Entertaining the Alien

39. A Clash of Kings, George R. R. Martin

In many ways, this book surprised me more than the first, although the first had several plot twists and reversals that left me slapping my forehead or gritting my teeth. As much as anything, I love the way Martin's characters are all uniquely human, whether hero or villain. Nobody is purely black and white. There are "villains" we sympathize with, "heroes" who are capable of seemingly heartless acts and words. Martin manages this without really creating an anti-hero or totally sinking into a gray area without clear protagonists or antagonists. It's just that his heroes are flawed and his villains have redeemable qualities. It sounds simple, but it's hard as hell to pull off--and pull it off he does.

I started reading book 3, A Storm of Swords, today. When does book 4 come out again? :)