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Overall Summary
A Clash of Kings is the second book in a series by George R.R. Martin, which was published in 1998 and won many awards for its epic fantasy saga. In this book, rival factions try to claim control of the Iron Throne after peacekeepers die at war, just as they did in the first novel of the series. Although critics have praised it for its great storytelling and characters, some say that it’s not as good or compelling as Game of Thrones (the television adaptation).
The book begins where the first book, A Game of Thrones, ends. Daenerys Targaryen wants to claim the Iron Throne and rule over Westeros. However, few people care about her because a civil war threatens to tear apart all of Westeros.
King Robert Baratheon is dead, and his three sons are fighting for the throne. Stannis declares himself king with Melisandre’s support, but Renly doesn’t want to wait for it. He plans to steal the throne from Stannis. However, Stannis’ men hear rumors that Renly is planning a coup d’état. In retaliation, he has Renly executed in secret. Joffrey is too young to challenge him yet, so he decides to become king one day by killing all of his brothers.
Meanwhile, the north is fighting its own battles. They choose Robb Stark as their king. At the same time, another man claims part of the north and goes to war with King Robb. The people in the north don’t ask for help from anyone else because they want to handle their own problems without outside interference.
Meanwhile, Cersei Lannister takes matters in the south. She appoints her brother Tyrion as an advisor and promotes him to Hand of the King. He arranges marriages between powerful families to secure alliances for the Iron Throne. These families now ally with the Lannisters to protect the Iron Throne forever.
In the north, Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell. He pretends to have killed two Starks, who are Bran and Rickon. The Starks loyalists want their castle back from him and seek revenge for the murders of their family members. It is unclear who rules Winterfell at first.
The Starks know that to preserve their family and serve the North’s interests, they must escape. Rickon goes in one direction while Bran and his servant flee further north. Robb holds the line in Winterfell for a while before drawing the Lannisters into numerous battles. He wins these battles and rallies other people to his cause. Robb’s sister, Arya, poses as a boy and learns how to fight like a man so she can be strong enough to protect herself from anyone who tries to hurt her or her family again.
At the same time, across the sea, Daenerys makes some moves. She has three baby dragons at her disposal and a formidable group of loyal followers who will do anything for her. She plans to use these dragons to convince others to follow her and support her claim. The problem is that when she shows other people the dragons, they want to keep them instead of supporting Daenerys’s claim. So, in order for Daenerys not lose control over this situation she kills those who try to take away from her what is rightfully hers (her dragons). Her notorious reputation convinces others to rally behind her even if it means that they’re doing so out of fear rather than love or respect towards their queen.
While the Starks are busy in Winterfell, there is trouble brewing beyond their walls. The wildlings attack and Jon Snow leads the fight against them. He’s a good fighter and he has many supporters who think he would make a great king.
Jon Snow, who is a member of the Night’s Watch, must defend Winterfell from an army that will soon reach it. A dangerous king with supernatural allies plans to attack Winterfell and take over Westeros.
