A Clash of Kings

When people ask me what books I reach for, I tend to say, “Oooh, fast-paced thrillers that throw you right into the deep end,” so it may be surprising to some (and, let’s be honest… myself!) that I’ve just finished the second book in the Game of Thrones series, A Clash of Kings.

For context, I didn’t watch the show as it was airing (I wasn’t entirely under a rock though; I did know of it and admittedly wondered what all the hype was about!) and only watched the first series last year.

But these books? I said it after I read Game of Thrones, and I’ll say it again: George R.R. Martin’s work is truly fantasy at its very, very best.

Dark, beautifully written, with the best characterisation I’ve ever read; moving, settings you can picture with remarkable ease; villains, monsters, conflict… need I go on?

This is 900-odd pages of fantasy excellence. I couldn’t put it down and found myself unbelievably absorbed in the trials and tribulations of the story. Just fantastic.

The third one is even longer, and the story has already gone deeper than I ever prepared for, so I am so excited to get round to it… just don’t ask me when!