The Dunk and Egg stories are an ongoing series of novellas written by George R. R. Martin, set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, prequels to the main novels. The stories relate the adventures of the hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall, who would become a legendary member of the Kingsguard, and his squire Egg, who would become King Aegon V Targaryen of Westeros. The stories begin with their meeting eighty-nine years before the events of the main novels (209 AC), and may cover the events until the deaths of Duncan and King Aegon.[1]
Three novellas have appeared so far: The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight. Six to twelve stories in the series are planned.[2]
Publications
[edit]Three novellas have been published:
- The Hedge Knight, originally published August 25, 1998 in the Legends anthology, edited by Robert Silverberg,[3] later also in Dreamsongs Volume II[4] and as a stand-alone graphic novel.[5]
- The Sworn Sword, originally published in Legends II anthology series[6], later also in Legends II: Dragon, Sword and King[7] and as a Graphic Novel.[8]
- The Mystery Knight, originally published in 2010 as part of the Warriors anthology [9] and later in Warriors 1.[10]
These three stories were collected in one book, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2015).
Graphic novels of these three stories have also been published. The most recent graphic novel, adapting The Mystery Knight, was released on August 8, 2017.[11][12]
Future
[edit]Planned Installments
[edit]
George R.R. Martin has said that he would like to write a number of these stories (varying from six to twelve from interview to interview) covering the entire lives of these two characters. According to Ira Parker, co-creator of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Martin has outlined plans for 10 to 12 additional Dunk and Egg novellas.[13]
A fourth installment, currently untitled, but with the working title The She-Wolves of Winterfell, has been described by Martin. It will feature Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg at Winterfell, where they will meet the so-called "She-Wolves". Originally, it was planned that this fourth Dunk and Egg novella would be published in the Dangerous Women anthology Martin was co-editing with Gardner Dozois. However, when unable to make the deadline, Martin submitted The Princess and the Queen, an abridged version of a piece he had written on the civil war Dance of the Dragons.[14]
Martin also has a fifth tale roughed out in his head, which has the working title The Village Hero. This novella is set to take place in the Riverlands,[14] but Martin is not sure whether it will come out before or after The She-Wolves of Winterfell.[15] Regarding the completion of these two novellas, Martin has stated the following:
There's no telling when I will have time to finish either of these, or which one I will write first. I don't expect I will know more until I've delivered THE WINDS OF WINTER.[14]
Further working titles for future Dunk and Egg stories have been revealed by Martin.[15]
- The Sellsword
- The Champion
- The Kingsguard
- The Lord Commander
The chronology of these stories is as yet unknown, as well as if any other stories may take place in between them.
Martin has also revealed a number of details about his plans for the future of the Dunk and Egg stories over the years:
- He intends the Dunk and Egg stories to eventually cover the events surrounding Maekar I Targaryen's death in the Peake Uprising.[16]
- Martin has stated the novellas will follow Dunk all the way to the end of his life,[17] including the tragedy at Summerhall[18] and that readers will learn more about Summerhall if he writes more Dunk and Egg.[19]
- When asked if readers would eventually find out more about Dunk, Egg, and Duncan the Small, said Martin yes and that he hoped to write more Dunk and Egg stories.[20] Later, he also stated that he intended the question of whether Jaehaerys or Duncan had been heir to Aegon V as a revelation for future Dunk and Egg stories,[1] although some details about this matter were subsequently revealed in The World of Ice & Fire.[21]
- He has stated the question of whether Dunk fathered a family and if said family was around as of the main series would have to wait for future Dunk and Egg stories or possibly later books in A Song of Ice and Fire.[22] He would later confirm that Brienne of Tarth descends from Dunk, although the details remain unrevealed.[23]
- Martin has stated he intends to write the story of how Egg becomes king,[24] though did not specify if he envisioned it as a Dunk and Egg novella. Some details on the subject were revealed in A Clash of Kings, published the same month, and later in The World of Ice & Fire.
- Martin has also alluded to possibly writing a full story of Dunk and Egg's "Dornish adventure," set between The Hedge Knight and The Sworn Sword.[25] While in Dorne, Dunk and Egg travelled from Prince's Pass to Vaith. There, they encountered Lady Cassella Vaith, who Dunk seriously offended, thus putting their lives at risk. They then sailed down the Greenblood to the Planky Town and took passage to Oldtown.[26]
- There will be more tourneys in the Dunk and Egg novellas.[27] One such tourney was subsequently shown in The Mystery Knight.[28]
- After the publication of The Sworn Sword, Martin said that future Dunk and Egg stories will be getting darker.[29]
- According to actor Daniel Ings, who portrays the character in the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms television series, Martin has told him Lyonel Baratheon appears again in unwritten Dunk and Egg adventures.[30]
- Actor Peter Claffey, who portrays Dunk, has stated in an interview that based on "conversations with very in the know people [...] if we push on very far, I'm pretty sure you'll probably see Tanselle and Ser Duncan the Tall in the same room together again," suggesting an eventual return of Tanselle.[31] Martin himself has said there's a good chance of Tanselle returning and learning what happened to her in future Dunk and Egg stories.[32]
Collections
[edit]
While the original intent was to publish all the Dunk and Egg tales in a series of anthologies (as was done for the first three), and then collect them all in one big book, when The Mystery Knight was released it became clear that the stories were too long for this. The current plan, as expressed by Martin, is to release a series of Dunk and Egg collections, each consisting of three novellas. The first of these collections consisted of the three published stories to date, The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight. Originally, the obvious title "The Hedge Knight" was considered, but due to already existing confusion about the same-titled novella and graphic novels, the first collection was titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.[14] It was released on October 6th, 2015, by Bantam Spectra.
