2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, the second book in A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Pages: 969 pages

Length: 2 Months (July & August)

Participants: bailey, Lorraine, Allie, Marleen, Jessica, Dominique, Nate , Darlene, Rebecca, Caterina.

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.


Happy Buddy Reading!

Wow great group! I look forward reading A clash of Kings for the third time with all of you! Will be fun! I intend to start next week around June 30th.

I finished this book in early June (during the Readathon) but would love to join in the discussion!

I will be joining you in reading “A Storm of Swords” with you in September 😉

I'm not going to be able to this one like I was hoping I wasn't able to finish the first one as my family had something come up. I used to be able to read faster and could easily catch up but lately I just seem so busy and unable to read as fast as I used to.

Hi everyone 👋 I'm excited to join!

Hi guys!

I'd like to join your buddy read. This has been on my TBR for over three years now and I would love to read it even though it's really a gigantic book.

Looking forward to finally reading this! I read book 1 almost a year a ago and enjoyed it a lot. Not the fastest series reader clearly 😅

I can't wait to get started on this read you guys!

I am at 50% of the book. I will slow down to wait for other people to start reading it. Looking forward reading everyone comments.

I have to say that even though it is my third reading, I still think this book is just perfect!

I am about 100 pages in. I read these books a while back, but it's been long enough that I remember the show better.

The thing that struck me when rereading the first book was how young some of the characters are. Daenerys was 13 at the start of the books. In this book, Joffrey is king at 13. And Robb is 16 and commanding an army. They're all so young!

Starting this today!

Caterina wrote: "I am about 100 pages in. I read these books a while back, but it's been long enough that I remember the show better.

The thing that struck me when rereading the first book was how young some of t..."

So true! Something to remember when judging their choices. Especially Arya choices (view spoiler)[ of who get kills by Jagen H’Garr<\spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

I just started this today! So far, so good IMO.

Through ch 3 (Tyrion): (view spoiler)[ I LOVE Tyrion! He’s so funny and I afraid to upset his sister, who I despise. Hopefully he’ll be able to do some damage to Cersei and Joff’s reign 🤞 (hide spoiler)]

Finished the book. Another great one.

(view spoiler)[ A lot of things happening to Arya. For a little girl she's tough! I was happy that even thought some knew she was a girl, they didn't rat her out. I wonder if in the next one she'll get home and use the coin. Sansa, in the first book the way that she acted was like she was in a dream and she would become a princess, in this one I felt sorry and afraid for her. The way Joffrey punished her with the beatings and the disrobing in front of people was just plain cruel. Was happy when Joffrey slapped him. For a cruel boy, the sight of blood made him cry for his mommy in front of everyone.
Found that it took awhile for Jamie to make his appearance in the book and actually told Catelyn that he was in fact the father/uncle of all the kids of Cersei. Never watched the show so I don't know what it happen in book 3.
Theon, what an ass, his sister got all the brains in the family. Happy that Bran and Rickon got away but were separated
Love Dany and her dragons, I wonder if she's going to end up with someone and what will happen when the dragons get bigger (hide spoiler)]

Can't wait for book 3!

This has been moved to the August Buddy Reads folder! (a bit early)

I am currently about 25% and working my way through this verrrry slowly. But having a good time!

Some random thoughts so far:
(view spoiler)[It’s funny how every religious or political side is interpreting the comet as in their favor….
I like how many of our POVs are traveling, and all through very different types of landscape/nature.
Arya is still awesome.
I am sad the Stannis’ maester died so soon, I liked his character.
The stuff on the other side of the Wall is creepy and I love it.
(hide spoiler)]

bailey wrote: "I just started this today! So far, so good IMO.

Through ch 3 (Tyrion): [spoilers removed]"

I am curious to know where you're at in the book and (view spoiler)[ if your opinion of Tyrion is still the same after chapter 44... (hide spoiler)]

Arya is one of my favorite characters in the book. She goes trough so many things while being so young! As I have read book 3 a few years ago, I do not want to say too much but let`s just say both sisters are characters that will evolve.
But remember, (view spoiler)[ this is Games of Thrones…so be careful not to get too attached to anyone…they might not make it to the next book! 😊 (hide spoiler)]

So glad this has been moved to August, because I'm not sure I can finish by the end of the month. Thank you, SarahKat!

Lorraine- Do you happen to know the pages for chapter 44? I have the mass market paperback, which doesn't show any chapter numbers.

Arya is also my favorite! In the books and the show! (view spoiler)[However, I did not like her fate in the show and I hope the books give her the ending she deserves... if those last books ever get written. (hide spoiler)]

Caterina wrote: "So glad this has been moved to August, because I'm not sure I can finish by the end of the month. Thank you, SarahKat!

