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A Game of Thrones/A Clash of Kings | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: Spectra
Category: EBooks
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $6.39
You Save: $1.60 (20%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  1502 reviews
Sales Rank: 1501
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 864
ASIN: B000FBFMMU
Publication Date: January 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Readers of epic fantasy series are: (1) patient--they are left in suspense between each volume, (2) persistent--they reread or at least review the previous book(s) when a new installment comes out, (3) strong--these 700-page doorstoppers are heavy, and (4) mentally agile--they follow a host of characters through a myriad of subplots. In A Game of Thrones, the first book of a projected six, George R.R. Martin rewards readers with a vividly real world, well-drawn characters, complex but coherent plotting, and beautifully constructed prose, which Locus called "well above the norms of the genre." Martin's Seven Kingdoms resemble England during the Wars of the Roses, with the Stark and Lannister families standing in for the Yorks and Lancasters. The story of these two families and their struggle to control the Iron Throne dominates the foreground; in the background is a huge, ancient wall marking the northern border, beyond which barbarians, ice vampires, and direwolves menace the south as years-long winter advances. Abroad, a dragon princess lives among horse nomads and dreams of fiery reconquest. There is much bloodshed, cruelty, and death, but A Game of Thrones is nevertheless compelling; it garnered a Nebula nomination and won the 1996 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. So, on to A Clash of Kings! --Nona Vero
Product Description
2 eBooks in 1! George R. R. Martin, a writer of unsurpassed vision, power, and imagination, has created a landmark of fantasy fiction. Now his two epic works, A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings are combined together in this eBook edition. Sweeping from a harsh land of cold to a summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, A Game of Thrones tells a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards who come together in a time of grim omens. Here, an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal, a tribe of fierce wildings carry men off into madness, a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne, a child is lost in the twilight between life and death, and a determined woman undertakes a treacherous journey to protect all she holds dear. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, allies and enemies, the fate of the Starks hangs perilously in the balance, as each side endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones. In the eagerly awaited second volume in this epic saga, he once again proves himself a master myth-maker, setting a standard against which all other fantasy novels will be measured for years to come. Time is out of joint. The summer of peace and plenty, ten years long, is drawing to a close, and the harsh, chill winter approaches like an angry beast. Two great leaders--Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon--who held 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, as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms prepare to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky--a comet the color of blood and flame--six factions struggle for control of a divided land. Eddard's son Robb has declared himself King in the North. In the south, Joffrey, the heir apparent, rules in name only, victim of the scheming courtiers who teem over King's Landing. Robert's two brothers each seek their own dominion, while a disfavored house turns once more to conquest. And a continent away, an exiled queen, the Mother of Dragons, risks everything to lead her precious brood across a hard hot desert to win back the crown that is rightfully hers. A Clash of Kings transports us into a magnificent, forgotten land of revelry and revenge, wizardry and warfare. It is a tale in which maidens cavort with madmen, 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, the price of glory may be measured in blood. And the spoils of victory may just go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel ... and the coldest hearts. For when rulers clash, all of the land feels the tremors. Audacious, inventive, brilliantly imagined, A Clash of Kings is a novel of dazzling beauty and boundless enchantment--a tale of pure excitement you will never forget.
Download Description
A Game of Thrones is a contemporary masterpiece of fantasy. The cold is returning to Winterfell, where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime. A time of conflict has arisen in the Stark family, as they are pulled from the safety of their home into a whirlpool of tragedy, betrayal, assassination, plots and counterplots. Each decision and action carries with it the potential for conflict as several prominent families, comprised of lords, ladies, soldiers, sorcerers, assassins and bastards, are pulled together in the most deadly game of all -- the game of thrones.
"George Martin is assuredly a new master craftsman in the guild of heroic fantasy."
KATHERINE KERR "The keen and complex human characters and the convincing force of their surroundings operate as magic...setting George R. R. Martin's first fantasy epic well above the norms of the genre."
