to Sansa Stark. Tyrion also forges an alliance with House
Martell when he marries Joffrey's sister Myrcella to Trystane Martell.
To conquer the North and to impress his father Balon, Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell, taking Bran and
Rickon captive; but Bran and Rickon disappear in the night. Rather than admit his failure, Theon murders two
anonymous peasant boys similar in size to Bran and Rickon and mutilates their faces to enhance the
resemblance. Believing this ruse, Stark supporters besiege the castle, joined by a force from House Bolton.
Theon having conspired with Bolton's bastard, Ramsay Snow, the Bolton soldiers turn on the besiegers and
Theon opens the gates to the victorious Boltons, whereupon they destroy Winterfell, slaughter its inhabitants and
take Theon prisoner. Osha, a captured wildling turned castle servant, takes Rickon to safety, while Bran,
accompanied by Meera, Jojen, and his simpleton manservant Hodor, travels north. Robb Stark wins several
victories against the Lannisters in their home territory. Tywin Lannister advances against him, but receiving news
that King's Landing is threatened, withdraws.
Arya Stark, posing as a boy named 'Arry', travels with new recruits for the Night's Watch. They are captured
and taken to Harrenhal, where Arya poses as a serving girl. When a man named Jaqen H'ghar offers to repay
Arya for saving himself and his two companions by killing three men of her choice, Arya selects two Lannister
bannermen and threatens Jaqen himself unless he releases the Stark supporters, who overtake the castle. His
debt repaid, Jaqen gives Arya an iron coin and a strange phrase, "Valar Morghulis", to be used in asking help
from his compatriots. When Lord Roose Bolton occupies Harrenhal, Arya becomes his cup-bearer, but soon
escapes.
Stannis Baratheon's army reaches King's Landing and launches assaults by both land and sea. Under Tyrion's
command, Joffrey's forces use "wildfire" (similar to Greek fire) to ignite the bay, and raise a massive chain
across its mouth to prevent Stannis's fleet from retreating. Stannis's attack ultimately fails when Tywin Lannister
leads his army (and the remaining forces under Mace Tyrell) to the aid of King's Landing. Stannis's fate is left
uncertain. During the defense of the castle, Tyrion is attacked by one of Joffrey's guard, and rescued by his
squire, Podrick Payne.
On the Wall
A scouting party from the Night's Watch learn that the wildlings are uniting under 'King-beyond-the-Wall'
Mance Rayder. The Watch then continue to an ancient hill-top fortress known as the Fist of the First Men,
whence Jeor Mormont sends Jon Snow and Qhorin Halfhand with others to the Skirling Pass, where they are
hunted by wildling warriors. Facing certain defeat, Halfhand commands Snow to infiltrate the wildlings and learn
their plans. They are captured by wildlings who demand Jon fight Qhorin to join them. Jon kills Qhorin with the
aid of his direwolf, Ghost, and learns that Mance Rayder is advancing on the Wall with thirty-thousand wildlings,
giants, and mammoths.
In the East
Daenerys Targaryen travels east, accompanied by the knight Jorah Mormont, her remaining followers, and three
newborn dragons. Scouts find a safe route to the city of Qarth, where her dragons make Daenerys notorious.
Xaro Xhoan Daxos, the leader of the Thirteen, a prominent group of traders in Qarth, initially befriends the
outsiders; but Daenerys cannot secure aid in claiming the throne of Westeros, because she refuses to give away
any of her dragons. As a last resort, Daenerys seeks counsel from the warlocks of Qarth, who show Daenerys
many confusing visions and threaten her life, whereupon one of Daenerys's dragons, Drogon, burns down the
warlocks' "House of the Undying". An attempt to assassinate Daenerys is thwarted by a fat warrior named
Strong Belwas and his squire Arstan Whitebeard: agents of Daenerys's ally Illyrio Mopatis, who have come to
escort her back to Pentos.
Characters
The tale is told through the eyes of 9 recurring POV characters plus one prologue POV character:
Prologue: Maester Cressen, maester at Dragonstone.
