HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is currently one of the most popular shows on the planet. Season 1 just scratches the surface of the adventures of Dunk and Egg. Of course, you could read George R.R. Martin’s novellas, but if you prefer the comics medium, there’s also graphic novel adaptations to check out!
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms tells a very different story to what we’ve seen so far in the Game of Thrones Universe. Rather than telling a massive, multi-faceted story from several perspectives, the show takes a step back. It focuses on two characters, lowly hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), also known as Aegon Targaryen. Despite being so different to Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, it’s won over audiences through its charming story.
The original series was written by George R.R. Martin is still unfinished. Martin began the saga in 1998. It currently consists of three novellas: “The Hedge Knight” (1998), “The Sworn Sword” (2003), and “The Mystery Knight” (2010). By 2015, the three novellas were combined into a novel titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Martin has since revealed that he plans to write more tales about Dunk and Egg, but he hasn’t published any further works yet. But he plans to. In fairness, Martin has myriad things planned, not least The Winds of Winter, so we’re not holding our breath.
The TV series is, of course, fantastic. But television takes time, and it’s going to be a long while before we’re all caught up with the story. And for some, reading prose is not quite the same for whatever reason. That’s exactly where the graphic novels come into play. They offer gorgeous visuals, and story is not sacrificed or largely abridged. The graphic novels are created by Ben Avery and Mike S. Miller. They’re magnificent, full-colour adaptations of the original work.
Avery keeps it faithful to the source material, while Mike D. Miller’s art adds a while new perspective to the story. So far there are three graphic novels, each one covering an entire novella. Book 1, The Hedge Knight, tells the complete story of what we see in season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. In Book 2, The Sworn Sword, Dunk finds himself at accepting to be the sworn sword of Ser Eustace, an aged knight. In Book 3, The Mystery Knight, Dunk and Egg are lured off the Kingsroad after passing Winterfell, where they find themselves in the midst of an unusually lucrative tournament.
Where can you buy the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms graphic novels?
Below we’ve linked to Amazon listings of each graphic novel. It’s worth noting that these graphic novels are selling out fast following the release of the HBO series. Clearly a reprint is in order.
THE HEDGE KNIGHT: Buy here.
THE SWORN SWORD: Buy here.
THE MYSTERY KNIGHT: Buy here.
