A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (A Song of Ice and Fire)

by George R.R. Martin

Gary Gianni (Illustrator)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Taking place nearly a century before the events of A Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin’s ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire.
 
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY LOS ANGELES TIMES AND BUZZFEED
 
These never-before-collected adventures recount an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living consciousness. Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there was Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve but ultimately courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals—in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg—whose true name is hidden from all he and Dunk encounter. Though more improbable heroes may not be found in all of Westeros, great destinies lay ahead for these two . . . as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits.
 
Featuring more than 160 all-new illustrations by Gary Gianni, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a must-have collection that proves chivalry isn’t dead—yet.

Praise for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

“Readers who already love Martin and his ability to bring visceral human drama out of any story will be thrilled to find this trilogy brought together and injected with extra life.”—Booklist

“The real reason to check out this collection is that it’s simply great storytelling. Martin crafts a living, breathing world in a way few authors can. . . . [Gianni’s illustrations] really bring the events of the novellas to life in beautiful fashion.”—Tech Times

“Stirring . . . As Tolkien has his Silmarillion, so [George R. R.] Martin has this trilogy of foundational tales. They succeed on their own, but in addition, they succeed in making fans want more.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Pure fantasy adventure, with two of the most likable protagonists George R. R. Martin has ever penned.”—Bustle

“A must-read for Martin’s legion of fans . . . a rousing prelude to [his] bestselling Song of Ice and Fire saga . . . rich in human drama and the colorful worldbuilding that distinguishes other books in the series.”—Publishers Weekly

• ISBN10: 0345533488
• ISBN13: 9780345533487
• Publish Date: 6 October 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Bantam Dell Publishing Group, Div of Random House, Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780345533487

Reviews

[charlton]

Was not as bloody and did not have as much nudity as the "A Song of Ice and Fire"series.

It was a book of a growing friendship between a knight and his squire.

I really enjoyed this book probably because of the bond these two shared.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.25★⎮A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a single audiobook comprised of three previously individually published tales from the Dunk and Egg "spinoff series" (or whatever you want to call it). The events in these stories take place approximately 90 years before the start of the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

I read all three of the Dunk and Egg tales between 2010 and 2015, but I've never heard them on audio. As soon as I discovered Harry Lloyd was narrating, I knew I had to listen. Lloyd plays Prince Viserys Targaryen in the first season of HBO's Game of Thrones.

The three tales are as follows: The Hedge Knight (D&E #1), The Sworn Sword (D&E #2), and The Mystery Knight (D&E #3). I appreciated that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms packaged all three of these tales in one audiobook, instead of having to purchase three different anthologies, as I did with the books.

I always knew this series would be something that I would revisit in the future. Each of the stories is around four or five hours long, so it wasn't a huge undertaking, unlike A Song of Ice and Fire. Going into this audiobook, I could still vaguely recall the plots of the first two stories. I knew the first one was about the tourney at Harrenhal and the second was about two smaller warring houses. My opinions about those two didn't really change after hearing this audiobook. I remember originally loving The Hedge Night, the first tale. Baelor Breakspear was the breakout character for me. I loved him so much that I actually named a foster dog after him back in 2010. I still really enjoyed it this time around.

I enjoyed The Sworn Sword a little more this time, maybe because I understood it slightly better, but it still my least favorite of the three. I understood it even more after hearing the tale that comes after it, though. The primary plot of The Sworn Sword isn't necessarily what should be focused on. The big takeaway for me was all the mention of the Blackfyre rebellion, treason, and so on, because that carries us into the next tale, where such themes are more prominent. If you go into The Sworn Sword knowing its tension is framed by the first Blackfyre rebellion, it really sets the scene for you and highlights your priorities as a reader/listener. I wish I had known that the first time and I even sort of wish I had heard The Sworn Sword after the third tale.

The Mystery Knight is my second favorite. It doesn't top The Hedge Knight for me (because Baelor!), but I had the best experience with it this time around. I remembered practically nothing from my initial reading for years ago and I actually kept questioning if I had read The Mystery Knight at all. After about 75%, I knew that I had. Even so, I was still swerved by the identity of The Mystery Knight. Out of all of the Dunk and Egg tales, this is probably the one that I will revisit soonest. I feel like I wasn't able to fully digest everything in it and I hope to be able to hear it as a refresher before beginning #4 (whenever that may be…).

On that note, I really loved the little author's note George left us at the end of the audiobook. He says that Dunk and Egg's adventures have only just begun and they will travel to Winterfell, Dorne, everywhere in between, and even to Essos and beyond. Talk about exciting! That's the way to hype a series. I'm so pumped for it. I can't wait to see Dunk hook up with a lass and start his line that will eventually lead to Brienne of Tarth (He's her ancestor- George confirmed). I wonder how far into their lifespans George will take us and if we will see Egg on the throne or even the tragedy at Summerhall! I have so many questions...

Narration review: I flipping love Harry Lloyd. I mean, my love for him pre-dates my listening to this audiobook, but this has only strengthened it. He is so immensely talented that it's unfair. It's actually unfair to other people. His narration of this audiobook was out of this world! They were so many characters in these stories and he gave them all distinct voices and accents, even those who didn't significantly impact the stories. Lloyd is a brilliant actor and he brings every bit of that into the recording booth for this audiobook. Do yourself a favor and listen. It's the perfect "hair of the dog" cure for the hot mess that was the HBO finale. ♣︎

[adamfortuna]

100 years before the events in A Song of Ice and Fire, Egon Targarian was only a small kid. If you're curious about how he became the most well adjusted of his family, this one is worth checking out. Although an engaging number of stories that add a bit of backstory, they only shed a small amount of new light on overall setting and family dynamics of the era.

[inlibrisveritas]

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are three prequel stories to the A Song of Ice and Fire series that focus on an unlikely knight and with an even more unlikely squire. They take place about a century before the events of the A Game of Thrones, and are not overly necessary to read in order to enjoy the series. These are the perfect little stories to help hold over the SoIaF fans for a little bit longer and great as a smaller taste of what newcomers can expect from the principle series.

Each story follows Dunk and his squire Egg, who are quite the unlikely pair as Dunk is a newly knighted hedge knight and Egg isn’t who he says he is…much to the consternation of Dunk. Each story gives a little more info on how Sir Dunk the Tall becomes the stuff of legends, even though he is woefully untried and new to the arena of knighthood. I loved his bravery even in the face of defeat and how unlike so many of the knights we’re use to seeing in this series he actually holds to his code…even when it gets him in trouble. Egg is sort of hilarious, given who he actually is. He has an little attitude about him, but his heart is in the right place and it’s great to see him struggle with how normal people handle the stress of political strains and how he views the bending of laws. I think my favorite of the three stories is probably the first story, The Hedge Knight. It has everything I love about the series and really made me want to pick up the A Feast of Crows even though I have no time for 800 page book right now. The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight were also really good reads and had plenty of intrigue and tension, but I think the all out melee in the first story won me over.

I listened to the audiobook version of this one, and was really pleased to find out that Harry Lloyd, the actor who played Viserys in the show, was the narrator. He does an excellent job. He has plenty of accents on hand, with a ton of different inflections, and I was pretty impressed that no two characters sounded exactly alike…especially given that Martin likes to add in as many characters as he can. Plus when Lloyd isn’t being a brat to his sister, his voice is heaven.

I did however missed out on the amazing illustrations in the physical copy, and they are gorgeous! I think the pictures alone make the physical copy worth purchasing, at least for me.

I really hope Martin plans to write some more stories featured around Dunk and Egg, or really any of the more notable historical figures in the series, because this one was a lot of fun!