A Clash of Kings

The above video is a trailer for the second season of Game of Thrones on HBO, which follows book 2 of his series called "A Song of Ice and Fire."  That second book, A Clash of Kings, is the focus of this post.

The book continues each of the many storylines covered in A Game of Thrones, but A Clash of Kings excels in its treatment of the power struggle for political control of Kings Landing.  Specifically, this book absolutely owns the struggle between Tyrion and Cersei to fill a political vacuum.  The ruthlessness of the struggle below the surface was phenomenal.  It simmered for most of the book until the boil hit late.  You can see a portion of that in the clip above when Tyrion says "you will know the debt is paid."

I LOVED that scene in the book.  Without spoiling the plot, Cersei escalated the simmer to a boil and all the underlying struggles came flowing out.  I read that chapter twice.  I have heard various criticisms that A Clash of Kings floundered in just about every other storyline, but I disagree with that criticism on the whole.  It is a fair critique when applied to a few storylines (specifically Danaerys), but I think many other stories seem lesser only by comparison.

Events at the Wall were intriguing and Arya's adventure was wrought with danger and thrilling at times.  Even Sansa's time at Kings Landing became compelling at times.

I also got a lot of unintended comedy relief by watching everyone try to cover for the completely horrible judgment of the young King.  It was just so entertaining to watch the power struggle be jolted from left field because of random impulsive (and stupid) acts by the monarch.  I chuckled many times when the entire playing field for power would shift like an earthquake simply because "the dolt no one can criticize" decides to do something extreme and ridiculous.  Everyone just kind of sighs, works to fix things, and then gets back to the struggle at hand.  That was just so much fun.

I also enjoyed the story of Theon and how he became "the dog who caught the truck."  I loved watching him walk the line between allegiances, his attempt to be bold, and then his attempt to guard his legacy.  It was exactly like the dog that caught the car.  "What do I do with this thing now that it is finally mine?"

Tyrion continued his Omar ways through wit and solidified his position as my favorite character.  He has a different style, but Tyrion uses what he has to create havoc.  I love his style and he is not to be trifled with.

And, with that thought, I leave you with more footage of Joffrey being slapped (this never gets old).