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288th out of 339 books
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496 voters
The Hedge Knight (The Tales of Dunk and Egg #1)
A novella originally published August 25, 1998 in the Legends anthology, edited by Robert Silverberg. Set in the world of the Song of Ice and Fire series eighty-nine years before the events of the main cycle, the story relates the adventures of Dunk (eponymously called Ser Duncan the Tall) and his squire, Egg.
ebook, 79 pages
Published
(first published 1998)
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I have to say that comic books, which are sometimes called graphic novels now, have become more sophisticated. Writers like Moore, Gaiman and Miller, among others, have brought complex and dark realism.
THE HEDGE KNIGHT is more of a medieval knight's tale with a great deal of enriched history to a fantasy world of great complexity.
In this tale, a knight with no lord to follow joins a tourney in the hopes of securing fame and fortune (i.e. winners in medieval tourneys sometimes got to keep the a...more
THE HEDGE KNIGHT is more of a medieval knight's tale with a great deal of enriched history to a fantasy world of great complexity.
In this tale, a knight with no lord to follow joins a tourney in the hopes of securing fame and fortune (i.e. winners in medieval tourneys sometimes got to keep the a...more
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A very interesting prelude to the Song of Ice & Fire series. I really liked the characters & it was interesting seeing the ancestors of other characters I've come to know so well.
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Starts out slow, but The Hedge Knight soon finds its footing, and proves itself a worthy addition to the world of Ice and Fire. It can always be difficult writing what is essentially a prequel, as the stakes are often so greatly lowered as to be all but nonexistent. See the Star Wars prequels for example, where knowing how all the characters are going to end up saps all the tension and drama from the work. The Hedge Knight sidesteps all this by setting itself quite a long time before the events...more
Perhaps, I'm a bit biased, I can admit that. I love Westeros. I love A Song of Ice and Fire. I didn't give every book five stars, so I feel I'm reasonable enough. With that being said, I loved this short story.
My initial fear when I first heard of this story was that neither Dunk nor Egg, the two protagonists, would have anything to do with the main story in ASOIAF. That turns out to be not true, so I just wanted to put that out there. A lot of Daenery's great relatives make appearances and both...more
My initial fear when I first heard of this story was that neither Dunk nor Egg, the two protagonists, would have anything to do with the main story in ASOIAF. That turns out to be not true, so I just wanted to put that out there. A lot of Daenery's great relatives make appearances and both...more
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Martin shows that, at heart, he's a soppy old romantic like the rest of us with this witty, lighthearted and sometimes exciting adventure of a poor knight (Dunk - That's Ser Duncan the Tall to you) determined to prove his worth in the troubled world of Westeros ruled over by the Targaryens a slightly crazy royal dynasty, full of both the most noble and the most viscous examples of mankind. Dunk, of course, comes face to face with both kinds in this story which is perfectly tooled to be readable...more
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Set in the same world as George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, “The Hedge Knight” is the first in a series of short stores (and graphic novels) about Ser Duncan the Tall, or Dunk, and his squire Egg. “The Hedge Knight,” and the other stories in the Tales of Dunk and Egg are set about a hundred years before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire.
As mentioned, “The Hedge Knight” is the first in this series and follows Dunk as he enters the Tourney of Ashford, following the death of his...more
As mentioned, “The Hedge Knight” is the first in this series and follows Dunk as he enters the Tourney of Ashford, following the death of his...more
This novel is set in the same universe as the Game of Thrones series, though the action takes place a century before. As such, it draws the inevitable comparisons to Game of Thrones, so I thought I might start my review there.
The world of Game of Thrones is, magic excepted, a simplication of our own world. We have telecommunications: telephone networks, internet, mobiles, etc. The Game of Thrones world has ravens, and communicate between castles by attaching messages to their legs. We have the w...more
The world of Game of Thrones is, magic excepted, a simplication of our own world. We have telecommunications: telephone networks, internet, mobiles, etc. The Game of Thrones world has ravens, and communicate between castles by attaching messages to their legs. We have the w...more
I love spending time in Westeros, even if it's 100 years before the Westeros I know and have become obsessed with.
Knighted by his old master, a hedge knight, moments before his death, Dunk sets off to join the lists with nothing but some old armour, a couple of horses, some hope and a cheeky new squire he's picked up along the way to get him through. Once at the tourney Dunk discovers how difficult it can be to be a true knight, though the true identity of his squire, Egg, could come in handy.
Th...more
Knighted by his old master, a hedge knight, moments before his death, Dunk sets off to join the lists with nothing but some old armour, a couple of horses, some hope and a cheeky new squire he's picked up along the way to get him through. Once at the tourney Dunk discovers how difficult it can be to be a true knight, though the true identity of his squire, Egg, could come in handy.
Th...more
What a fun book. I hadn't read any books from George R.R. Martin in a while and I must say this novella did not disappoint. The novella centers around the story of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg (aka Aegon Targaryen). The novella is an amazing adventure story, as well as a tale of friendship and loyalty. Ser Duncan, after the death of his beloved mentor Ser Arlan, elects to fight in a tournament with thoughts of gold in his mind. Soon enough though, Duncan is not fighting for gold, but h...more
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Martin is notorious for taking his time writing installments of his magnum opus 'A Song of Ice and Fire', so a side series set in the same world inevitably raises questions of procrastination. Thankfully, the Dunk and Egg books are a strong little series in their own right and shouldn't be ignored by any fan of the seven kingdoms.
