For existing A Song of Ice and Fire readers, the illustrated edition is a compelling upgrade: Lauren K. Cannon's art is entirely original to this volume, making it the only widely available illustrated edition of A Clash of Kings, and Bernard Cornwell's foreword adds meaningful literary context. The underlying novel carries serious genre credentials — a Locus Award for Best Novel (1999) and a Nebula Award nomination — and reviewers at the time praised Martin for keeping 'readers balanced on a sword's edge' while building a world with 'the feeling of medieval history rather than fiction.' The key caveat is that production quality — paper stock, color reproduction, printing — cannot be assessed without hands-on inspection, so prospective buyers are well advised to seek out in-person examination or reader photography before committing to a collector's-edition price.

A Clash of Kings: The Illustrated Edition

by George R. R. Martin

Five kings claim the Iron Throne of Westeros after the deaths of Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon, fracturing the realm into open war while supernatural threats gather beyond the Wall.

$21.73 on Amazon Read our full review

At a glance

Pages896

First published1998

SettingMedieval fantasy world of Westeros

AudienceAdult

ISBN1984821156

About the Author

George R. R. Martin

2 books reviewed

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A Clash of Kings

Name: A Clash of Kings: The Illustrated Edition by George R. R. Martin
Author: George R. R. Martin
ISBN: 1984821156

The Illustrated Edition

by George R. R. Martin

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for: Existing fans of A Song of Ice and Fire who want a display-worthy, reread-oriented hardcover of the second book, enhanced by Lauren K. Cannon's all-new illustrations and Bernard Cornwell's literary foreword.

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A Clash of Kings: The Illustrated Edition is a 2019 Random House Worlds hardcover pairing George R. R. Martin's Locus Award–winning second A Song of Ice and Fire novel — the War of Five Kings in full, bloody motion — with over twenty all-new illustrations by Lauren K. Cannon in both color and black-and-white. Bernard Cornwell's foreword positions the text within the tradition of large-scale, historically grounded epic fiction, making this the most complete collector's presentation of the novel widely available. It is best suited to existing series fans seeking a display-worthy or reread edition; newcomers will find the full story here, but the illustrated format is plainly a reward for prior investment in Westeros.

Is it worth reading?: For existing A Song of Ice and Fire readers, the illustrated edition is a compelling upgrade: Lauren K. Cannon's art is entirely original to this volume, making it the only widely available illustrated edition of A Clash of Kings, and Bernard Cornwell's foreword adds meaningful literary context. The underlying novel carries serious genre credentials — a Locus Award for Best Novel (1999) and a Nebula Award nomination — and reviewers at the time praised Martin for keeping 'readers balanced on a sword's edge' while building a world with 'the feeling of medieval history rather than fiction.' The key caveat is that production quality — paper stock, color reproduction, printing — cannot be assessed without hands-on inspection, so prospective buyers are well advised to seek out in-person examination or reader photography before committing to a collector's-edition price.
Similar books: Readers drawn to A Clash of Kings: The Illustrated Edition will find natural companions across epic fantasy and historically grounded fiction. George R. R. Martin's own A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition is the essential starting point — it establishes the characters and political web that A Clash of Kings inherits, and exists in the same collector's illustrated format. For sweeping secondary-world fantasy with deep lore and multiple POV characters, Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive offers comparable scale. Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind provides a more intimate but equally intricate fantasy epic. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring is the foundational text for the genre's tradition of world-building at this scope. Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, like A Clash of Kings, places human drama and political conflict against an immersive, historically textured backdrop — a pairing that Bernard Cornwell's foreword implicitly gestures toward.
Who should read this?: The illustrated edition is most naturally suited to existing A Song of Ice and Fire readers who want a display-worthy or reread-oriented version of A Clash of Kings — at 896 pages in hardcover, it is built for the bookshelf as much as the lap. Collectors who want Lauren K. Cannon's original visual interpretation of Westerosi figures and settings will find this the only widely available illustrated edition of the novel. Readers new to the series will find the full narrative here, but should begin with A Game of Thrones to understand the character web and political stakes. Those interested in how Martin's work sits within the broader epic historical-fiction tradition will also appreciate Bernard Cornwell's foreword.
About George R. R. Martin: George Raymond Richard Martin, also known by the initials GRRM, is an American author, screenwriter, and television producer.
How does this compare to the Game of Thrones illustrated edition?: Both the A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition and this A Clash of Kings: The Illustrated Edition are published by Random House Worlds in the same collector's hardcover format, each featuring original illustrations created exclusively for their respective volumes. The A Clash of Kings edition adds Lauren K. Cannon's more than twenty new illustrations specifically interpreting the War of Five Kings and its characters, alongside Bernard Cornwell's foreword — a critical framing element not present in the first book's edition. For series collectors, the two volumes are designed as companions, and starting with the A Game of Thrones illustrated edition remains the recommended entry point.
Where does this fit in the series?: A Clash of Kings is the second novel in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, following A Game of Thrones (1996) and preceding A Storm of Swords. The novel's central conflict — the War of Five Kings — arises directly from the political and dynastic upheaval set in motion in A Game of Thrones, meaning the character relationships, deaths, and power shifts of that first book are assumed knowledge throughout. Readers approaching the illustrated edition without that foundation will encounter the full narrative but will lack the context that gives many of its events their full weight.

