Ever since it aired, Game of Thrones fans have a lot of opinions about the finale. The divisive conclusion featured Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) turning on the city of King’s Landing, Jon (Kit Harington) killing her and traveling beyond the Wall, and Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) ascending to the Iron Throne. While the finale made the series’ issues evident, the problems started earlier, during Game of Thrones Season 6, when the show surpassed the story written in George R. R. Martin’s book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, requiring it to work toward an ending that hadn’t yet been established.
The wait for the sixth book, The Winds of Winter, is ongoing, meaning fans still don’t know how similar Martin’s conclusion will be to the show, but with HBO expanding the world, there is more new content to hold fans over. Not only is House of the Dragon heading into its third season, but the franchise is growing with a new spin-off as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms nears its premiere. The latest addition will adapt Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, but there is one critical similarity to be aware of: neither book series is complete. Fortunately, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has already found a simple but perfect way to handle the issue while avoiding Game of Thrones’ biggest mistake.
George R. R. Martin Is Still Writing ‘Tales of Dunk and Egg’
Dunk kneeling in the rain in a field at someone’s grave.Image via HBO
Currently, Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg series consists of three short stories chronicling Ser Duncan’s (Peter Claffey) time with his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Although the third story, The Mystery Knight, was published in 2010, Martin has always said the series is not finished. In 2015, he confirmed on his blog that he intends to write several more stories with these characters, including one set in Winterfell, unofficially titled The She-Wolves of Winterfell, and five more that he refers to as The Village Hero, The Sellsword, The Champion, The Kingsguard, and The Lord Commander. With a minimum of six more installments to be added someday, the story is far from over, presenting a challenge for the upcoming series.
When Martin will release another installment is still in question. Reportedly, his focus is on The Winds of Winter, as it has been for a while, and he has stated his intent not to publish anything else until it is complete. Assuming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms does well and returns for two more seasons based on the novellas that have been published, the series will run out of material in just a few years. In all likelihood, the HBO spin-off will catch up to Martin before the author establishes a proper ending, indicating the potential risk that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ story will fall off in quality, much like its predecessor.
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Has a Plan to Avoid this Problem
A Knight of the Seven KingdomsImage via HBO
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms may carry Game of Thrones’ legacy in many ways, but despite the similarities in the timetable compared to their source material, the ending isn’t something for the prequel to emulate. Fortunately, the show’s creators have already come up with a plan to combat the issue: the series just won’t continue. Though the novellas certainly have their drama, the conflict isn’t about the fate of the kingdom but Dunk’s own struggles. The scaled-back focus will be matched with shorter runtimes, with six half-hour episodes rather than the eight or ten hour-long installments per season like other series in the franchise. With less time to fill, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be a more character-focused story, rather than needing to cover an abundance of plot.
When discussing the runtime, series co-creator Ira Parker mentioned that, since there is no need to embellish the story to fill a larger timeslot, the series will be able to adapt one novella per season. As Parker explained, “That means we can start the way that we’re supposed to start and just follow Dunk in his journey into this world.” Though the future of the series depends largely on the reception of the first season, this implies that HBO is planning a three-season arc, following the story that is currently published, rather than trying to make up a narrative that isn’t rooted in the source material.
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Solution Is Simple but Fitting
Though the idea of just concluding the series where the published material ends is an easy way out of dealing with the larger issue, it could actually work for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. When the original series passed the novels, it left the story on a cliffhanger with Jon dead, Stannis (Stephen Dillane) in the North, and Cersei (Lena Headey) facing accusations from the Faith Militant. Not a single storyline had a decent conclusion, so Game of Thrones couldn’t just stop, but A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a different kind of story. The novellas have elements that carry over, but, for the most part, each tells a contained story in the lives of these characters, ending one adventure before they start the next. Stopping at the end of The Mystery Knight will not leave urgent unanswered questions in the same way A Dance With Dragons does, allowing the story to conclude without the series feeling unfinished.
In fact, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has another advantage due to its status as a prequel. Throughout his novels and in companion books like The World of Ice & Fire, Martin establishes the end of the characters’ story, which allows the upcoming series to know the ultimate ending they are building to, even if not every moment in that journey will be portrayed. With this little bit of foresight, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms can tie up loose ends and stop after the currently published novellas without having to create its own conclusion. The series may have found an easy solution to Game of Thrones’ problem, but it fits a more character-driven story, making it the perfect choice.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will premiere on HBO Max on January 18, 2026.
Release Date
January 18, 2026
Network
HBO
Directors
Owen Harris
Peter Claffey
Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall
Finn Bennett
Aerion Targaryen
Bertie Carvel
Baelor Targaryen