Lorraine- Do you happen to know the pages for chapter 44? I have the mass mar..."

I have an electronic from the library so Chapter 44 would be from page 822 to 1372 depending on how big the letters are. But try this: that would be the tenth chapter with Tyrion as the main character. The chapter starts with …The Queen intends to send Prince Tommen away…

I also have mixed feelings about the ending in the show for Arya and Sansa. I hope George Martin will do a better job in his books. From his blog I understand that he is actually working on the sixth book…but hey…I’ll believe when I see it on sale!

Lorraine wrote: "bailey wrote: "I just started this today! So far, so good IMO.

Through ch 3 (Tyrion): [spoilers removed]"

I am curious to know where you're at in the book and [spoilers removed]"

I'm not quite to that chapter yet, I think I have one more Tyrion chapter between now and 44. But I'll definitely update you once I finish it!

Lorraine wrote: "Caterina wrote: "So glad this has been moved to August, because I'm not sure I can finish by the end of the month. Thank you, SarahKat!

Lorraine- Do you happen to know the pages for chapter 44? I ..."

It looks like that chapter is page 634 in the mass market paperback. I'm not there yet, but whatever Tyrion did, if he's trolling Cersei, I'm on his side. He's another one of my favorite characters.

As for Martin finishing this series, I have little hope. Book 5 came out in 2011... which was 11 years ago 😩 I feel like he's done / enjoying his retirement and fame. But for the sake of the fandom, he should hire a ghostwriter and give us those last two books!

Caterina wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "Caterina wrote: "So glad this has been moved to August, because I'm not sure I can finish by the end of the month. Thank you, SarahKat!

Lorraine- Do you happen to know the pages f..."

I agree. He promised not to do a 'Robert Jordan' of himself but if he is not going to finish the book, he should hired somebody NOW!

I finished this today. I've watched the tv-series and I can just see all the scenes live when I read it. The plot is intricately woven and detailed with a plethora of characters, many of whom have similar names. The character list in the end took me an hour to read through.
And yes, most of the characters are so very young. I can't even pick a favorite, they all feel so real to me.

Almost done. I'm loving all the intrigue and political maneuvering in this book.

Lorraine, I made it ch. 44 and I have some questions: (view spoiler)[What are you referring to when it comes to Tyrion? The fact that he plots to kidnap Tommen or that he slaps Shae? Or something else? (hide spoiler)]

Caterina wrote: "Almost done. I'm loving all the intrigue and political maneuvering in this book.

Lorraine, I made it ch. 44 and I have some questions: [spoilers removed]"

[ Because of this: To drive the lesson home, Lord Tywin gave my wife to a barracks of his guardsmen to use as they pleased, and commanded me to watch.” And to take her one last time, after the rest were done. One last time, with no trace of love or tenderness remaining. “So you will remember her as she truly is,” he said, and I should have defied him, but my cock betrayed me, and I did as I was bid.
Cannot like a man who raped his wife because his 'cock' betrayed him . How can he find exciting the fact that she was raped by 20 men before him?
I have to admit though, that I reacted to this part only in my third reading of the book. The first 2 times it's like I did not see this. Probably because like many I liked Tyrion. Now not so much. (hide spoiler)]

Finally got finished with the book yesterday. I enjoyed a whole lot about this book, they wide range of characters, the plans characters have slowly growing and finally coming to light. My main gripe: Tyrion has way too many chapters. He's a very good character that had a lot of things to do, but holy cow, George could have given a couple more chapters to Dany or Jon.

(view spoiler)[ I'm sad to have seen Renly go so fast, he really pissed Stannis off. I would have really like to see more of Robb's battles and campaigns through the Westlands, rather than hearing about his triumphs through other people telling Cat. This book brought me a bit more appreciation for the Tully's, with Edmure and the Blackfish. And for the last of my many thoughts on the book; I knew that there was something wrong with Reek, and now so does Theon. (hide spoiler)]

Lorraine wrote: "Caterina wrote: "Almost done. I'm loving all the intrigue and political maneuvering in this book.

Lorraine, I made it ch. 44 and I have some questions: [spoilers removed]"

[ Because of this: To d..."

Thanks for pointing this out; I missed it when I read that chapter. It may also be that I skipped it on purpose; there are so many violent scenes that I end up skimming some of those paragraphs.

Do I think differently Tyrion? Yikes... yes. To an extent, many of these characters (even the good ones) are vying for power and will do almost anything to get it. Tyrion does several bad things in this book. (view spoiler)[He raped his wife and likely abandoned her. He hits Shae, endangers Alayaya, and then lets her be beaten in front of him. To be fair, these are actions of someone trying to survive in a ruthless world, but he doesn't come across particularly well. (hide spoiler)] In my opinion, Tyrion is more likeable in the show than he was in this book.

