George R. R. Martin: it's «a story about character, duty, and chivalry»

«Neo-Arthurian fantasy»

«The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms» is a collection of fantasy novellas by George R. R. Martin, which unites the cycle «Tales of Duncan and Egg». The action of these stories takes place in the world of «A Song of Ice and Fire», but about 90 years before the events of the main novel cycle. The main characters are the knight Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg, who will later become King Aegon V Targaryen of Westeros.

To date, three novellas have been published: «The Hedge Knight» (1998), «The Sworn Sword» (2003), and «The Mystery Knight» (2010). They were originally published in anthologies edited by Robert Silverberg and Gardner Dozois, and then collected under one cover. Martin himself emphasized that he initially planned to publish the stories in anthologies and then compile them into collections.

The first novella, «The Hedge Knight», was published on August 25, 1998, in the «Legends» anthology. Publishers Weekly described Martin's text as «neo-Arthurian fantasy» and called it a prequel to «A Song of Ice and Fire». The plot of the novella revolves around a tournament in Ashford, where Duncan, who has recently lost his mentor, Ser Arlan of Pennytree, tries to establish himself as a knight and gets involved in a conflict with Prince Aeryon Targaryen. The result is the «trial of seven» — a rare form of divine judgment in which Duncan is opposed by representatives of the royal house. The victory over Aeryon and the death of Prince Baelor Targaryen are key events that determine the further fate of the characters.

«The Sworn Sword», the second novella in the cycle, was published in 2003 in the «Legends II» anthology. In it, Martin shifts the focus from the tournament intrigue to the everyday feudal reality of Westeros: the conflict over water, land deeds, the consequences of the Blackfyre rebellion, and the social vulnerability of impoverished houses. The novella continues the story of Duncan and Egg and is intended primarily for readers already familiar with this duo. The plot centers on Duncan's service to Ser Uthoros Osгрей and his confrontation with Lady Roanna Webber, which ends in a duel and an unexpected marriage that reconciles the warring houses.

The third novella, «The Mystery Knight», was published in 2010 in the «Warriors» anthology, which Martin edited together with Gardner Dozois. The story is directly related to the legacy of the Blackfyre rebellions and shows a conspiracy disguised as a tournament at Whitewalls. Here, the political role of Bloodraven is revealed in detail for the first time, and Egg's status as a Targaryen prince is confirmed. Unlike the main cycle, the stories of Duncan and Egg do not have a direct plot connection with «A Song of Ice and Fire», although characters and events from that world are constantly mentioned.

In 2015, the three novellas were published in a single illustrated collection titled «The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms» with illustrations by Gary Gianni. Martin explained the choice of title by saying that using the title «The Hedge Knight» could cause confusion with the comic book of the same name. The illustrations became an essential addition. According to the author, Gianni insisted on «bringing the whole book to life» rather than limiting himself to individual inserts.

The writer has repeatedly stated his intention to continue the cycle. He said he wants to «take these two characters through their entire lives» and estimated the total volume of the series at eight to twelve novellas. Working titles for future stories include «The Winterfell Wolves» and «The Village Hero». However, the author noted that he will not return to them until he completes the novel «The Winds of Winter», which fans are eagerly awaiting. By the way, according to Martin, the manuscript of «The Winds» now насчитывает about 1,100 pages.

«Smaller in scale, but smarter and funnier»

The TV series «The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms» was officially commissioned by Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2023, and work on it actually began in 2021. The premiere of the first season, consisting of six episodes, took place on January 18 of this year on HBO and HBO Max.

The first season is completely based on the novella «The Hedge Knight» and is almost entirely focused on the knightly tournament in the provincial part of Westeros. According to Martin, this was a conscious choice. «There are no dragons or large battles in this series. There is a field, tents, and horses», the writer said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

The show was created as a more intimate and budget-conscious project compared to «House of the Dragon», each episode of which cost HBO approximately $20 million. Martin said that the series came about because the streaming service was looking for a format «where they could take the budget under control a bit». Francesca Orsi, head of drama at HBO, described the tone of the series as «down-to-earth and unobtrusive», noting that the characters face «Shakespearean danger», and the story retains humor and humanity.

George R. R. Martin acted as a co-author and executive producer of the project. Although he did not write the scripts for individual episodes — Martin has not worked as a television screenwriter since the fourth season of «Game of Thrones» — his involvement in the development was intense. He organized a script summit in Santa Fe, bringing together showrunner Ira Parker and a group of authors well acquainted with the world of Westeros. «George was there at every stage», Parker recalled, calling this work «one of the most creative weeks of his career».

Martin has repeatedly emphasized that he considers fidelity to the source material to be fundamental. He said he sees his characters as «children» and expects adaptations to respect their logic and destinies. The writer described the series itself as «as faithful an adaptation as one can reasonably expect», noting separately that it is «a story about character, duty, and chivalry».

The main roles were played by Peter Clefty (Ser Duncan the Tall) and Dexter Sol Ansell (Egg). Martin wrote in his blog that Duncan and Egg have always been his favorite characters and that the actors found were «simply incredible». Clefty, a former professional rugby player, previously starred in the TV series «Bad Sisters» and «Crash». Ansell started his career at the age of four, and by the time of filming, he already had experience in British TV projects and feature films.

The series also features Bertie Carvel (Prince Baelor Targaryen), Sam Spruell (Prince Maekar), Finn Bennett (Aeryon Targaryen), Daniel Ings (Lionel Baratheon, nicknamed «The Laughing Whirlwind»), and Tanzin Crawford (Tansel the Long). Martin singled out the characters of The Laughing Whirlwind and Tansel, promising that they will become notable figures in the adaptation.

Visually and dramatically, the series is built around a single point of view — Duncan's. This principle was important for the literary source material as well. Martin said he deliberately abandoned the multiple perspectives characteristic of «A Song of Ice and Fire», deciding that «everything should be seen through Duncan's eyes». Ira Parker confirmed that this approach influenced everything — from cinematography and music to the scale of the scenes and the overall «unpolished» visual solution.

The first season has already been well received by critics. Early reviews called the series «smaller in scale, but smarter and funnier» than previous projects in the franchise. Even before the premiere, HBO renewed the show for a second season, which will be based on the novella «The Sworn Sword» and is expected to be released around 2027. At the same time, Martin pointed out a potential problem: he has written only three novellas about Duncan and Egg, while «many more stories are in his head» and need to be put on paper first.

Age restriction: 18+

Ekaterina Petrova is a literary reviewer for the online newspaper «Real Time» and the host of the Telegram channel «Macaroon Buns».