A Clash of Kings: The bestselling classic epic fantasy series behind the award-winning HBO and Sky TV show and phenomenon GAME OF THRONES: Book 2 (A Song of Ice and Fire)

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A Dance with Dragons (2011) – Locus Award winner, [156] Hugo Award [157] and World Fantasy Award nominee, 2012 [158]

The books are divided into chapters, each one narrated in the third person limited through the eyes of a point of view character, [51] an approach Martin learned himself as a young journalism student. [107] Beginning with nine POV characters in A Game of Thrones, the number of POV characters grows to a total of 31 in A Dance with Dragons (see table). The short-lived one-time POV characters are mostly restricted to the prologues and epilogues. [38] David Orr of The New York Times noted the story importance of "the Starks (good guys), the Targaryens (at least one good guy, or girl), the Lannisters (conniving), the Greyjoys (mostly conniving), the Baratheons (mixed bag), the Tyrells (unclear), and the Martells (ditto), most of whom are feverishly endeavoring to advance their ambitions and ruin their enemies, preferably unto death". [108] However, as Time 's Lev Grossman noted, readers "experience the struggle for Westeros from all sides at once", such that "every fight is both triumph and tragedy [...] and everybody is both hero and villain at the same time". [109] According to Martin, the fantasy genre rarely focuses on sex and sexuality, [38] instead often treating sexuality in a juvenile way or neglecting it completely. [84] Martin, however, considers sexuality an important driving force in human life that should not be excluded from the narrative. [123] Providing sensory detail for an immersive experience is more important than plot advancement for Martin, [22] who aims to let the readers experience the novels' sex scenes, "whether it's a great transcendent, exciting, mind blowing sex, or whether it's disturbing, twisted, dark sex, or disappointing perfunctory sex." [123] Martin was fascinated by medieval contrasts where knights venerated their ladies with poems and wore their favors in tournaments while their armies mindlessly raped women in wartime. [38] The non-existent concept of adolescence in the Middle Ages served as a model for Daenerys' sexual activity at the age of 13 in the books. [112] The novels also allude to the incestuous practices in the Ptolemaic dynasty of Ancient Egypt to keep their bloodlines pure. [124] Kain, Erik (April 30, 2012). " 'Game of Thrones' Sails into Darker Waters With 'Ghost of Harrenhal' ". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013 . Retrieved May 2, 2012. A common theme in the fantasy genre is the battle between good and evil, [87] which Martin rejects for not mirroring the real world. [33] Attracted to gray characters, [122] Martin instead endorses William Faulkner's view that only the human heart in conflict with itself was worth writing about. [87] Martin explores the questions of redemption and character change in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. [123] The multiple viewpoint structure allows characters to be explored from many sides, such that the supposed villains can provide their viewpoint. [90] [44]FIRE & BLOOD: On The Way– Not a Blog". georgerrmartin.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018 . Retrieved April 25, 2018. a b c d e Martin, George R. R. (June 27, 2010). "Dancing in Circles". grrm.livejournal.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012 . Retrieved February 4, 2012. Martin experienced some harsh winters when living in Dubuque a few years in the 1970s, and suspects these winters had an influence on his writing; "I think a lot of the stuff in A Game of Thrones, the snow and ice and freezing, comes from my memories of Dubuque". [31] a b c d "Fiction review: A Game of Thrones". Publishers Weekly. July 29, 1996. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012 . Retrieved February 13, 2012. Martin, George R. R. (October 6, 2009). "Not A Blog: Dance, Dance, Dance". GRRM.Livejournal.com (Author's LiveJournal blog). Archived from the original on December 28, 2009 . Retrieved March 4, 2010.

A Clash of Kings depicts the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros in civil war, while the Night's Watch mounts a reconnaissance to investigate the mysterious people known as wildlings. Meanwhile, Daenerys Targaryen continues her plan to conquer the Seven Kingdoms. a b c d e f g "2001 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25 . Retrieved 2009-07-25. Football, Fire, and Other Stuff | Not a Blog". Archived from the original on November 7, 2018 . Retrieved March 8, 2019.Tyrion Lannister, a dwarf, brother of the twins Queen Cersei and Jaime, son of Lord Tywin Lannister. Elavsky, Cindy (January 19, 2014). "Celebrity Extra". King Features. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017 . Retrieved April 22, 2014.

Martin, George R. R. (February 2, 2021). "Reflections on a Bad Year". Not a Blog. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021 . Retrieved February 27, 2021. a b c d e f g h i j k Brown, Rachael (July 11, 2011). "George R.R. Martin on Sex, Fantasy, and A Dance With Dragons". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012 . Retrieved February 2, 2012. a b Martin, George R. R. (July 31, 2010). "Dancing". grrm.livejournal.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012 . Retrieved February 4, 2012.A Storm of Swords won the 2001 Locus Award, [2] the 2002 Geffen Award for Best Novel and was nominated for the 2001 Nebula Award for Best Novel. [2] It was the first novel in the series to be nominated for the Hugo Award, one of the two most prestigious awards in science fiction and fantasy publishing, although it lost to J. K. Rowling's novel Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. [2] [3] Dutch: One volume, Luithing Fantasy (1999): hardcover: De Strijd der Koningen ("The Clash of Kings") a b c d e f Flood, Alison (April 13, 2011). "George RR Martin: Barbarians at the gate". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012 . Retrieved January 21, 2012.

Norwegian: Two volumes, Vendetta (2013): "Stål og snø: en sang om is og ild, bok 3, del 1", "Blod og Gull: en sang om is og ild, bok 3, del 2" ("Steel and Snow: A Song of Ice and Fire, book 3, part 1, Blood and Gold: A Song of Ice and Fire, book 3, part 2)" Kepler, Adam W. (January 1, 2012). " 'Game of Thrones' Treat". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015 . Retrieved January 2, 2012.Ned investigates Jon Arryn's death and eventually discovers that Robert's legal heirs, including Joffrey, are in fact Cersei's children by Jaime, and that Jon Arryn was killed to conceal his discovery of their incest. Ned offers Cersei a chance to flee before he informs Robert, but she uses this chance to arrange Robert's death in a hunting accident and install Joffrey on the throne. Ned prepares to send his daughters away from King's Landing and enlists Littlefinger's help to challenge Joffrey's claim; but Littlefinger betrays him, resulting in Ned's arrest. Arya escapes the castle, but Sansa is taken hostage by the Lannisters. A Storm of Swords (2000) – Locus Award winner, [149] Hugo Award [152] and Nebula Awards nominee, 2001 [153]