Tyrion Lannister, youngest son of Lord Tywin Lannister, a dwarf and a brother to Queen Cersei, and the
acting Hand of the King
Lady Catelyn Stark, of House Tully, widow of Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell
Ser Davos Seaworth, a smuggler turned knight in the service of King Stannis Baratheon, often called the
Onion Knight
Sansa Stark, eldest daughter of Eddard Stark and Catelyn Stark, held captive by Queen Cersei at King's
Landing
Arya Stark, youngest daughter of Eddard Stark and Catelyn Stark, missing and presumed dead
Bran Stark, second son of Eddard Stark and Catelyn Stark and heir to Winterfell and the King in the
North
Jon Snow, bastard son of Eddard Stark, and a man of the Night's Watch
Theon Greyjoy, heir to the Seastone Chair and former ward of Lord Eddard Stark
Queen Daenerys Targaryen, the Unburnt and Mother of Dragons, of the Targaryen dynasty
Editions
Foreign language editions
Bulgarian: :" "
Catalan: Alfaguara :"Xoc de reis" ("Clash of kings")
Croatian: Algoritam: "Sraz kraljeva"
Chinese: "", (2006) ("Conflict of Kings").
Czech: Talpress: "Stet krl" ("Clash of Kings")
Danish: Gyldendal :"Kongernes Kamp" ("The Battle of Kings")
Dutch: One volume, Luithing Fantasy (1999): hardcover : De Strijd der Koningen ("The Clash of
Kings")
Estonian: Two volumes, hardcover : Varrak (2008, 2009), "Kuningate heitlus I & II" ("A Clash of
Kings")
Finnish: Kirjava: "Kuninkaiden koitos"
French: Three volumes (Hardcover: Pygmalion (2000); paperback: J'ai Lu (2002)): "La bataille des rois",
"L'ombre malfique", "L'invincible forteresse" ("The Battle of Kings", "The Evil Shadow", "The Invincible
Fortress").
German: Single volume, Fantasy Productions (2004): "Knigsfehde" ("King's Feud"). Two volumes,
Blanvalet (2000): "Der Thron der Sieben Knigreiche", "Die Saat des goldenen Lwen" ("The Throne of
the Seven Kingdoms", "The Seed of the Golden Lion").
Greek: Anubis: " " ("Clash of Kings")
Hebrew: "I/II " ("Clash of Kings")
Hungarian: Alexandra Knyvkiad : "Kirlyok csatja" ("Battle of Kings")
Icelandic: UGL: "Konungar kljst" ("Kings Clash")
Italian: Two volumes, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore (2001, 2002): "Il regno dei lupi", "La regina dei
draghi" ("The Kingdom of Wolves", "The Queen of Dragons").
Japanese: Two volumes, hardcover : Hayakawa (2004), paperback : Hayakawa (2007): "
" ("Banner of the Wolf Kings")
Korean: Eun Haeng Namu Publishing Co. :" " ("War of Kings")
Latvian: Whitebook: "Karau ca" ("War of Kings")
Lithuanian: Alma Littera "Karali kova" ("A Battle of Kings")
Norwegian: Two volumes (2012) 'Bok II Del I: Kongenes kamp' (Book II Part I: The Battle of Kings)
and 'Bok II Del II: Dragenes dronning' (Book II Part II: The Queen of Dragons)
Polish: Zysk i s-ka: "Starcie krlw"
Brazilian Portuguese: Leya: "A Fria dos Reis" ("Wrath of the Kings")
European Portuguese: Two Volumes, Sada de Emergncia : "A Fria dos Reis", "O Despertar da
Magia"
Romanian: Nemira: "ncletarea regilor"
Russian: Single volume, AST (2004, 2005, 2006): " " ("The Battle of Kings"). Two
volumes, AST (2000): " . 1", " . 2" ("The Battle of Kings:
Book 1", "The Battle of Kings: Book 2).
