From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge…

Wow. After I finished A Game of Thrones, all I could think about was getting my hands on Clash of Kings. Now that I’ve finished this volume…all I can think about is getting my hands on A Storm of Swords. Perhaps this time I should buy books 3 and 4 at the same time (holding out on Dance with Dragons in the hopes that by the time I’m ready to read it, it will perhaps be in paperback form). It did take me a little longer to get through this book than the last, and there were quite a few more slow

Wow. After I finished A Game of Thrones, all I could think about was getting my hands on Clash of Kings. Now that I’ve finished this volume…all I can think about is getting my hands on A Storm of Swords. Perhaps this time I should buy books 3 and 4 at the same time (holding out on Dance with Dragons in the hopes that by the time I’m ready to read it, it will perhaps be in paperback form). It did take me a little longer to get through this book than the last, and there were quite a few more slow sections. I had an extremely difficult time putting down A Game of Thrones, but there were a few times during this volume that I got a little bored and did a bit of skimming.

The plot is equally as complicated – the power struggle begin in A Game of Thrones continues here, only now the various factions are at war. Although Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, there are many others who believe they have claim to the seat and the title – both of Robert’s brothers (Stannis and Renly, who I really liked, which makes me mad!), Daenerys (who still might as well be in her own universe), Robb Stark (who is already named King in the North), Theon Greyjoy (who sucks…at everything) and Mance Rayder (a wildling from beyond The Wall). Obviously there’s a great deal more warfare in this novel – as the title suggests. I have to say, the battle scenes really did nothing for me. I was actually glad we only heard about Robb’s activities via Catelyn rather than seeing them firsthand. The whole battle with Stannis and the Lannisters and the fire and the boats…I just got lost. I think it would be thrilling on screen and I’d love to see what they do with that particular battle on the TV show, but on the page it just does nothing for me. I have a hard time forming a mental image of so much chaos.

Speaking of which, chaos was pretty much the name of the game this time around. There was really no point where I felt that any character was “safe” (in any sense of the word). Everyone was constantly in danger, in flux, no one was settled and secure. In some cases the flux is literal – Jon, Catelyn, Arya and Dany all do a fair amount of traveling. And though Sansa stays in one place, her position is never secure from day to day. I did like the addition of Dontos as her sort of get-a-grip friend. It’s nice to finally hear someone tell her that Joffrey and co are straight up nuts and aren’t just going to let her live her life in peace after everything the Starks have (allegedly) done to them. It pains me to see her continue to hold out hope that “everything will work out,” but it’s nice to see Dontos give her a smack of reality. Plus he’s gentle about it, being that he’s always drunk! Theon, on the other hand, could really do with a get-a-grip friend. He is equally as dimwitted as Sansa, and the man is terrible at everything. For God’s sake, he even hits on his own sister! That’s how bad he is at reading people! And in spite of mounting evidence to the contrary, he persists in believing that his actions are going to get him the power he wants. He’s like a petulant child, stomping his foot and insisting that he’s a prince, so people should obey him. I do love Asha though. I hope we get a chapter from her perspective in book 3.

While I liked the addition of some of the new characters (Davos in particular was interesting, since he allows us a peek inside Stannis’s operation, which has been a complete mystery), I did think there were too many to keep track of. Although I liked Davos, I kept forgetting who he was when I got to his chapters. I also could have done without quite so much from Bran – he didn’t get interesting until about halfway through, and even then I wasn’t super-invested in his wolf-dreams. It’s clear he’s destined to serve some greater purpose, but right now I’m having a hard time getting excited about further adventures from him. And even though I was so excited to see Dany again, her chapters mostly felt like a lot of wheel-spinning (although I need to go back and re-read the chapter about her visions because holy shit that was a lot of information at once). I will admit that Arya has finally grown on me, and though I still don’t love Sansa, as I already mentioned I like that she’s starting to understand that her fairy tale is not going to happen.

I think my favorite part of this narration style is the fact that the entire story of this massive power struggle is told not by the major players (Robb, Stannis, Joffrey, Mance, etc.) but by those on the fringes. We hear Stannis’s story through the eyes of Davos the Onion Knight, one of the least respected of his circle. Catelyn brings us Robb’s story, we learn about the Lannisters through Sansa and Tyrion (even though he’s the Hand, he’s as much on the outskirts as anyone). As a member of the Night’s Watch, Jon is literally on the outskirts of all the Seven Kingdoms society, but through him we’re learning what’s going on behind The Wall – and it’s clear that no one south of the Wall is prepared for what is about to happen. Theon only thinks he’s an actual contender for the throne, and his general lack of skills makes him an outcast as well…though you’d never know that from listening to him. Finally Dany, though she does have some claim on the throne, is arguably the biggest outcast of all, given that she’s still half a world away from the Kingdom she seeks to rule. I’m looking forward to the moment when she brings the dragons back to Westeros (given the titles, I’m worried we won’t see that happen until book 5).

Overall I love this series and I love this world. Even when I wasn’t super-interested in what was happening (battles or Bran’s adventures as Summer), I was always excited to pick up this book and return to Martin’s world. It’s so vivid and I've grown attached both to the world and the characters that inhabit it.