This is the third book in the 'Song of Fire and Ice' collection, and is the first part of a volume split into two books. I read the first one after seeing the Sky Atlantic series, called Game Of Thrones, and loved it so much I read the second in time to have it finished before the second series began. They are quite heavy going, so it has taken me forever to finish this one (over 2 months!).
All of the books are split into chapters that come from a different character's perspective; and in this volume those characters are Jaime, Catelyn, Arya, Tyrion, Davos, Sansa, Jon, Daenerys, Bran and Samwell. The plot is continuous throughout the series, but the main premise of this section is that teenage king Joffrey Baratheon is on the throne (unrightfully as he is baseborn) and after the death of one of his rivals, and the defeat of another in battle, there only remains Robb Stark to overthrow him. He is known as 'The King In The North' and resides at Riverrun with his new wife Jeyne. The majority of the book is Robb plotting to defeat Joffrey, but he has to be careful as they have his sister held captive.
As well as this, Daenerys is still trying to cross the sea to claim what she believes is her rightful throne, and now accompanied by three dragons, it appears she may have a chance. The eldest (bastard) Stark brother, Jon, continues to travel with the group of wildlings he has managed to pursuade he is a deserter of The Wall, and he begins a relationship with Ygritte, a young wildling girl who he previously had held as hostage with The Night's Watch.
There are also many subplots, such as Jaime Lannister's trek as a hostage with Brienne of Tarth, Arya continuing on her quest to try to get home, and Davos being imprisoned and eventually released and given the position of the Kings Hand to Stannis.
As with all the other books in the series I have read so far, this was very well written and contains some lovely descriptive paragraphs to help you visualise the action better:
'The king's close-cropped beard was spiderwebbed with grey hairs, and he had dropped two stone or more of weight. He had never been a fleshy man, but now the bones moved beneath his skin like spears, fighting to cut free. Even his crown seemed too large for his head. His eyes were blue pits lost in deep hollows, and the shape of a skull could be seen beneath his face.'
However, this seems to be a bit of a filler book, there is not a great deal that happens to move the story along as a whole, and as it is only the third of eight, I am slightly wary about how long it is going to take me to finish them all! I am not a quitter though, so am determined to get through them!
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