Bibliography XI

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” – George R.R. Martin

Live from Westeros!

I’m done with the TV series, but a book about Westeros is always welcome. Last Christmas, it was The World of Ice and Fire, which also won my award for “Pretentious Coffee Table Book of the Year”. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms houses the stories of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg, which take place well ahead of A Song of Ice and Fire. I read the first one in an anthology some years ago and loved it. GRRM has written more, obviously, and I think I read a second Dunk-and-Egg tale in another anthology, so when I heard that our heroes were getting their own collection in one cover, I was on it … but I did not tell Ter about it and it was soon forgotten in a landslide of other priorities.

As a writer, I completely understand the concept of spinoff. It differs from a series in that the serial storyline is broken. Create a world for one set of characters and eventually, if it’s done right, a host of other inhabitants will clamour to have their stories told. When (if) the original project gets out of hand, you can still enjoy being there by focusing on lesser known people or a different period in that world’s history. As a reader, I admit to being somewhat disappointed when a side project pops out, especially if I’m waiting for the next volume in a larger series, and I don’t usually invest in side projects. I guess I see them as indulgences for the author. I certainly write them as such, with no eye to anything other than completing a work for the sheer fun of it. Calling on familiar characters in a familiar environment helps with the “fun” part.

Writing a series is hard work. I can imagine that the success of GoT has catapulted GRRM into a bit of a quandary, too. Maybe he doesn’t want to finish the novels. Maybe it’s no fun anymore. Maybe he’s afraid to disappoint or fall short or be unduly influenced by what happens next on the TV series. In his position, I would check all of the above. Evidence of distraction/avoidance is everywhere, most notably in the absence of the sixth novel.

Or, in my own personal case, the seventh.

At any rate, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will entertain and inspire me, and serve as a reminder of why I first became a fan. GRRM was a darn good writer before the galactic hoopla happened. My hope is that his standards remain something to which someone like me can aspire.