A Clash of Kings

I am currently reading A Clash of Kings, the second book in the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. In the book, the country of Westeros is divided after the death of King Robert Baratheon in the first book in the series, A Game of Thrones. The king's widow, Queen Cersei, has proclaimed the teenage prince Joffrey as the new king, and executes Lord Eddard Stark, who had discovered that Joffrey was not actually King Robert's son, and had told Robert's brothers Stannis and Renly. As a result, both Stannis and Renly proclaimed themselves king, even though Stannis, being older, had the better claim to the throne. At Lord Eddard's castle, Winterfell, Eddard's son Robb Stark has restored the north of Westeros to self-rule, proclaiming himself King in the North, even though it has been ruled by the Kings in the South for three hundred years. On the Iron Islands off the coast of Westeros, Balon Greyjoy has also proclaimed himself king. Each one of the self-proclaimed kings has declares war on all the others, despite efforts by the Northerners to make peace with the Kings in the South and be left alone. So far, the book has been very good, but it has a very convoluted plot that can be hard to follow at times. Overall, however, I highly recommend it.