HBO’s hit series A GAME OF THRONES is based on George R R Martin’s internationally bestselling series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. A CLASH OF KINGS is the second volume in the series. Throughout Westeros, the cold winds are rising. From the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding lands of Winterfell, chaos reigns as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms stake their claims through tempest, turmoil and war. As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky – a comet the colour of blood and flame – five factions struggle for control of a divided land. Brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Against a backdrop of incest, fratricide, alchemy and murder, the price of glory is measured in blood.

Characters, setting, plot, conflict, point of view, and theme are six key elements for writing fiction.

Characters are the people, animals, or aliens in the story. Readers come to know the characters through what they say, what they think, and how they act.

It is more structured, follows proper grammatical pattern, and correct mechanics.

By viewing the world from a point of view that is not your own, you become more empathetic.

Reading is a way to escape your own life, and can take you to faraway lands, other times, and put you in other people's shoes.