LOCUS "Offers the rich tapestry that the very best fantasy demands...few created worlds are as imaginative and diverse."
JANNY WURTS "A vast, rich saga, with splendid characters and an intricate plot flawlessly articulated against a backdrop of real depth and texture."
KIRKUS REVIEWS "A dazzling fantasy adventure... with a great cast of characters that weave a tapestry of court intrigue, skullduggery, vicious betrayal and greathearted sacrifice."
JULIAN MAY "A colorful, majestic tapestry of characters, action and plot that deserves a spot on any reader's wall."
ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1497 more reviews...
 Love This Book! (note for Kindle owners) August 18, 2008
I'm not going to go too deeply into a review. There are 1500+ reviews already to give you a feel for the book.
FOR KINDLE READERS
One thing that I thought I should point out since it was a little confusing for me - this version 'A Game of Thrones/A Clash of Kings' is a release of the 1st two books in the series. The page count in the product description (800 +/-) is wrong or at least misleading. It's really 1800 or so pages.
Also, at the end of the first book (around segment 14000 in the kindle) there is a 'cheat sheet' with the main characters broken down by their families. I would like to have known that before I hit the page after I had finished the book. Sorry I don't have the exact location, but maybe there's a way to track it down through the table of contents.
 Arrived Late To This Party August 14, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The problem with George RR Martin's A Game of Thrones is that it is a good book. No, that's not a typo- the problem with this book is that it is genuinely different from most fantasy offerings, highly entertaining, and well developed. Of course with such achievements comes praise, hype, and hoopla. Before long the hype actually surpasses the book's merits and expectations going in are so high that no book, regardless of how good it really is, can measure up.
And that pretty much summarizes my own foray into The Song of Ice and Fire saga. 12 years and 1,500 reviews late, I've finally begun my tour of the series by ordering and reading A Game Of Thrones. With so much praise that's been heaped upon the story (and the series in general) throughout the years, my expectations were understandably high. Even still I found the first book to be enjoyable, entertaining, and definitely worthy of the attention it receives.
To begin, Bantam Spectra is only partially correct in labeling this book Fantasy. The truth of the matter is that the prose is easily as much a study in drama (and oftentimes borders on historical) as it is a fantasy effort. Sure there is mention of some mythological races, a few undead corpses, and even some baby dragons in the mix, however GRRM does not present this work in the fashion so commonly associated with the genera.
It is well documented that GRRM takes the approach of telling his tale by breaking it into chapters each focusing on a specific character somehow entwined in the greater whole. In my opinion, doing so created a double-edged sword (no pun intended). On the one hand the massive and character-riddled plot feels more personal and the different viewpoints showcase Martin's ability as a master storyteller. After all, he manages to convincingly depict an 8-year-old cripple just as well as a young woman's (oft brutal) sexual encounters. There's no question interweaving a story in this fashion is a testament of skill and confidence on the author's behalf. On the other hand, some characters just click better than others. I personally found Tyrion to be very interesting as well as Eddard Stark but they are merely a small sample of the greater whole that is the cast of A Song of Ice and Fire. As a result, readers will often find themselves slogging through chapters that deal only with lesser-liked (or hardly relevant) characters in effort to return to the story arc they are most interested in. I should note that this criticism seems to be more prevalent in the later books than this particular entry.
Overall, I found the general consensus of this book to be pretty spot-on. While I realize that being one of 1500 reviews, its unlikely my opinion will have much impact, but I did want to share my take on account of the fact that I am a fervent reader of fantasy fiction who, like many others, grew tired of the same formulaic plots that seem so common in most fantasy these days. The line between good and evil is blurred in Martin's series so effectively that it doesn't take long to start to sympathize with the goals and aspirations of each of the groups involved. I'm deeper into the series at the time of this review's writing and sometimes I still get the overwhelming feeling that perhaps I'm rooting for the wrong side!
Considering the level of expectation that the positive reviews of the past 12 years have generated, I was sure I would be let down. Yet GRRM delivered and now I too have become a member of the hordes eagerly awaiting the release of A Dance With Dragons.
