A Clash of Kings

A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2

By: George R.R. Martin

Narrated by: Roy Dotrice

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.

©1999 George R.R. Martin (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

Locus Award, 1999

"A truly epic fantasy.... The novel is notable particularly for the lived-in quality of its world, created through abundant detail...for the comparatively modest role of magic...and for its magnificent action-filled climax.... [Martin] provides a banquet for fantasy lovers with large appetites." (Publishers Weekly)

"Fans of epic fantasy should appreciate this lavishly detailed sequel to A Game of Thrones." (Library Journal)

"Dotrice's range of vocal tones, from gravelly and commanding to silkenly dangerous, creates a mood of insistence that holds the listener captive throughout the epic story." (AudioFile)

"Grabs hold and won't let go. It's brilliant." (Robert Jordan)

mixed emotions

While I have enjoyed the series immensely, I am periodically put off by Roy Dotrice's portrayals of some of the characters. He does many things so well including consistent and distinct voices for each character and keeping Tyrion and The King slayers voices different but similar (they are brothers). But often he portrays young people and women with voices that sound so unrealistic that I find it disturbing and distracting. Teenagers are often made to sound much older and most older characters sound toothless. I am about to try the fourth book in the series and hope that the narrator, who did Pillars of the Earth, is an improvement, though I suspect from the preview that some of the subtle tones of Dotrice will be sacrificed for more of a "reading" than a portrayal. Stay tuned.

great book, terrible narrator

Unfortunately, Roy Dotrice makes this book harder to follow than it needs to be. A great book. A horrible narrator. Audible, please get John Lee to read this book!

Unbelievable

Can I give this audio book 7 stars out of 5, or 8, 9 or 10? Only then would my reaction be accurately represented. The reader is awesome. If you listened to the first book, you'll get used to him quickly enough. It's funny but you can hear him trying to get used to himself. His accent of Tyrion's voice morphs throughout A Game of Thrones, developing into a sort of Scottish/Irish/Dwarfish? impishness that is perfection. After that you have to love this reader, and it is important, although the book's good enough to listen to even if it were read by someone as crappy as John Lee, poor chap, who picks up where Roy Dotrice leaves off in A Feast for Crows.
By the way, if you have succumbed to buying this book because of the inexorable disease-like symptomps of sudden onset A-Song-of-Ice-and-Fire addiction (or SOASoIaFA), fear not, it's pretty much the best plague ever.
George R. R. Martin has created something so thoroughly cramped with action and suspence that, given its volume, it is almost paradoxical. His world is palpable and vast. Characters of every kind will go to war, good against bad, ugly, and evil, all at once. And yet somehow, the next book gets even better. Read it. Or listen to it. Just go.

Great book, Great reader, but no ending to story

I really liked the book, The story is great and with the reader it makes a great combo. I found myself wishing it would never end, its too bad that it didnt. Like many other fantasy stories the book ends right in the middle of the story. After 36 short hours I was thinking something would be concluded. I would get it again but be prepared.

Well Written - Well Read

Like the one before this, it's absolutely fantastic. I've read all 3 titles currently available in this series and hearing them read is even better. Roy Dotrice takes an already wonderful story and makes it come alive with seperate voices for each and every character. Well written, well read. 5 stars 2 thumbs up and a double snap!

Well read and love the voice changes!!

When I read the Game of Thrones books I tended to daze off which is why I purchased the audiobooks. Roy Dotrice is an excellent reader and keeps the stories well paced and lively.
Anyone wanting to compare the voices to the show will be disappointed, but the books are so well read, you'll lose yourself easily.
Most enjoyable listens!!!

Masterfully Constructed, Yet Gruesome and Magical

This is the second book in the series and the second one I've read. I am amazed at how Mr. Martin ever kept all of the characters, lands, factions, families, symbols, castles, etc. straight in his head. He does a masterful job of weaving a story and his ability to write political intrigue is amazing. It's an investment to read one of these books -- all of the characters and twists and turns require a high degree of focus -- but it's worth it. Equally amazing is the narrator, who manages to narrate in a way that it makes it easy for the listener to keep the characters straight.

There is a caveman-like, primal aspect of several characters that I wish didn't receive as much in-depth description as it does -- there are some cringe-worthy scenes that I found hard to listen to. This book also relies on magic more than the first one did, which makes the limits unclear (if someone can magically come back to life, for example, how will I understand when an end is really an end?). If the focus on magic continues expanding, I wonder whether I will continue to like the rest of the series as much.

Stay with it

I won't add to all the other plaudits. I'll just say that if you're wondering what all the fuss is about Roy Dotrice, you just have to get through the first chapter. His reading starts off a bit stilted and by an unfortunate coincidence all the characters in chapter 1 are little old men who all sound the same. After chapter 1 he warms up and gets to show off his range, which is quite wonderful. Trust in Roy!

Enjoyed book two of GOT

This book filled in a lot of holes from the HBO show - which is also quite good.

Oustanding

The first book left me shocked by the way it ended. I just had to get the next one. Now I need to get them all. I had to watch the HBO series in order to get a better idea of who was who. So many names. Although the HBO series was good, the books as always are way better. I already have a couple of friends reading the series. George R Martin, your mind is amazing. Don't stop writing, we need more!