A Clash of Kings: The Illustrated Edition by George R. R. Martin Review: A Landmark Fantasy Rendered in New Art

A Clash of Kings is the second novel in George R. R. Martin's ongoing A Song of Ice and Fire series, first published in the United Kingdom in November 1998 and in the United States in February 1999. The 2019 Random House Worlds illustrated edition presents the complete text alongside more than twenty all-new illustrations by Lauren K. Cannon, rendered in both color and black-and-white. The edition also includes a foreword by Bernard Cornwell, the historical fiction author, who lends a perspective on Martin's work from within the broader tradition of large-scale, battle-driven narrative. The illustrations are entirely original to this edition — not repurposed from any earlier illustrated release — making Cannon's contribution the defining visual identity of this particular volume.

The novel's central situation is Westeros in full civil war. With King Robert Baratheon dead, his purported son Joffrey occupies the Iron Throne, but his claim is contested on multiple fronts: Robert's brothers Renly and Stannis Baratheon each declare themselves the rightful king, Robb Stark is proclaimed King in the North, and Balon Greyjoy crowns himself ruler of the Iron Islands — a conflict that comes to be called the War of Five Kings. Tyrion Lannister arrives in King's Landing to serve as Hand of the King, attempting to manage Joffrey's volatile reign from within. Catelyn Stark conducts desperate diplomacy between the rival claimants. Stannis's cause is driven by Melisandre, a foreign priestess who wields genuine sorcery — including the shadow assassination of Renly at the height of the war. Meanwhile, beyond the Wall, the Night's Watch mounts a reconnaissance into wildling territory, and Daenerys Targaryen continues to press her own claim to the throne from across the Narrow Sea. The publisher's synopsis frames the stakes plainly: "against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel... And the coldest hearts."

The original A Clash of Kings was positively received upon publication. It won the Locus Award for Best Novel in 1999 — the same honor its predecessor A Game of Thrones had taken the year prior — and received a Nebula Award nomination in the same year. Dorman Shindler, writing in The Dallas Morning News, called it "one of the best [works] in this particular subgenre," citing "the richness of this invented world and its cultures … [that] lends Mr. Martin's novels the feeling of medieval history rather than fiction." Bradley H. Sinor of the Tulsa World credited Martin with keeping "readers balanced on a sword's edge" — praise centered on the novel's ability to function as a standalone entry while deepening the larger series. Martin himself is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a status that reflects the series' enduring commercial reach across decades.

Lauren K. Cannon's more than twenty illustrations are the primary reason to choose this edition over the standard text. They are designed to illuminate key moments from the novel in both color and black-and-white, giving Westerosi figures and settings a specific visual interpretation that no prior mass-market edition of this volume had provided. (The only earlier fully illustrated edition of A Clash of Kings was a 2005 limited release by Meisha Merlin with art by John Howe — a much more restricted print run.) This edition from Random House Worlds is, practically speaking, the widely available illustrated version of the novel. Because this review is an editorial assessment rather than a hands-on examination of the physical object, the quality of Cannon's color reproduction, paper stock, and printing cannot be evaluated here — those are precisely the dimensions that matter most in a collector's edition purchase, and prospective buyers are advised to seek out in-person inspection or reader photography before committing.

The illustrated edition is most naturally suited to readers who already have a relationship with the A Song of Ice and Fire series and want a display-worthy or reread-oriented version of the second book. At 896 pages in hardcover format, it is not a light or casual object — it is built for the bookshelf as much as the lap. New readers coming to the series cold would find the full narrative here, but the illustrated format is more plainly a reward for existing investment in the world than an introduction to it. Cornwell's foreword adds a degree of critical framing that positions the novel within a larger tradition of epic, historically grounded fiction — a meaningful addition for readers interested in how Martin's work sits within that lineage.