A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: GRRM's Tales Of Dunk & Egg Novellas Explained

George R. R. Martin is the storyteller behind Game of Thrones, and it's the same case for HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Game of Thrones and its eight seasons were adapted from GRRM's epic A Song of Ice and Fire series. Though Game of Thrones season 8 marked the end of the HBO series, GRRM's book series hasn't concluded.

In addition to the primary A Song of Ice and Fire series, GRRM has also published novellas and companion books set in the same universe. Game of Thrones' spinoff show, House of the Dragon, is based on Fire & Blood, GRRM's book depicting the history of House Targaryen.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms also serves as a prequel to Game of Thrones. Like the case of House of the Dragon, which serves as an adaptation of a book outside the main A Song of Ice and Fire book series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on a collection of GRRM's novellas.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Is Based On GRRM's The Tales Of Dunk & Egg Books

The series of George R. R. Martin's novellas used as the inspiration for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is known as The Tales of Dunk & Egg. Set in the same universe as A Song of Ice and Fire, the novellas are centered on a hedge knight, Duncan the Tall, and his young squire, Egg.

Though all three novellas that make up The Tales of Dunk & Egg were originally published as three different stories across 12 years, they have been combined for an illustrated publication titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms since 2015.

The HBO adaptation shares that same title, with season 1 adapting The Hedge Knight. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 is already in development and will bring The Sworn Sword to live-action.

How The Tales Of Dunk & Egg Connect To Game Of Thrones

As mentioned, The Tales of Dunk & Egg is set within GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire series that inspired Game of Thrones. Like the novellas, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

Despite shared settings and connections to familiar characters, the prequel focused on Dunk and Egg won't have direct story links to the main Game of Thrones story.

The timeline of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms also puts the story after House of the Dragon. Those who are familiar with The Tales of Dunk & Egg are aware of how the story ties into wider Game of Thrones history.

Without spoiling the HBO series, it's important to remember that House Targaryen was ruling the Seven Kingdoms during the events of the novella, so some of their backstory will be touched upon.

George R. R. Martin Plans To Write Several More Tales Of Dunk & Egg Novellas

It has now been over a decade since George R. R. Martin published a new Tales of Dunk & Egg novella. However, the author is adamant that more stories with Dunk and Egg are on the way.

In fact, GRRM recently spoke about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' future, confirming season 2 would adapt The Sworn Sword. He added that he has more stories following the characters, including one set in Winterfell and another in the Riverlands.

At one point, GRRM has even stated that he wanted to write a dozen Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. For now, it remains unclear how many in total will come to fruition and when the next novella will even be published.

While HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms might give GRRM an extra push for more novellas, the author is still being pressured to finish the next A Song of Ice and Fire book, The Winds of Winter.