A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a very enjoyable read!

Hello readers! Towards the end of last year I read A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which is a collection of three short stories by George R. R. Martin, set in the same world as A Song of Ice and Fire (or Game of Thrones, for the TV-brained). Because I live under a rock, I had no idea that a TV adaptation was on the way, so imagine my surprise when I started seeing reviews for a “new Game of Thrones spinoff” last week! I always intended to write a short review of these stories, but now I suspect that many more people will be wondering whether A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is worth reading.

My short answer is yes! I might even go as far as to say that I liked this story more than the main A Song of Ice and Fire series – although it’s difficult to compare the two, as they are entirely different beasts. They are both written by George R. R. Martin, yes, and set in the same world, but their tones are quite distinct.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms comprises three short stories which are each standalone adventures with relatively simple, self-contained plots. The stories follow a “hedge knight” called Duncan (“Dunk” for short), a giant of a man who has brutish strength but a reserved, down-to-earth nature. He takes under his wing a young lad with a shaved head who calls himself “Egg” – and who is remarkably confident and knowledgeable for his age. The unlikely pair instantly form an inseparable team, and their dynamic is highly engaging from the very beginning.

Perhaps the main reason that I enjoyed these stories so much is because Dunk is a very likeable protagonist who is easy to root for. He comes from a humble background – indeed, a “hedge knight” is a knight who is not descended from any noble house – and this is quite unusual for fantasy novels. Many fantasy protagonists have upper-class roots, including in the main A Song of Ice and Fire series, usually as a plot device for them to travel the world and become embroiled in political scheming (I explored this in a previous post). However, as a mere hedge knight, Dunk is not directly involved in grand political plots, and only brushes up against them by accident. He therefore provides an outsider’s perspective, which I found quite refreshing. We can still sense George R. R. Martin’s world-spanning political schemes bubbling beneath the surface, but they never takes centre stage; instead, the narrative is dominated by Dunk’s interactions and decisions, and the plot remains comfortingly grounded.

I wouldn’t go as far as to call A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms cosy fantasy, because it is still quite gory and violent, with plenty of tension and jeopardy. There are sword fights, jousting tournaments and gruesome injuries, and more than a few characters die along the way. However, the story certainly feels more “cosy” than the main series, in that the stakes tend to involve only Dunk and Egg, or the people they meet, rather than the entire world. We aren’t worrying about huge wars, or trying to juggle the predicaments of twenty different characters at the same time; we’re just worrying about whether Dunk will win his next fight, or hook up with the girl he likes. Again, this is refreshing; I like the simplicity of rooting for a big guy with a big sword entering a jousting tournament in the hope of earning big money.

Another thing worth mentioning is the writing. I don’t hear enough people talking about the nuts and bolts of George R. R. Martin’s prose; they talk about the plot, the world and the characters, but I haven’t heard anyone stop to mention how seamlessly the words flow from the page. These books are easy to read, and the tension is ramped up and down without missing a beat. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is just a good, solid story told well.

Finally, it’s worth noting that this book has illustrations throughout. The three stories within A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms were originally published as three separate volumes: The Hedge Knight (1998), The Sworn Sword (2003), and The Mystery Knight (2010), and when they were collected into one volume in 2015, Gary Gianni provided illustrations – and plenty of them! Many of these drawings are very beautiful, requiring you to take time away from the text in order to appreciate them. They undoubtedly contribute to the sense that this story is “lighter” than those in A Song of Ice and Fire – just consider how many scenes from that series that you wouldn’t want to see illustrated. But in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the illustrations feel perfectly at home, and they helped me bond with Dunk and Egg even more.

In summary…

If you liked Game of Thrones, or are a fan of fantasy in general, I would highly recommend A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Because it comprises three standalone stories, it never feels like a slog; the plots are neat and self-contained, and although the stakes are low by high fantasy standards (only the protagonists and their associates are imperilled, rather than the world itself), the narrative is still engaging because Dunk and Egg (particularly Dunk) are such compelling characters. I sincerely hope that the TV series manages to capture the tone and individuality of these stories.

Happy reading, and have a lovely week!