This brings me to Jaime. (view spoiler)[In the first book, Jaime is the Kingslayer, who tried to kill a kid and is in an incestuous relationship with his sister. In this book, he talks about Cersei and how she's the only woman he's been with. For the men of this series, that seems like surprising loyalty. (hide spoiler)]

Caterina wrote: "Lorraine wrote: "Caterina wrote: "Almost done. I'm loving all the intrigue and political maneuvering in this book.

Lorraine, I made it ch. 44 and I have some questions: [spoilers removed]"

[ Beca..."

I like your comments about Jaime. It is true that he is very loyal to his sister. I like that all characters have a good and a bad side. That makes them more human. I look forward starting book 3.

Hi All...sorry I have been absent on this Buddy Read! I finished this book in early June and have thoughts written down but just haven't posted them on the thread ;) I will definitely be reading along with all of you starting with A Storm of Swords in September!

Here are some of my thoughts/responses for this book:
(view spoiler)[
First of all, like all of you,I am struck by the young age of most of the characters! This certainly doesn't match with the pictures that I have in my mind as I read along of the characters from the TV series...and of course, the TV series could NOT have the characters be as young as they are in the books! @Heli...I am seeing everyone from the TV show in my head as I read too! ;)

@Marleen...I agree with your thoughts about the comet (everyone viewing it as part of their political views)! Comets are seen as harbingers of change/chaos and it is interesting that everyone embraces this comet as part of their destiny. I wonder if the comet's meaning will change in the eyes of the characters as the series goes on?

@Nate...the character Reek in the book really confused me because I always thought of Theo was the only "Reek" because of the TV series! But the books have a whole background of "Reek" with him being a servant of Ramsey originally....I had to google this and there is a "wiki of Fire and Ice" that explains the whole "Reek" background! That helped with my reading a lot ;)

I think this book was heavily focussed on Tyrion and Arya with Jon, Davos and Caitlyn having a share of the attention and almost no point of view from Jamie or Cersei directly. I think in future books that changes with other people getting their points of view heard and ones from this book moving into the background...I guess we will see with reading the next book in the series ;)

My thoughts on characters:
--Tyrion...one of my favorites!! Although, yes, he along with most of the other characters, have good and bad in them! I think that Tyrion skews mostly on the good side, however, and I love every time he try to foil Cersei's plans.
--Arya...another of my favorites! The storyline of Jaqen and Arrya is one I look forward to following!
--Stannis...he is a whole lot more sour in the book than in the TV series!! His parents death in the shipwreck really scarred him for life! No wonder no one backs him as the rightful King...he is not likable at all! I felt sorry for Maester Cressen, Stannis' treatment of him and his poisoning/death in the beginning of the book.
--The fool Patchface is creepy and every time he speaks, I try to see hidden messages! Is he a total fool with brain damage from the accident or does he sometimes have visions and blurts out prophecies?
--Varys...I love his spy network and disguises! Is he good or bad??
--Theon...what a very damaged person who is full of himself but has a weak character and is immature. I think I will end up sympathizing with all he goes through in the future (if the books stay true to the TV series) but I don't like him at all at this point!
--Caetlyn...I like the fact that she and Brienne team up :)

My husband read me an article recently that was an update from George RR Martin...apparently details that he is writing in his next book (and when that will be published is anyone's guess ;) is having the storyline diverge significantly from the ending of the TV series. Here is the link to the article if anyone is interested:

https://winteriscoming.net/2022/07/08...

(hide spoiler)]

Alison wrote: "Hi All...sorry I have been absent on this Buddy Read! I finished this book in early June and have thoughts written down but just haven't posted them on the thread ;) I will definitely be reading al..."

Thanks Alison. Great article!

I finally finished it today. Holy crap this was almost a DNF for me. I got to about the 60% mark and just sat on it for 3 weeks without touching it.

@Lorraine, about Tyrion (view spoiler)[ I'll reference what Alison mentioned in her post in this discussion because I feel like she summed it up very nicely! I do still like Tyrion because he mostly aligns with the "good" side. All of George R.R. Martin's characters are written in extremely gray ways and if I cast aside any character for doing something like what Tyrion did, I probably wouldn't like any of the characters in the books lol! So, yes, I do still like Tyrion even though he has terrible, terrible moments like the one from chapter 44. (hide spoiler)]

@Nate (view spoiler)[ Now that you mention it, I'm really disappointed we didn't get any Robb chapters and only heard secondhand information through Cat. He seemed to have a lot more interesting story going on and I would have gladly traded half of Tyrion's chapters for some Robb chapters!! (hide spoiler)]