By George RR Martin

Rating: 5/5

Three-Word Summary: Shorter Westeros epics

I started reading the Song of Ice and Fire novels over 10 years ago when I was still in high school and long before the HBO series made them famous.

A decade later, every one is impatiently awaiting the arrival of Winds of Winter, the sixth installation in George RR Martin‘s epic fantasy cannon.

While we wait for the book and enjoy the highly anticipated sixth season of the Game of Thrones TV show, fans can still enjoy A Knight of Seven Kingdoms — a collection of previously-published short stories set in the same world, but pre-dating the ASOIAF story line.

The collection is comprised of three novella-length stories, often referred to as the Dunk and Egg tales. Primarily because they feature a hedge knight named Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) and his squire Egg, who is actually prince Aegon Targaryen.

Dunk and Egg have three quick adventures that have some historic significance within the Game of Thrones narrative. A number of characters in the stories are even recent ancestors of those who appear in the novels.

Those who have read the novels will have the benefit of dramatic irony and know a little of the fate that will eventually befall Ser Duncan and Aegon. However, it makes it all the more enjoyable to hear the rich history of Westeros from a direct perspective.

Martin delivers the same remarkable storytelling and character development that has made A Song of Ice and Fire the best fantasy epics of our generation. If anything, his style works even better over the shorter length of the stories.

The only downside being that they are over much quicker. Thankfully, it seems that we will one day have more Dunk and Egg tales to enjoy. After, of course, Martin has finally finished writing Winds of Winter.