A Clash of Kings

A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2

By: George R.R. Martin

Narrated by: Roy Dotrice

Length: 37 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.

It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

©1999 George R.R. Martin (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

Locus Award, 1999

"A truly epic fantasy.... The novel is notable particularly for the lived-in quality of its world, created through abundant detail...for the comparatively modest role of magic...and for its magnificent action-filled climax.... [Martin] provides a banquet for fantasy lovers with large appetites." (Publishers Weekly)

"Fans of epic fantasy should appreciate this lavishly detailed sequel to A Game of Thrones." (Library Journal)

"Dotrice's range of vocal tones, from gravelly and commanding to silkenly dangerous, creates a mood of insistence that holds the listener captive throughout the epic story." (AudioFile)

"Grabs hold and won't let go. It's brilliant." (Robert Jordan)

Interesting and Entertaining

What did you love best about A Clash of Kings?

The author has a wild and vivid imagination

What does Roy Dotrice bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent narration! gives each character a voice, great accents and speech befitting the times.

A Clash of Kings

If you could sum up A Clash of Kings in three words, what would they be?

A little lacking.

What other book might you compare A Clash of Kings to and why?

No real comparison to other books, just compared to the first and third of this series, I got a little distracted with some of the detail. I like detail but it just didn't flow as well in this one.

Have you listened to any of Roy Dotrice’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of his performances before. As a narrator I do not like Dotrice at all, however these books are so well written, which in my opinion is Dotrice's salvation in this series.
I do not think his voice range for different characters has enough contrast. Many of the characters sound so alike it can be a bit confusing.

Amazing

I love these books. they are amazing to listen to when you are at work or on vacation. 10/10

So far so good!

So far the story is enthralling and Roy is doing awesome with the voice acting! I am happy to notice that the books are way better than the series.

Great voice, great quality, great story

Although I did notice a few skips and there were a few places where I did not notice that the book had gone to a new chapter, like some other reviews I've read. These could (and probably were, my own fault) 10/10 will defiantly listen too again.

loved it!!

thank you so much. I really enjoied listening to this book. on to book 3!

the book series that keeps on giving

good book. good story. way better than the show and now I don't know what else to write since I have to write 15 words or more

A great story but I couldn;t enjoy the narrator

Would you listen to another book narrated by Roy Dotrice?

no.

Any additional comments?

I didn't like the narrator who gave everyone the same voice and was constantly mispronouncing names, such as petyr baelish and brienne of tarth. (BRY-EEN AND PA-TIRE, ugh) perhaps it is just me, but i find i cannot stand it.I could not stand the way he voiced my favorite character Tyrion either.

Let the good storytelling continue

What did you like best about this story?

Oh, what a twisted yet intricate tale George R. R. Martin weaves. You must listen to book one first, otherwise it won't make sense.

Which character – as performed by Roy Dotrice – was your favorite?

All of them.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is too long to listen to in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

Due to apparent Audible technical limitations, each chapter is approximately 45 minutes long, and does not match up to each character point-of-view. This makes it hard if you want to listen to a character point of view all over again.

Awesome, and so well read!

Where does A Clash of Kings rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'm loving Roy Dotrice so much I bought all the other audiobooks in this series, his voices and his variations of the characters are incredible.

What other book might you compare A Clash of Kings to and why?

This was a random choosing of the entire Game of Thrones series.

Which scene was your favorite?

The last chapter when the boys separate, Bran and Rickon

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

There is a show on HBO :)

Any additional comments?

None, besides the fact that I will be looking into other narrations by Roy Dotrice.