Serbian: : " "
Slovene: Mladinska Knjiga :"Spopad kraljev"
Spanish: Gigamesh (2003): "Choque de reyes" ("Clash of Kings").
Swedish: Forum bokfrlag :"Kungarnas krig" ("War of the Kings")
Turkish: Two volumes, Epsilon Yaynevi: "Buz ve Atein arks II: Krallarn arpmas - Ksm I &
Krallarn arpmas - Ksm II" ("A Clash of Kings")
Television adaptation
A Clash of Kings has been adapted for television by HBO as the second season of its successful adaptation of
A Song of Ice and Fire.
[1]
Filming began July 2011, and the first episode of season 2 of Game of Thrones
aired on April 1, 2012.
[2]
Reception
As with its predecessor, A Clash of Kings was positively received by critics. Dorman Shindler of The Dallas
Morning News described it as "one of the best [works] in this particular subgenre", praising "the richness of this
invented world and its cultures ... [that] lends Mr. Martin's novels the feeling of medieval history rather than
fiction."
[3]
Writing in The San Diego Union-Tribune, Jim Hopper called A Clash of Kings "High Fantasy with
a vengeance" and commented: "I'll admit to staying up too late one night last week to finish off this big book, and
I hope it's not too terribly long until the next one comes out."
[4]
Danielle Pilon wrote in the Winnipeg Free Press
that the book "shows no signs of the usual 'middle book' aimlessness". Although she found the constantly
switching viewpoints "momentarily confusing", she felt that it "draws the reader deep into the labyrinthine political
and military intrigues and evokes sympathy for characters on all sides of the conflict."
[5]
Bradley H. Sinor of the
Tulsa World praised Martin for "keep[ing] readers balanced on a sword's edge" and managing to do "three
important things" with A Clash of Kings: "It grips the reader whether or not they read the earlier book, tells a
satisfying story and leaves the reader wanting the next book as soon as possible."
[6]
The Oregonian's Steve
Perry called the book "easily as good as the first novel" and commented that the Song of Ice and Fire books
were "so complex, fascinating and well-rendered that readers will almost certainly be hooked into the whole
series." However, he cautioned that "if it were a movie, it would be rated "R" for sex and violence, so don't pick
the book up for your 10-year-old nephew who likes Conan."
[7]
Awards and nominations
Locus Award Best Novel (Fantasy) (Won) (1999)
[1]
Nebula Award Best Novel (Nominated) (1999)
[1]
Ignotus Award Best Novel (Foreign) (Won) (2004)
References
1. ^
a

b

c
"1999 Award Winners & Nominees" (http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?
year=1999). Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
2. ^ Crider, Michael. "'Game Of Thrones' Season 2 Starts Filming In July; Producers Talk Cast & Story"
(http://screenrant.com/game-thrones-season-2-details-production-schedule-mcrid-120008/). Archived
(http://web.archive.org/web/20110621164921/http://screenrant.com/game-thrones-season-2-details-production-
schedule-mcrid-120008/) from the original on 21 June 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
3. ^ Shindler, Dorman (February 21, 1999). "In Martin's 'Clash of Kings,' the delight is in the details". The Dallas
Morning News.
Ukrainian: One volume, KM Publishing (2014): " " ("A Clash of Kings")
4. ^ Hopper, Jim (March 19, 1999). "They're wiping out intelligent races -- What? Me worry?". The San Diego
Union-Tribune.
5. ^ Pilon, Danielle (March 28, 1999). "Second book in Martin series shines amid dull tomes". Winnipeg Free
Press.
6. ^ Sinor, Bradley H. (April 25, 1999). "All the king's horses ...". Tulsa World.
7. ^ Perry, Steve (June 27, 1999). "Adventure drives medieval-style fantasy". The Oregonian.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Clash_of_Kings&oldid=626498234"
Categories: 1998 novels A Song of Ice and Fire books Novels by George R. R. Martin
American fantasy novels 1990s fantasy novels
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