A Clash of Kings
In this thrilling sequel to *A Game of Thrones*, George R. R. Martin has created a work of unsurpassed vision, power, and imagination. *A Clash of Kings* transports us to a world of revelry and revenge, wizardry and warfare unlike any we have ever experienced.

***A Clash of Kings***

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, 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.

Preceded by: [***A Game of Thrones***][1]
Followed by: [***A Storm of Swords***][2]

([Source][3]) 

[1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL257943W
[2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL257914W
[3]: https://georgerrmartin.com/grrm_book/a-clash-of-kings-a-song-of-ice-and-fire-book-two/
Fantasy fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, New York Times bestseller, nyt:trade_fiction_paperback=2011-12-31
George R. R. Martin, George RR Martin
George Raymond Richard Martin (born September 20, 1948), sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for his ongoing *A Song of Ice and Fire* series of epic fantasy novels.

Critics have described Martin's work as dark and cynical. His first novel, Dying of the Light, set the tone for most of his future work; it is set on a mostly abandoned planet that is slowly becoming uninhabitable as it moves away from its sun. This story, and many of Martin's others, have a strong sense of melancholy. His characters are often unhappy, or at least unsatisfied - trying to stay idealistic in a ruthless world. Many have elements of tragic heroes in them. Reviewer T. M. Wagner writes, "Let it never be said Martin doesn't share Shakespeare's fondness for the senselessly tragic." This gloominess can be an obstacle for some readers. The Inchoatus Group writes, "If this absence of joy is going to trouble you, or you’re looking for something more affirming, then you should probably seek elsewhere."

([Source][1])


  [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_R._R._Martin