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About George R. R. Martin

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Where does this fit in the series?

Summarize this book

A Clash of Kings is the second novel in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, set against the War of Five Kings: with King Robert Baratheon dead, his purported son Joffrey sits the Iron Throne while Robert's brothers Renly and Stannis Baratheon, Robb Stark in the North, and Balon Greyjoy of the Iron Islands each declare themselves king. Tyrion Lannister arrives in King's Landing as Hand of the King to manage Joffrey's volatile reign; Catelyn Stark conducts desperate diplomacy between rival claimants; and Stannis's cause is driven by Melisandre, a foreign priestess whose sorcery includes the shadow assassination of Renly. Beyond the Wall, the Night's Watch ventures into wildling territory, while Daenerys Targaryen presses her own claim from across the Narrow Sea. The 2019 illustrated edition adds more than twenty all-new illustrations by Lauren K. Cannon and a foreword by Bernard Cornwell.

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Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Ages 16+

Reading level

Adult

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Content to know about

graphic violence and warfare

political assassination

sexual content

incest

Best for: Adults / mature 16+ — graphic violence, sexual content, incest, and the moral brutality of large-scale civil war.

Skip if you want a self-contained story with a clear resolution rather than an ongoing epic series.

Editorial Review

This 2019 Random House Worlds hardcover presents George R. R.…

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The illustrated predecessor to A Clash of Kings — Lauren K. Cannon's art style carries across both volumes, making this the natural reread companion for collectors.

If you're looking for what to read before or alongside A Clash of Kings: The Illustrated Edition, A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition is the obvious place to start. It introduces the Stark, Lannister, and Baratheon storylines that explode into the War of Five Kings in book two, and it features the same Lauren K. Cannon illustration treatment, so the visual language is consistent across your shelf. For readers who picked up A Clash of Kings as a collector's edition and want a matching volume, this is the essential companion. It also provides the setup for Tyrion's capture, Ned's fall, and Daenerys's transformation — events whose consequences drive nearly every chapter of A Clash of Kings. If you've been searching for 'books like A Clash of Kings illustrated' or want to complete the illustrated series, this is your first stop.

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Epic fantasy with massive scope, multiple POV characters, and warfare on a grand scale — Sanderson's meticulous world-building satisfies the same appetite as Martin's Westeros.

If you enjoy A Clash of Kings for its sprawling cast of viewpoint characters, its large-scale military campaigns, and its sense that the world's history matters to the present conflict, Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series delivers all of that at an even larger scale. The series opens with The Way of Kings and follows multiple characters across a world shaped by catastrophic storms and ancient, half-forgotten wars. Like Martin, Sanderson is unafraid to put his characters through genuine suffering, and political maneuvering is just as deadly as any battlefield. For readers asking 'what to read after A Clash of Kings if you want more epic fantasy with complex magic and warfare,' the Stormlight Archive is the single most-recommended series. It's a commitment, but readers who loved the density of A Song of Ice and Fire will feel at home immediately.

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Bernard Cornwell's foreword to A Clash of Kings: The Illustrated Edition positions Martin's work within the tradition of large-scale, historically grounded epic fiction — a lineage that runs directly through J.R.R. Tolkien. The Fellowship of the Ring establishes the template for multi-POV quest narratives, intricate invented histories, and the sense that the world itself has a deep and dangerous past. Where Martin subverts many of Tolkien's conventions — adding moral ambiguity, political realism, and far darker consequences — understanding Tolkien makes Martin's departures from the form far more meaningful and satisfying. For collectors who acquired the illustrated A Clash of Kings, Tolkien's work is also available in stunning illustrated editions. If you're exploring 'books like A Clash of Kings that defined the epic fantasy genre,' The Lord of the Rings is the unavoidable starting point.

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