A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Book, The Show, and the Cliffhanger Nobody Asked For
HBO goes back to Westeros — and this time, it almost got it right.
I read A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and watched the HBO series back to back in January. Here is what I think — and why that episode 9 ending is a conversation we need to have in person.
Before Game of Thrones. Before the Red Wedding. Before Daenerys and dragons and the broken wheel — there was Dunk and Egg. Two wandering knights, no great destiny, just Westeros in its quieter years. That is the world George R.R. Martin builds in the Tales of Dunk and Egg series, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is Book 1.
The Book
Martin's novella is lean in a way his later work is not. No sprawling POVs. No thousand-page doorstoppers. Just Ser Duncan the Tall — a hedge knight of no great fame — and his squire Egg, a boy with a secret. The writing is intimate, warm, and quietly devastating. It reads in a single sitting and leaves you wanting the next one immediately.
It is part of a 3-book series (Tales of Dunk and Egg), and Martin has been writing it alongside everything else for over two decades. Book 3 is still not out. That is very on-brand.
The HBO Series
HBO's adaptation arrived in 2025 — 9 episodes, expanded from a novella that could be filmed in 2. The production design is stunning. The casting is considered. And the show adds threads, characters, and political context that the source material only hints at.
Episode 9 ended on a cliffhanger. I have opinions about this. Strong ones. We will discuss them at the inaugural meeting.
The Verdict
This is a TAP review in progress. The full breakdown — page vs. screen, what was gained, what was lost, and whether that ending was earned — is coming after our July 11th inaugural meeting. Come ready to argue.