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A Clash of Kings: The Illustrated Edition by George R. R. Martin Review: A Landmark Fantasy Rendered in New Art
This 2019 Random House Worlds hardcover presents George R. R. Martin's Locus Award–winning second A Song of Ice and Fire novel alongside over twenty all-new illustrations by Lauren K. Cannon — a collector's edition designed for fans who want Westeros's War of Five Kings brought to visual life, with a foreword by Bernard Cornwell adding literary context to one of epic fantasy's defining texts.
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.
Worth it if
You already love the series and want the only widely available illustrated edition of A Clash of Kings as a collector's object or a visually enriched revisit of the War of Five Kings.
Skip if
Readers new to the series should start with A Game of Thrones first, and anyone whose purchase hinges on art quality and production values should inspect a physical copy before committing, since those dimensions cannot be assessed remotely.
What readers & critics say
Publishers Weekly praised the novel's scope, highlighting Tyrion Lannister and other standout characters across "a truly epic fantasy set in a world bedecked with 8000 years of history." Kirkus Reviews acknowledged "considerable rewards" in "intricate, flawless plotting" and "fully realized characters," while also cautioning that the non-self-contained structure and vast cast can challenge readers returning after a gap.
“A truly epic fantasy set in a world bedecked with 8000 years of history, beset by an imminent winter and bedazzled by swords and spells.”
— Publishers Weekly“The rewards are considerable: a backdrop of convincing depth and texture; intricate, flawless plotting; fully realized characters.”
— Kirkus Reviews4.8from 1,161 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
Look inside the book
Preview the actual pages, via Google BooksIn This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Contains and How This Edition Is Structured
- The Story at the Center: The War of Five Kings
- Critical Standing of the Underlying Novel
- The Illustrated Edition's Specific Appeal — and Its Honest Limitations
- Who This Edition Is For
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Won the Locus Award for Best Novel (1999) and received a Nebula Award nomination — the underlying text carries major genre recognition
- Over twenty all-new illustrations by Lauren K. Cannon in both color and black-and-white, created exclusively for this edition
- Foreword by Bernard Cornwell adds literary context from within the epic historical-fiction tradition
- The only widely available illustrated edition of the novel, filling a gap left by the 2005 Meisha Merlin limited release
- Published by Random House Worlds with George R. R. Martin, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, ensuring broad availability and series continuity
What Doesn't
- As a collector's edition, the purchase decision hinges on physical art quality and production values that cannot be assessed without hands-on inspection of the object
- Readers new to the series must enter at Book 2, as the War of Five Kings and its character web build directly on events from A Game of Thrones
A collector's hardcover that pairs one of epic fantasy's most acclaimed second novels with brand-new visual art, this illustrated edition is a substantial object built around a substantial book.
What the Book Contains and How This Edition Is Structured
A Clash of Kings: The Illustrated Edition (A Song of Ice and Fire Illustrated Edition) by George R. R. Martin front cover
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 richness of this invented world and its cultures … [that] lends Mr. Martin's novels the feeling of medieval history rather than fiction.”
The Story at the Center: The War of Five Kings
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."
Critical Standing of the Underlying Novel
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.
The Illustrated Edition's Specific Appeal — and Its Honest Limitations
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.
Who This Edition Is For
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
is A Clash of Kings: The Illustrated Edition by George R. R. Martin worth buying or should i just get the regular paperback
If you're already a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire and want a display-worthy or reread-oriented version, the illustrated edition earns its place — Lauren K. Cannon's more than twenty all-new color and black-and-white illustrations are the primary reason to choose it over the standard text. That said, the review is honest that print quality, paper stock, and color reproduction couldn't be evaluated editorially, so prospective buyers are advised to seek out in-person inspection or reader photography before committing at this price.
What is this book actually about
It covers Westeros in full civil war — the War of Five Kings — as Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne while Robert's brothers Renly and Stannis Baratheon, Robb Stark in the North, and Balon Greyjoy in the Iron Islands all press rival claims to power. The publisher frames the stakes bluntly: "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," with storylines also following Tyrion Lannister managing King's Landing, Catelyn Stark conducting diplomacy, Melisandre's shadow assassination of Renly, and Daenerys Targaryen pushing her claim from across the Narrow Sea.
Is this book good for someone who hasn't read the series yet
The full novel is here, so a new reader would get the complete story, but the review is clear that the illustrated format is more plainly a reward for existing investment in the world than an introduction to it. First-time readers would be better served starting with A Game of Thrones and saving this collector's edition as a reread upgrade.
What age is this book appropriate for
This is an adult book, and the authoritative guidance sets the floor at mature readers 16 and up at minimum. The content includes graphic violence, sexual content, incest, and the moral brutality of large-scale civil war — all of which are central to the War of Five Kings storyline rather than incidental.
Who did the illustrations in this book and are they any good
The illustrations are entirely original to this edition and were created by Lauren K. Cannon, rendering key moments from the novel in both color and black-and-white — making her work the defining visual identity of this particular volume. The review notes these are not repurposed from any earlier release, and that the only prior illustrated edition of A Clash of Kings was a much more restricted 2005 Meisha Merlin printing with art by John Howe, making Cannon's edition the practically available illustrated version; however, print and color reproduction quality couldn't be assessed editorially.
Is this book similar to Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction
Cornwell himself wrote the foreword to this edition, positioning Martin's novel within the broader tradition of large-scale, battle-driven narrative that Cornwell's own work occupies. Dorman Shindler of The Dallas Morning News made a similar point, writing that "the richness of this invented world and its cultures lends Mr. Martin's novels the feeling of medieval history rather than fiction" — so if you enjoy historically grounded epic fiction, the comparison holds.
Does this book work as a standalone or do you have to read A Game of Thrones first
Bradley H. Sinor of the Tulsa World specifically praised Martin for keeping "readers balanced on a sword's edge" and credited the novel's ability to function as a standalone entry while also deepening the larger series. That said, the review makes clear the illustrated edition is designed for fans who already have a relationship with A Song of Ice and Fire, so reading A Game of Thrones first will give you the most out of it.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
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en.wikipedia.org
- Further reading
- 4
George R. R. Martin, Wikipedia
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lukeharkness.com
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