A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Ratings182
Average rating4.2
Short but lively story
Unlike Game of Thrones this story focuses on a single character, making it easy to follow. The story managed to paint a sympathetic picture of the main characters and made me root for them throughout the story.
Plenty of action that is described in suspenseful detail
If you're a fan of Song of Ice and Fire, this is a fun, quick read. Broken in 3 stories, Dunk and Egg are affable characters set in the bigger backdrop of the Targaryen empire.
I have been sitting on this omnibus of GRRM stories for a while. Not sure why. This book gathers the first 3 tales of Dunk and Egg, a hedge knight and his squire, set earlier in the history of the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. Dunk (or Ser Duncan the Tall) is a hedge knight making his way through the world of Westeros, having taken on his role after the death of the knight he was formerly squiring for. Egg is a mysterious boy who Dunk takes on as his squire after he shows an interest. It transpires that Egg is actual fact a prince of the realm, Aegon Targaryen.
The first tale deals with how Dunk and Egg meet and a tourney were Dunk first makes a name for himself (and an enemy). Dunk takes on Egg as his squire (with the blessing of his father). The second story sees Dunk serving as a knight for minor lord who has fallen from grace. It later transpires he was on the wrong side of the Blackfyre Rebellion and stripped of his holdings. Dunk makes the best of a bad situation before leaving with his honor intact. The third story again references the Blackfyre Rebellion, where Dunk accidentally finds himself at a wedding tourney that is a secret cover meeting for some conspirators for a second rebellion. He foils this with the help of Egg.
These small pastiches of Westeros before the events of ASOIAF build some fun background to the main story. The characters are both referenced in the main sequence so this expands the mythology in a really fun and effective way. The stories themselves are enjoyable, but losing the politicking of the main story does lower the impact of them somewhat, but as stories of a hedge knight and a squire these work well
These short stories are great for a fix while all await the next book in the series. Love the background here.
Ahhhh I want more Dunk and Egg tales. A knight of the seven kingdoms is a compilation of three Dunk and Egg tales.
The first story is about how the two meet. I found this story hard to follow.
The second picks up pace with Egg traveling as Dunk's squire.
The third was perfect. Battles, mystery, plots, dragons. I want to read this third story again.
Looking forward to more Dunk and Egg tales. Unlike a Song of Ice and fire, this book moves at a faster pace, covers character development, and doesn't get caught up in all these extra boring tidbits. plus, at just over 300 pages, it's less daunting to read.
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.
I'm not a solid fan of sword and dragon topics so the heraldry, jousting, and melee details I zoned out on and the same with the political intrigue.
I did love the 2 main characters and their adventuring and many of the secondary characters. The stories weren't too short and each plot moved along nicely.
I almost feel like this should get two separate ratings - 5 stars if you're already invested in Westeros and A Song of Ice and Fire, three starts if you are not. Given that I can only enter one, and I am so invested, then it's an easy 5 stars for me.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdom follows Ser Duncan (“Dunk”) the Tall, squire to a hedge knight who is knighted himself and then becomes involved with the Targaryen family, especially young Aegon, a century before Robert's Rebellion. Readers of ASOIAF might recognize those names - the latter series tells us that Dunk becomes Lord Commander of Aegon's Kingsguard, and it's hinted that Brienne of Tarth is a descendant of his as well. So we know these are characters destined for great things. At this point, though, that greatness has yet to be thrust upon them, and we see them engaged in smaller acts, like setting quarrels over streams and getting involved in tourneys. The smaller scale of their actions provides a nice break from the epic structure of the larger story, and highlights the quiet nobility that the characters have.
This collection isn't a replacement for ASOIAF, and it's not intended to be such - but what it is is a beautiful, enjoyable look into the larger world of Martin's creation.
with the many excellent illustrations reminded me of many books I read in my younger days [Pyle et al]. Clearly written as homage to Fafhed and Mouser the style makes a nice contrast to the rest of the Throne storylines. Dunk is a nice simple hero who is full of good intentions, dragging himself up from Flea Bottom by his bootstraps. Simple goals drive him, win at tournaments, improving his gear and earning a reputation so the even a hedge knight might serve a great lord. Simple, naive, with just enough skills to get by, but little experience. His one advantage is his size. Egg, a 10-year-old lad is his foil, his Mouser, his Sancho and also his luck. Would be nice to get more insight into the inner thoughts and character of Egg with him having more of a central role in their adventures. The intrigue and politics of the 7 Kingdoms are still here just not as darkly drawn. That to my mind is refreshing as the Throne novels can be bleak and depressing. I gave up to be truthful sitting back and watching the TV. However, this reading has drawn me back in. Warning! The reader needs to enjoy or be prepared to wade through the medieval system of jousts, heraldry, and chivalry. In this sense, its definitely a boys book one for the “trainspotters”, painting a vivid and I think well-researched background.
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.
Another great read and a must have for any Game of Thrones fan. George R R Martin is a master story teller with every word chosen and placed with surgical precision. Can't wait for the next installment.
the book has 3 stories based around the hedge knight and his squire egg, the first is the best, then the third, and sadly the second was incredibly dull. that said, this is an excellent breather if you want to read something in between each Song of Ice and Fire books.
Perhaps I've been away from the ASOIAF world for too long, but this felt quite underdeveloped. It's written as if it expects the reader to already know the history, the places and the families as there's little world building.
The stories themselves were quite quick and fun, and both Dunk and Egg are great characters to follow, but overall this was just fine. Nothing awful about it, but probably quite forgettable in the long run.
The narration by Harry Lloyd was excellent so definitely recommend the audiobook (although I know the physical book has many great illustrations too).
I prefer the Dunk and Egg stories to Game of Thrones. Dunk is a better protagonist than anyone in caught up in the crazy war for the Iron Throne and the stories about him are more hopeful and noble.
The Dunk and Egg novellas are about the old Targaryan line a couple generations before whole Khaleesi/Stark/Lannister throwdown in Westeros. A Hedge Knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his squire, Egg, travel Westeros looking for fortune and adventure and getting a lay of the land.
I really wish GRRM would hurry up and pump out a few of the stories he says he is working on, the stories that are promised to us at the end of this volume.
Set one hundred years before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire, this is collection of three long stories featuring the almost seven-foot-tall hedge knight Dunk and his shaven-headed young squire, Egg. Super fast read and as fun as I would have guessed. Nice diversion, but I'm still waiting for The Winds of Winter.