A Clash of Kings by George Martin - the second book in the series. He is very close to becoming my favourite author. Martin takes a brutal view of what humanity is capable of and he pulls no punches. The only people who seem to be untainted by any sort of major character flaws are the children and even they are forced into horrible situations and are clearly affected by what occurs around them. The 5-way civil war is just astounding and the plot lines are amazing in their complexity. Yet, unlike Robert Jordan, Martin manages to immerse you in a complex web of plots whilst also keeping the pace very high. The gritty realism is also a refreshing change in a genre that sometimes takes itself too seriously - Martin is not ashamed of swearing or detailed sex scenes.