Set a generation or two before the main books, these follow Duncan the hedge knight and his unlikely companion through their adventures across Westeros. While the char...more
Set a generation or two before the main books, these follow Duncan the hedge knight and his unlikely companion through their adventures across Westeros. While the char...more
What I thought was going to be a formulaic little novella turned into a completely different story. Highly recommend for any ASoIaF fans who haven't ventured into these stories.
Plus I imagined Dunk as a taller version of JonTron, voice and all, so I was totally amused the whole time.
Anyway though I was all up in this little story, good times.
Plus I imagined Dunk as a taller version of JonTron, voice and all, so I was totally amused the whole time.
Anyway though I was all up in this little story, good times.
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Now I get the appeal Sansa Stark feels when reading of tales from chivalrous Knights and their brave deeds, even the brutal battle scenes seems magical and romantic. With Dunk aka Ser Duncan the Tall, I get what a "True Knight" is supposed to be like, even though he's nothing more than a Hedge Knight, he is tall and handsome and brave and protects the weak and so dreamy!
The tale is based in the land of Westeros, 100 years before the tales of Ice and Fire began, when the Targaryans were the maste...more
The tale is based in the land of Westeros, 100 years before the tales of Ice and Fire began, when the Targaryans were the maste...more
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While eagerly awaiting the next book in the A Song Of Ice And Fire series, I decided to give the Tales of Dunk and Egg a try.
The story starts off slow, giving the reader plenty of time to get accustomed to Dunk - Ser Duncan the Tall - and his dreams of becoming a true champion. Dunk is a simple man who is unfortunate enough to be involved in a Targaryen family quarrel. And as we all know; dragons are bad for anyone's health.
It took me a while to remember the Targaryen family tree, since their na...more
The story starts off slow, giving the reader plenty of time to get accustomed to Dunk - Ser Duncan the Tall - and his dreams of becoming a true champion. Dunk is a simple man who is unfortunate enough to be involved in a Targaryen family quarrel. And as we all know; dragons are bad for anyone's health.
It took me a while to remember the Targaryen family tree, since their na...more
I love the "Song of Ice and Fire" series, so enjoyed being in the world of Westeros again. I'm must admit that I'm not normally a reader of graphic novels, preferring to 'see' the world through the words and my imagination, but I enjoyed this one. It was intriguing to read more of some of the historical characters referred to in the Song of Ice and Fire books. If you are a Game of Thrones fan and you like graphic novels then you will enjoy this one. This tale of a tournament contains some violen...more
Once I start reading this during lunch break, I can't stop! I'm excited to read more, it's the feeling I get when I first read AGoT.
A short, sweet read! Nice to see references to characters mentioned in "A Song of Ice and Fire" series too.
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GRRM did it again!
The Hedge Knight is only a 51 pages long short story, and I finished it only in one read, but that soon I was hooked. I have known that 'The Tales of Dunk & Egg' is meant to be the story of King Aegon V -- when he was merely a boy of 8 and how he rose to be one of the greatest kings the Seven Kingdoms has ever seen. The Hedge Knight takes place 100 years before the recent events of ASoIaF, from the POV of Dunk, a hedge knight who wanted to prove himself by joining a tourney...more
The Hedge Knight is only a 51 pages long short story, and I finished it only in one read, but that soon I was hooked. I have known that 'The Tales of Dunk & Egg' is meant to be the story of King Aegon V -- when he was merely a boy of 8 and how he rose to be one of the greatest kings the Seven Kingdoms has ever seen. The Hedge Knight takes place 100 years before the recent events of ASoIaF, from the POV of Dunk, a hedge knight who wanted to prove himself by joining a tourney...more
I’m not a big fantasy fan. I have nothing at all against it – it’s just that I enjoy good science fiction more than I enjoy good fantasy. I’ve read and enjoyed Middlearth, The Magician, Tigana, etc. But then came George R.R. Martin. Several people told me to read the first book in his "A Song of Ice and Fire" saga, "A Game of Thrones". I finally succumbed to the thousand-pager, and I'm now hooked, impatiently waiting for Martin to finish the sixth book in the series to finally read the fifth, "A...more
Now I've officially run out of A Song of Ice and Fire reading - George R. R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg is a series of three novellas set in the same world as A Game of Thrones, 90 years earlier (three novellas counts as a novel, right?).
This review is about the three stories in the Tales of Dunk and Egg...
It's the Tale of Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk), a Hedge Knight who grew up as a street urchin in the city of Kings Landing; and Aegon Targaryen (Egg), 5th or so in line to the throne of Weste...more
This review is about the three stories in the Tales of Dunk and Egg...
It's the Tale of Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk), a Hedge Knight who grew up as a street urchin in the city of Kings Landing; and Aegon Targaryen (Egg), 5th or so in line to the throne of Weste...more
A fun little novella for the fans of A Song of Ice and Fire. In contrast with the epic scope of the series, Martin kept this far more modest.
