Westeros

We’ve posted our review, discussion, and book-to-screen commentary for episode 3 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, “The Squire”, over on Youtube! You can see it below:

Next Sunday’s episode is titled “Seven”.

We’ve just posted our review of the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms over to our Features page. Here’s the start:

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the new show from HBO set 90 years prior to the events of A Game of Thrones, takes that setting’s focus on the high lords and ladies of Westeros and turns it on its head. It brings viewers into a narrow focus on the life of a lowly hedge knight, Dunk – or Ser Duncan the Tall – and his young bald squire, Egg. Adapted from George R.R. Martin’s World Fantasy Award-nominated 1998 novella “The Hedge Knight”, the much-loved story and its characters are brought to life with real warmth, while adding some new elements that at times work very well and at other times… well, mileage may vary.

I have a very vivid memory of when I first encountered “The Hedge Knight”. Linda and I had already become fans of A Game of Thrones and were eagerly awaiting A Clash of Kings. But before that, Robert Silverberg’s anthology Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy came out, and among the stories from many big name authors was “The Hedge Knight”. I remember picking it up at my university bookstore as soon as it was released, and quite literally walking home (in sweltering, humid August heat) while turning the pages of this massive book at the same time. The characters popped from the page, the spectacle of the tourney was vividly rendered, and it made the expectation for the next novel all the greater. I’m happy to say that in most ways (especially those that matter), this show is exceptionally well-adapted.

To read the rest of the review, follow the link!

Peter Claffey as Dunk and Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg