A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

This is the second in the Game of Thrones series.  In this installment, the storylines from the first volume are continued and expanded, with new characters added and some new surprises.  Basically, as in many second volumes, the bad guys gain advantage, and the good guys have a lot of setbacks. Some of the bad guys aren't all bad, and some of the good guys do bad stuff as well.  With the death of the King, several rivals each make a power grab for the throne, and there are plenty of shifting alliances among the minor lords as each tries to assess who will win.  Some good battle scenes, but often tactics are as important as brute strength.  Except we are also following the story of wild things beginning to make encroachment from the North beyond the Wall, which marks the end of civilization.  So, plenty of stories to unfold in future volumes. While Martin's method of switching the story's point of view with almost every chapter can be confusing, it also gives a broad view of the chess game in play across the kingdom.  Long, but a fun read - this was definitely my vacation book for this year.  I'm definitely up for volume three.  728 pages.