A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

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⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

The Winds of Winter may never come, but this book was a salve during the wait, a chance to get back to Westeros and remember why these book are so beloved. This is 3 shorts stories following Dunk, a hedge knight who was forced into knighthood when the old knight he squired for died, and his squire Egg, a bald confident little boy with some connections to the wider world. It was such a pleasant read, and honestly so different from ASOIAF. That book is basically all crappy people, with a couple characters getting redeemed that you can root for but for the most part bad things happening to all the good people. Dunk is a gentle giant, a sweetheart in a 7-foot frame, trying to figure out loyalty and honour and pass it on to Egg.

The first 2 stories were great, with some classic short story conundrums that reminded me of The Witcher in a lot of ways. Dunk is just so loveable, honest to a fault and always thinking he is stupid for doing the right thing. It is such a breath of fresh air, from an unlikely author in George, and I loved it. The third story dragged a bit for me, and I got lost in the names that are thrown at you, but it really was a pleasant visit to Westeros. The food sounds delicious, the tourneys are epic, the weddings are gross. We are back baby!

George really is an expert at naming things, and this was such a good reminder of his mastery. I can't really speak to someone being a great writer or not, but I was hooked on the imagery and the dreams Dunk has, and the connections to his wider world were intriguing. Please please please George, I also Dream of Spring! Make it happen.

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