George RR Martin is a writer with a long, if less than best-selling, list of hits. His previous work includes science fiction like Tuf Voyaging, the tale of a solitary "eco-engineer" with the resources of an intersteller bioweapons facility at his command, or editing the Wild Cards collection, which featured short stories about the real problems faced by comic-book superheroes. He was established as publishable -- but there was absolutely no hint of what would come.

When he released A Game of Thrones, the first volume of his epic fantasy A Song of Ice and Fire, it took the world of fantasy by storm. The same field which Dianna Wynne Jones had lambasted for lack of originality, failure to characterize, and predictable plotting in A Tough Guide to Fantasylandhad suddenly produced something entirely different.

A Clash of Kings is the second book in George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. The Seven Kingdoms are beset by four Kings, all seeking to rule. The Starks, wolf-lords of the North, are scattered: Arya and Sansa hostage, Robb at war, Bran and Rickon learning to govern Winterfell. The Lannister host led by Lord Tywin opposes Robb Stark, and Tyrion is set to govern King's Landing -- if he can survive Joffrey's whims and Cersei's cunning. Theon Greyjoy comes into his own. Renly and Stannis battle for the loyalty of the southern lords, and a new player is introduced into that conflict -- a player that bodes ill for the future. And through it all, the threat in the North grows stronger.

A Storm of Swords continues the groundbreaking series that began with A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. It's a massive tome that weighs in at almost 1,000 pages and continues Martin's tradition of shaking up the characters and the world with momentous and surprising events.

Rob, King in the North, continues his fight against the Lannisters -- winning great victories on the battlefield, but conscious of his two sisters held as hostages. Sansa languishes in King's Landing in need of rescue, desperately trying to negotiate her way among the hostile Lannister nobility, while Arya continues her journey home incognito. Many of the southern lords come into play, and we learn much more about the politics of the south in this volume. Meanwhile, Jon on the Wall faces tough questions, and continues to mature as a warrior and a leader.