George R.R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire, has declared HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms a remarkably faithful adaptation. In a recent blog post, he revealed that the six-episode series is complete and slated for release later this year, possibly in the fall. Unlike his previous experience with House of the Dragon, Martin expressed enthusiastic approval.
"I’ve seen all six episodes (the last two in rough cuts)," he wrote, "and I loved them. Dunk and Egg have always been favorites of mine, and the actors portraying them are incredible. The entire cast is terrific. Wait until you meet the Laughing Storm and Tanselle Too-Tall."
He praised the show's fidelity to The Hedge Knight, the first Dunk and Egg novella: "It’s as faithful an adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for (and you all know how incredibly reasonable I am on that particular subject)."
However, Martin cautioned against expecting large-scale action sequences. "There’s a huge fight scene, but no dragons, huge battles, or White Walkers," he explained. "This is a character piece, focusing on duty, honor, and chivalry."
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms stars Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) and Dexter Sol Ansell as Prince Aegon Targaryen (Egg). While the premiere is still months away, HBO has released images and a short teaser trailer.
Martin concluded his post with a playful reference to his long-awaited novel, The Winds of Winter: "Meanwhile, we’ll be moving on to 'The Sworn Sword,' the second Dunk & Egg tale. And once I finish The Winds of Winter, I will need to get hopping on 'The Village Hero,' and all the other tales that await the lads. Don’t worry, I am sure you folks will remind me."