Hard to follow all the plot threads, but brilliant writing August 11, 2008
Many years ago, when this book first came out I tried to read it and was unable to get very far. Far too many characters, far too many viewpoints, far too many plotlines...I just got lost.
Just recently, desperate for something new to read in the speculative realm, I decided to give Mr. Martin another shot. Same problem, too many characters. But this time I was willing to work at it. I kept a notebook with a one-line notation about each character who seemed to be slated for significance in one of the many plot threads. By the end of the book I had two pages of them, but it was working, by gosh. Each time the author swapped me out of one head and into another, I could go back and refer to my notes and figure out whose head I was in, what they were up to, and who all these other people were.
Once I managed to keep the characters all straight, I realized that George was a bloody brilliant writer. His characters are fascinating and well constructed, both male and female. His plots are fast and evenly paced. His conflicts keep you on the edge of your seat. His descriptions are vivid and bold, and he's not afraid to let the bad happen with the good.
One of the things I particularly appreciate about his writing is the way he doesn't dwell for too long on a conflict or a villain. I've read stories where the villain goes on and on and on until you are so sick of his sneering face that when he is actually killed it's a relief, not a triumph, and it leaves you feeling rather peeved with the whole story. Not the case with Martin. He introduces you to a deliciously irritating character, and then (usually) kills them off before the end of the book. Same with his conflicts; he drags his characters into terrible peril, and then cleverly whisks them out after a few chapters, dragging them into another conflict in the process.
Reading Martin's books is a lot like riding a storm in a fleet of ships. Every time one of them goes down you are rescued by another. It's a bit awkward to get used to; you feel as if you are straddling several decks at the same time, but you always know that there's no shortage of new boats to replace the old.
Wait for the last 3 books to come out August 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Excellent book. The first four are out as of now. 1 2 3 are great. 4 is lacking. I would wait till they are all out and you can go through them back to back. I don't want to re read them all when the next ones come out, but im afraid the won't be fresh enough in my mind for me to truly enjoy all the details when I have to wait a few years between books. Great series but definitely wait till theyre all written.
Great Fantasy Series...here's why August 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
1. Don't mistake George Martin's series for another Tolkien rewrite or Robert Jordan's neverending "Eye of the World" saga. There are classic historic elements appearing in this series written in an adult fashion (some sexual reference, some violence) but it is never gratuitous. Martin deserves high praise for this balance.
2. The plot is woven in a style that reminds me of the "Dark Shadows" soap run so many years ago on television. It is atypical in that nothing is cut and dried and you may find yourself rereading parts of this book as you advance through the chapters. Plots thicken and questions arise in your mind as you bounce subplot off of subplot. Very entertaining and, yes, you WILL find it hard to stop once you get into the book.
3. There is a tendency to find yourself identifying with more than one of Martin's characters simultaneously. Then, you may find yourself falling out with a hero turned villain, then re-identify again in the later chapters, or the next volume. Its a heck of a ride, folks. The reason for all these changes has to do with good and bad, but not in the classic sense. That's right. I'm talking about incest, cannibalism, and worse. It's fun and heady, despite the occasional darkness.
4. I mentioned Tolkien, but really, this series is more of a fantasy Sharpe's series, a la Bernard Cornwall. This series reads more like historical fiction than pure fantasy...which is why I found myself intrigued with the medieval characters and settings.
5. The books of the "Song of fire and Ice" series are long. Good. I read all of these on long airplane flights. I don't like short epics. And, folks, I'm referring to all the books of this series. After all, why just start with the first book if you don't intend to read the entire series? Unfortunately, the series is NOT COMPLETE. I didn't realize this until I was near the end of the last volume. The final(?)book,"A Dance with Dragons" will be available at the end of September, 2008.
6. I highly recommend this series. There is no instant gratification. You've got to get into this book and begin exploring. But you won't be sorry. This is certainly one of the best fantasy epics out there I've ever read. I just wish the next book was already here!!!
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