Adaptations
[edit]Martin had admitted that there has been interest for movies or television shows for the Dunk and Egg tales.
There has been interest, yes, but the rights situation is complicated. Film and television rights to the characters and the three published Dunk and Egg stories remain with me at present... but HBO, when acquiring the rights to the SONG OF ICE & FIRE novels, also acquired film and television rights to the world of Westeros. So if we did Dunk and Egg with anyone else, we would need to remove all the references to House Targaryen, the Iron Throne, etc... not completely impossible, but certainly undesireable. Whereas if HBO decided they wanted to make a Dunk and Egg miniseries or TV movies, they'd first need to buy the stories. That's a much more attractive proposition for all concerned, I think... but if it happens, it will happen years from now, not tomorrow, and not next week.[14]
In January 2021, it was reported that a series adaptation, "Tales of Dunk and Egg", was in early development at HBO.[33] On April 2023, the adaptation, now called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has been announced to be greenlit to full series.[34] The first season aired in 2026.
References and Notes
[edit]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 So Spake Martin: Interaction (Glasgow, Scotland, UK; August 4-8) (August 4, 2005).
- ↑ Harte, Bryant (July 12, 2011). "An Interview with George R. R. Martin, Part I". indigo.ca. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. http://blog.indigo.ca/fiction/item/512-an-interview-with-george-r-r-martin-part-one.html. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ↑ Legends, ISBN 978-0006483946 (Paperback, 2011 Edition); ISBN 978-0002256674 (Paperback, June 1999 Edition); ISBN 978-0812566635 (Mass Market Paperback, September 1999 Edition); ISBN 978-0765300355 (Paperback, 2001 Reissue); ISBN 978-0007385034 (Paperback, 2010 Edition); ISBN 978-0312867874 (Hardcover, 1998 Edition) and several other Hardcover printings, some of them limited editions.
- ↑ Dreamsongs Volume II, ISBN 978-0553806588 (Hardcover); ISBN 978-0553385694 (Paperback)
- ↑ Hedge Knight Graphic Novel, ISBN 978-0785127246 (Second Edition, 2007, Marvel); ISBN 978-0976401100 (First Edition, 2005, Dabel Brothers)
- ↑ Legends II, ISBN 978-0007154364 (Paperback, 2011 Edition); ISBN 978-0812575231 (Mass Market Paperback, 1999 Edition); ISBN 978-0007154357 (Paperback, 2004 Edition); ISBN 978-0007305094 (Paperback, 2008 Edition); ISBN 978-0007154340 (Hardback, 2003 Edition); ISBN 978-0606186476 (Turtleback, 1999 Edition)
- ↑ Legends II: Dragon, Sword and King, ISBN 978-0345475787 (Paperback); ISBN 978-1435291133 (Library Binding)
- ↑ The Hedge Knight II: Sworn Sword, ISBN 978-0785126515 (2009 TPB); ISBN 978-0785126508 (2008 Hardcover)
- ↑ Warriors, ISBN 978-0765320483 (Hardcover)
- ↑ Warriors 1, ISBN 978-0765360267 (Mass Market Paperback)
- ↑ Amazon: The Mystery Knight: A Graphic Novel
- ↑ Amazon.com: The Mystery Knight: A Graphic Novel
- ↑ The National: George RR Martin has outlined 12 unpublished Dunk & Egg stories for HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (January 12, 2026)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Not a Blog: Dunk & Egg (April 15th, 2014)
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Not a Blog: How many seasons? (March 12th, 2015), reply to comment (March 19th, 2015)
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Chicon 7 Reading (September 2, 2012).
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Asshai.com Forum Chat (July 27, 2008).
- ↑ YouTube: Ideas at the House: George R.R. Martin, Lena Headey & Michelle Fairley - 'Game of Thrones' (November 11, 2013)
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Summerhall (June 19, 1999).
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Duncan the Small and the Young Starks (August 6, 2000).
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon V.
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Many Questions (October 14, 1998).
- ↑ The Wertzone: George R.R. Martin confirms GAME OF THRONES/SONG OF ICE AND FIRE fan theory (29 May, 2016)
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Egg and the Targaryens (November 5, 1998).
- ↑ Not A Blog: A Knight and a Squire. George R. R. Martin (April 14, 2023). Archived and retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ↑ The Sworn Sword.
- ↑ So Spake Martin: To Be Continued (Chicago, IL; May 6-8) (May 7, 2005).
- ↑ The Mystery Knight.
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Boskone (Boston, MA; February 13-15) (February 13, 2004).
- ↑ Daniel Ings is laughing up a storm
- ↑ YouTube: Marco Spagnoli: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – Conversation with Peter Claffey & Tanzyn Crawford (January 31, 2026)
- ↑ So Spake Martin: TusCon 43 Q&A (November 12, 2016).
- ↑ Variety, "'Game of Thrones' Prequel 'Tales of Dunk and Egg' in Early Development at HBO (EXCLUSIVE)"
- ↑ Variety: "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" Ordered at HBO (April 12, 2023)