A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, #1-#3)

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, #1-#3)

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a great prequel compilation with superb production value.

I’m currently in the middle of collecting all the books within A Song of Ice and Fire in hardcover format. Honestly speaking, unlike The World of Ice and Fire and Fire and Blood, I didn’t have a lot of interest in reading this book; I treated it as a completionist read or a diversion while I wait for the release for The Winds of Winter. This is also why I’m happy that this book ended up being such a pleasant surprise for me.

Picture: One of the interior illustrations by Gary Gianni.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a compilation of the three prequel novellas in The Tales of Dunk and Egg series by George R. R. Martin. It’s a prequel to A Song of Ice and Fire and the story starts about a century before the events in A Game of Thrones. Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) and Egg were simply fascinating to read. Starting from their encounter in The Hedge Knight, each novella continues to develop their characterizations and relationship more. Unlike the main series, the tone of this much more light-hearted. The knights in Westeros are often times asshole, coward, and despicable. This has been proven countless times throughout the main series. Dunk is a different kind of knight; honorable, courageous, naïve, and awkward. The friendship between Dunk and Egg was subtle and I found the unlikely harmony in their interaction to be funny, heartwarming, and highly engaging.

“A great battle is a terrible thing,” the old knight said, “but in the midst of blood and carnage, there is sometimes also beauty, beauty that could break your heart.”

I don’t have really have a lot of things to say regarding this collection because of the short length. This book is 360 pages long and there are more than 160 gorgeous illustrations done by Gary Gianni that filled the pages of this book; they made the book feel shorter but at the same time they totally enhanced my reading experience to be much more atmospheric. I can’t help it, I’m a sucker for a novel with interior illustrations; in my opinion this book has a terrific production value.

Picture: One of the interior illustrations by Gary Gianni.

I enjoyed reading all the three novellas. My rating for the novellas: 4/5 stars for The Hedge Knight, 3.5/5 stars for The Sworn Sword, and 4/5 stars for The Mystery Knight. Overall, I think fans of the main series will have a wonderful time with this book. Martin once again shows that even in a novella format, he’s still a writer with immense talent at characterizations and world-building. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms offers a glimpse of the rich history behind Westeros through the eyes of the finely written duo: Dunk and Egg. I can’t believe I’m saying this—especially knowing that the main series is in limbo status—but I’m really looking forward to the continuation of the story and how it all eventually connects to the main series.

You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)

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