George R. R. Martin. Volume two of “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Here I see even more than in the first volume what many internet reviews mention, that the heros and villains are not one-dimensional, but do both good and evil deeds. I found myself beginning to be on the side of a character I found unsympathetic in the first novel, and I have some guesses about who might survive the series (although that is, from both volumes so far, not a safe thing to do at all). A good, solid fantasy read.
Kenneth Sutton's aide-mémoire