“Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there was Dunk and Egg. A young, naive 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.”  – George R. R. Martin

11 years after publication, George R. R. Martin’s novella series ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ has gotten a television show on HBO. Season 1 ends with its finale episode airing on February 22, 2026. 

The story follows Ser Duncan and his companion Egg, who meet shortly after the death of Dunk’s mentor, Ser Arlan of Pennytree. After some bickering, Dunk agrees to allow Egg to squire for him for the duration of the royal tourney. Although the life of this hedge knight and his squire seems peaceful at first, this is the universe of Westeros after all, a world where nobody is safe. Secrets unfold, and blood is shed, leaving much heartbreak within the few episodes given.

Game Of Thrones Franchise & Controversy

The Song of Ice and Fire is an incredibly popular high fantasy book series written by George R. R. Martin. The series takes place in the world of Westeros, with drama, the living dead, royalty, and most importantly, dragons. Following the story of an array of characters from all over this world with different backgrounds. There are several plotlines within, but they all loop back into each other, making the world of Westeros feel connected and real.

In 2011, HBO adapted A Song of Ice and Fire into the television series Game of Thrones. After season 1, the show’s popularity skyrocketed, which encouraged the production of the next 7 seasons.

Many fans of the book series adored season 1 because it was close to parallel with book one, titled ‘A Game of Thrones’. The season featured most of the characters and closely followed the plot line of the original story. This accuracy continued up until season 5, when the writers and producers deviated from the original series and started creating original characters and lore. In season 6, they had officially run out of books to replicate, as the original book series had not yet been finished. (And still not finished yet…)

This new development really upset fans, sparking widespread controversy about later seasons. Specifically, seasons 7 & 8 are rated much lower than seasons 1-4 for inaccuracy and mischaracterization reasons. Fans of GOT deeply mistrusted HBO after this, which led many to have hatred towards a newer show titled ‘House of the Dragon’, based on a prequel book written about the Targaryen lineage. 

To restore fan approval, HBO decided to adapt A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (AKotSK). This time, they refocused on accuracy and closely followed the provided written works.

Book V.S. TV Adaptation

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ is a trilogy of novellas written by George R. R. Martin, combined into one novel. Being broken into three parts, each section of the book is only around 100 pages long… meaning there isn’t a surplus of information to truly adapt into a lengthy production like A Game of Thrones. Despite this, the writers somehow went above and beyond.

Novella 1 of AKotSK, named ‘The Hedge Knight’, covers the details of Dunk and Egg and their time at the jousting tourney. This section of the book is close to identical to season 1 of the show adaptation. The only difference? The show has more. In the show, you get extra details and additional scenes that are not in the original novella.

For example, there is a character named Lyonel Baratheon, the lord of the noble House Baratheon. In the book, the character is only vaguely mentioned and has a few lines with our main characters, but for the most part, is not heavily involved in the story. However, in the show, he has much more screen time and feels much more important. There’s a party/dance scene that contributes to Ser Duncan becoming looser and more involved; there is a tug-of-war scene that shows off Dunk’s strength; and in the finale episode, there is a comedic and heartfelt scene shared between them.

Another example of the television version giving more is the ‘trial of seven’ scene. There is an entire episode-and-a-half dedicated to this trial of seven, whereas in the book it lasts only a few pages, yet it is the main event of the season and the entire tourney. The reason it’s so important is that there has not been a trial of seven in hundreds of years. Ser Duncan’s valor and morality are truly represented during this event; he even goes so far as to shame other lordlings and knights for not acting with honor as he does.

Overall, the accuracy and dedication of the television adaptation of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are not at all in question, and it should even be suggested that the show’s writers took the storyline a step further.

Expectations For The Second Season

After the astonishing success of the first season, HBO has already announced that the second is in the works, set to premiere at the beginning of 2027. It will follow along with the second novella titled ‘The Sworn Sword’, which continues the adventures of Dunk and Egg, starting two years after the events of The Hedge Knight. Hopefully, the writers will follow suit with what they’ve already shown they can accomplish, and not only replicate the script embedded in the book, but give more than is expected.

A few concerns are circling the concept of the second season, with a few characters who were made important in the show missing from the book. Fans are worried this show will turn out like the previous two, and HBO will become greedy and milk these stories until they’re dry. 

According to an article written by Polygon, “Really, the biggest question about future seasons of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is whether any of the first season’s memorable characters will return down the line. In the novellas, they don’t.” While one would normally agree that accuracy should be the main focus of the series, especially given the controversies surrounding how poorly A Game of Thrones ended, it could be said that what the director is attempting will ultimately be better than George R. R. Martin’s original writing.

The three novellas were written as standalone stories with minimal connections between them, which is why there are very few recurring characters. While this would normally be fine, it’s becoming clear that the audience is growing attached to the background characters who were suddenly made interesting… Who would’ve guessed? This means that, for the show to remain a success, they might have to pull a page from their old books and find a way to fill the gaps so the lovable characters can return. Parker has already decided this, as the writers changed the very end of the season 1 finale.