A clash of kings

A Clash of Kings is an epic fantasy novel by George R.R. Martin. First published in 1998, it is the second book in the award-winning series, A Song of Ice and Fire. In the book, rival factions struggle to claim control of the Iron Throne now that the kingdom’s peacekeeping rulers are dead. Critics claim that the series is one of the best fantasy sagas ever written. The book begins where the first book, A Game of Thrones, ends; Daenerys Targaryen wants to claim the Iron Throne. Whoever sits on the Iron Throne rules the entire kingdom of Westeros and its seven individual kingdoms. In Westeros, however, few people care about Daenerys, because a civil war threatens to tear the whole kingdom apart. The rightful king, Robert Baratheon, has recently died, leaving the Iron Throne vacant. Now, his sons, Joffrey, Renly, and Stannis, are fighting to claim it. With the support of the high priestess Melisandre, Stannis declares himself king. He makes Renly is his heir, but Renly doesn’t want to wait for the throne. He wants it now.