A Clash of Kings (2000)
Written By: George R.R. Martin
Narrated by: Roy Dotrice
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Length: 37 h 18 m (Audiobook)
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2
Publisher: Random House Audio via Audible
The premise:
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.
Spoilers Ahead!
Discussion: My Year of Thrones continues with Book 2 in the Song of Ice and Fire series: A Clash of Kings. I must begin by telling you that I listened to the unabridged Audible edition of the book.
I kind of wish I had switched up this Year of Thrones by starting with the books, then the TV series. I chose to start with the series and alternate this way because there are more seasons and it would alternate better that way over the months. It was also because it takes me two months to get through each book so I needed the time. I say this because I feel like the entire time I am reading the book, I am comparing it to what episode of the series that event happened in, or didn’t happen, rather than paying attention to the book as its own entity.
There was some deviation from the book in season 2 of the show, though I don’t believe those deviations are crucial to the main direction of the story.
Things I loved in the show (you can read all my thoughts on the second season here), such as Arya being Tywin Lannister’s cupbearer and developing her spying skills, or Tyrion making Shae Sansa’s chamber maid, made sense as I was watching it. Sure, it was all a bit convenient, but there are a limited number of episodes, and with all the murder and torture and rape, anything that makes life a little better for the main characters is a bit of relief.
They aren’t that way in the book, though. Arya never serves Tywin Lannister. His men capture her and Hotpie and Gendry, yes, and she is their servant. But it isn’t until Roose Bolton takes over Harrenhal that she becomes a cupbearer. Which makes way more sense than the way it was done in the show. Shae never works for Sansa. She ends up as the chamber maid to another girl in the Red Keep. Of course she would never work for Sansa. Cersei is far too attentive to Sansa and Cersei knowing about Shae is the last thing Tyrion wants.
In general, as should be expected, I like that more time is taken with each of the characters. I liked that Daenerys and her Khalessar spend some time in another city and debate staying there before moving on to Quarth. I liked that her storyline didn’t focus on the theft of the dragons. There was no theft of the dragons. She goes to the tower of the undying for advice, not as some sort of test of her character to find the dragons.
I liked the introduction of Jojon and Mira this early. Their arrival at a feast and their staying on to look after Bran works. (I’ve peeked ahead in the series and I know they come in later, and that makes sense for the show’s story, too). Though I did find the amount of time spent on Bran to be a bit tedious. Perhaps I missed the significance of it. Perhaps it will come into play later and I’ll understand.
As for Theon, I’m glad he’s captured, but I had thought that Bolton’s bastard had died earlier in the book, so I was a bit surprised to see him show up in the end. I’m sure I’m mistaken, and when I get my hands on a paper copy of the book, I’ll look it up. Or if you remember better than I do, from the book, please remind me. Because I remember thinking that if he was dead, who was going to capture Theon?
In conclusion: I only touched on a few of the most memorable points for me. There are a lot more characters and details that are not in the TV series, and whatever deviations may have occurred, the storylines generally ended up in the same place at the end. There are some things I chose not to comment on here, such as Sansa or Jon Snow, because I want to see how they play out a little more first.
They thought they killed Ramsay earlier in the book, and took his servant Reek prisoner, but actually Ramsay changed clothes with his servant and that’s the guy they killed. When Theon takes Winterfell and frees Reek from the dungeon and uses him as an advisor and stuff, that’s actually Ramsay.
Ah yes. Thank you!