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As A Clash of Kings begins, the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros are locked in a bloody civil war. Joff Lannister, who is still a young boy, has recently become king, but Stannis Baratheon and Renly Baratheon both want the crown for themselves. Robb Stark, meanwhile, has recently taken the title of King of the North. Far to the north of this action, the men of the Night’s Watch leave the safety of the Wall to investigate the disappearance of the wilding people, enemies who live in primitive bands and villages in the vast wilderness north of the Wall. Meanwhile, across the narrow sea, Daenerys Targaryen leads her beleaguered band of Dothrakis in search of enough wealth and soldiers to return to Westeros and capture the Iron Throne. Simultaneous developments within these three plots constitute the major action of the novel.
 
A Clash of Kings is the second novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, an epic fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin expected to consist of seven volumes. It was first published on November 16, 1998 in the United Kingdom, although the first United States edition did not follow until February 2, 1999[2] Like its predecessor, A Game of Thrones, it won the Locus Award (in 1999) for Best Novel and was nominated for the Nebula Award (also in 1999) for best novel. In May 2005 Meisha Merlin released a limited edition of the novel, fully illustrated by John Howe.
The novel has been adapted for television by HBO as the second season of the TV series Game of Thrones.