Friday, July 13, 2012

Book Beginnings: A Clash of Kings






Every Friday Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays. What you do is share the opening line(s) of the book you are currently reading and briefly discuss what you think about the opening line or the book or whatever else inspires you. Make sure to share your entry with Rose City Reader and in my comments below.

Here's my book beginning:


"The maester stood on the windswept balcony outside his chambers. It was here the ravens came, after long flight. Their droppings speckled the gargoyles that rose twelve feet tall on either side of him, a hellhound and a wyvern, two of the thousand that brooded over the walls of the ancient fortress."

-A Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin

Amber at A Morose Bookshelf is reading A Clash of Kings as well, and she beat me to the punch with her blog post, so I decided to share the next lines of the Prologue. If you want to see the first lines you'll have to visit Amber's blog.

These lines are a good example of the details Martin likes to include in his novels (droppings on the gargoyle statues). A Clash of Kings starts off quickly, after the cliffhanger endings of A Game of Thrones, but slows down a bit before picking up again. I'm at the halfway point and some exciting things have happened. The very first lines of the novel as you'll find in Amber's post, about the comet, are important because as you read along you find that everyone has a different idea about what the comet represents, and everyone thinks it is a sign that favors them. Of course, not everyone can be held in equal favor when their goals oppose one another.

11 comments:

  1. I do enjoy descriptions that help me visualize what is happening. Thanks!

    Here's MY FRIDAY MEMES POST

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  2. I really have to start reading this series. I have the first couple of them on my TBR mountain. Happy reading and thanks for visiting my Friday post.

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  3. I'm way in over my head...You're much further into the book than I am. I'll try my best to catch up haha. Thanks again for the link up.

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  4. George RR Martin can write. I do like the series. Thanks for visiting.

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  5. It's a great beginning.
    I haven't dared starting this series yet. I know I'll be hooked and Mount TBR is already leaning at a dangerous angle. :-)

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  6. I really want to read this series, so I'll have to set aside the time and just get on with it. Thanks for stopping by my Friday post earlier and have a great weekend.

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  7. This series is still on my virtual TBR pile. Sounds good!

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  8. I haven't read any of this yet. Some day . . . .

    Thanks for signing up for my book giveaway! Rayme Waters – the author of my giveaway book – guest posted on Rose City Reader today, explaining how the heroines of 19th Century literature inspired her debut novel, The Angels' Share.

    It will give you a much different idea about the book than the opening sentence.

    Thanks for participating in Book Beginnings!

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  9. Raven's droppings on gargoyles! I can easily picture that scene. Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Everywhere I look ... it's Game of Thrones! I need to start this soon. If only I get ahead in the library queue!
    Here's my Book Beginning .

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  11. Congratulations! You won one of three ARCs of The Angel's Share by Rayme Waters, published by Winter Goose Publishing. You will get an ARC copy of their own, plus have another available to giveaway on your blog, thanks to book publicist Mary Bisbee-Beek.

    The winner announcement with a link to your blog is here, on Rose City Reader.

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