You can Pre-Order George R.R. Martin’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms now!
No, it’s not The Winds of Winter, and yes, it’s a compilation of short stories already published by as novellas and as graphic novels with Marvel, but for the first time ever, the tales of Duncan the Tall are complied into one beautifully bound and illustrated book: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The book will be officially released on October 6, but Barnes and Noble has the book available for pre-order right now, and if you act fast, you can get a discount.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms tells the story of the squire turned Hedge Knight named Duncan the Tall (Dunk the Lunk, thick as a castle wall) In The Hedge Knight, the first in the trilogy of stories, the knight that Dunk was squired to dies suddenly, and the clumsy lad takes his former master’s armor and weapons and enters the lists at the Tourney at Ashford. There he meets a number of Targaryen princes vying for power. It’s here that Dunk gains his own squire—Egg—and the Tales of Dunk Egg begin. However, Egg has a huge secret, a secret kept by a character from Game of Thrones, at least up until this last season.
The story continues with The Sworn Sword. Here we find Dunk and Egg in the service of a penniless Lord who just happened to back the wrong side during a conflict. Dunk and Egg must maneuver the political and martial landscape of a war-torn land in the Reach, where neighboring Lords constantly fight for simple necessities like water to supply crops. Dunk and Egg’s relationship is fleshed out a bit more in this story, and it even takes on a humorous older brother/younger brother dynamic. “Do you want a clout in the ear?”
Finally, The Mystery Knight finds Dunk and Egg entering another tournament, but this time the consequences are dire, and not just for the two companions. It’s here that the often whispered about Brynden ‘Bloodraven’ Rivers makes an appearance…yes, that Bloodraven, the one who, you know, has three eyes and now sits under a hill with roots growing through his body and who called Bran Stark all the way from Winterfell from beyond the Wall. This is my favorite of the three short-stories, as Dunk has really come into his own as a Knight, and Egg has really become a fiery-tongued squire who doesn’t really fear the threatened clouts on the ear anymore, because he knows who he is and what he can do.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
As far as new material for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, George R.R. Martin had this to say back in February of this year:
"Many of you, of course, will have read the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg in their original appearances in LEGENDS, LEGENDS II, and WARRIORS. But A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS will have a lot more than the three stories."
The book is illustrated by Gary Gianni, and Martin commented that he had long wanted to work with the illustrator. When first approached to illustrate the cover, Gianni turned Martin and his publisher down, because he wanted to illustrate every single page, and Martin agreed.
Hopefully we will see Dunk as a member of the Kingsguard, as he eventually becomes the Lord Commander, and find out more about his connection to the tragedy at Summerhall. The release of this book is so exciting that one almost (almost) forgets that Martin still has two more books to write before he finishes A Song of Ice and Fire. Again, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be on bookshelves and available online on October 6.