A CLASH OF KINGS

Second installment of Martin’s fantasy—A Song of Ice and Fire—following A Game of Thrones (1996), that enormous yarn about the strife-torn Seven Kingdoms and the various powerful families that aspire to rule them. The rewards are considerable: a backdrop of convincing depth and texture; intricate, flawless plotting; fully realized characters; and restrained, inventive magical/occult elements. The drawbacks, though, also loom large: non-self-contained entries; a cast of thousands, and, as a result, the impossibility of remembering, especially after the passage of more than two years, who’s who or what’s been going on. Martin declines to supply a recap or synopsis; the list of characters, itself 28 pages long, doesn’t help. Nonetheless, the inaugural volume was both admirable and eye-popping, so fans will certainly plunge right in. And since this one tips the scales at a gargantuan 896 pages, you can build up your biceps as you read.