Not pretentious at all, but a small story about a an unlikely knight and his unlikely squire.
I feel it wouldn't quite work on its own though. The story is indeed self-contained, but without the backstory of A Song of Ice and Fire I fear the story in itself is a bit thin.
It is fun, however, if you've read the series, and you know the history of the house...more
Not pretentious at all, but a small story about a an unlikely knight and his unlikely squire.
I feel it wouldn't quite work on its own though. The story is indeed self-contained, but without the backstory of A Song of Ice and Fire I fear the story in itself is a bit thin.
It is fun, however, if you've read the series, and you know the history of the house...more
I really enjoyed this novella. I knew a bit about it coming in, including who "Dunk" and "Egg" were, but there were still surprises in store for me while reading. In classic Martin style, the characters were easy to get into and to grow fond of, so I felt like I was having ups and downs while the characters went through their trials and tribulations.
For those who don't know, this is the first of three novellas set in the world of Westeros about 100 year before the events of A Game of Thrones. Du...more
For those who don't know, this is the first of three novellas set in the world of Westeros about 100 year before the events of A Game of Thrones. Du...more
This excellent novella is set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, about 100 years before the events in the main series. It's the first of 3 "Dunk and Egg" adventures that have been published so far, and I think GRRM is still writing more of these tales. I found it in the anthology Legends, edited by Robert Silverberg.
Warning: If you haven't read the Song of Ice and Fire series, a few of these comments could be mild spoilers.
This novella takes place in the Riverlands area of Westeros. I rea...more
Warning: If you haven't read the Song of Ice and Fire series, a few of these comments could be mild spoilers.
This novella takes place in the Riverlands area of Westeros. I rea...more
After completing the first five books of "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, I decided to begin these novellas about the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall (aka "Dunk") and Aegon Targaryen V (aka "Egg") that take place about 100 years before the events in "Game of Thrones" transpire. These were initially written as regular novellas and were later also translated into graphic novels. I am reviewing the written novella, however, as I have not yet read the graphic novel.
"The Hedge Knight" introduces us...more
"The Hedge Knight" introduces us...more
Wonderful short story that serves as a prequel to the A Song Of Ice And Fire series and depicts Westeros in happier times, some 100 years before the ASOIAF books take place, with the Targaryens still in charge. I loved learning more about them, as I think the Targaryens are by far the most interesting family in the ASOIAF books. (view spoiler)...more
The Hedge Knight is everything that the main body of A Song of Ice and Fire is not: it is short, it canters in a straight line towards the finish, and nothing hugely terrible occurs within its pages. This makes it a refreshing change of pace from the increasingly heavy world that Martin normally plays in, and it makes for a fun and easy read.
Dunk is a simple character who is too acutely aware of this fact, and his lack of self-esteem punctuates the pages. He wants someone to squire for him but...more
Dunk is a simple character who is too acutely aware of this fact, and his lack of self-esteem punctuates the pages. He wants someone to squire for him but...more
The Hedge Knight is the first in a trio of prequel novellas to the Song of Ice and Fire series. This first story introduces us to "Dunk", Ser Duncan the Tall, and his mysterious squire, Egg, as they travel to a joust.
While a bit slow of the middle, with what devolved simply into a list of knights and arms, the lead up to the trial by seven is as good as anything Martin has ever written. The aftermath is not for the faint of heart or stomach, but that is a mark of good writing as well.
I can't w...more
While a bit slow of the middle, with what devolved simply into a list of knights and arms, the lead up to the trial by seven is as good as anything Martin has ever written. The aftermath is not for the faint of heart or stomach, but that is a mark of good writing as well.
I can't w...more
When I picked this book up at the library, I thought I had never read a George R. R. Martin story before but, after 2 pages, I realized he had contributed this novella to an anthology called Legends back in 1999. I had originally picked up this anthology because it contained a Stephen King "Dark Tower" short story, but I remember that the Hedge Knight story far out shined King's. Taking place in the "Game of Thrones" universe, this novella is fantasy without magic or dragons, just knights, joust...more
Oh, I just liked this so much! This story takes place about 90ish or so years before the events of A Game of Thrones. I thought it was just going to be a pretty straightforward Young Knight Finds Glory At A Tournament type story, but this is GRRM. So obviously it was much more than that. Dunk and Egg get caught up in affairs bigger than them and we get to see how that affects the entire future of the 7 Kingdoms. Anyway, was super great to get back to Westeros, and with just a novella sized amoun...more
I'm not going to lie. After getting through GRRM's A Dance with Dragons, I wasn't too keen on reading more of his work. I had become quite bored with the world of A Song of Ice and Fire and wanted to go in a new direction. But I had stumbled across this story and knew I had to try it. I was so incredibly glad I did. While I initially loved GRRM's writings I quickly grew annoyed with some of his character, who I hated. reading this was quite refreshing. Dunk and Egg are quite lovable characters t...more
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George R. R. Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.
Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies,...more
More about George R.R. Martin...
Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies,...more
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