A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin

"Taking place nearly a century before the events of A Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin's ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire. These never-before-collected adventures recount an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living consciousness. Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there was Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve but ultimately courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals--in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg--whose true name is hidden from all he and Dunk encounter. Though more improbable heroes may not be found in all of Westeros, great destinies lay ahead for these two... as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits" -- Dust jacket flap.

If you're a fan of Song of Ice and Fire, this is a fun, quick read. Broken in 3 stories, Dunk and Egg are affable characters set in the bigger backdrop of the Targaryen empire.

I have been sitting on this omnibus of GRRM stories for a while. Not sure why. This book gathers the first 3 tales of Dunk and Egg, a hedge knight and his squire, set earlier in the history of the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. Dunk (or Ser Duncan the Tall) is a hedge knight making his way through the world of Westeros, having taken on his role after the death of the knight he was formerly squiring for. Egg is a mysterious boy who Dunk takes on as his squire after he shows an interest. It transpires that Egg is actual fact a prince of the realm, Aegon Targaryen.

The first tale deals with how Dunk and Egg meet and a tourney were Dunk first makes a name for himself (and an enemy). Dunk takes on Egg as his squire (with the blessing of his father). The second story sees Dunk serving as a knight for minor lord who has fallen from grace. It later transpires he was on the wrong side of the Blackfyre Rebellion and stripped of his holdings. Dunk makes the best of a bad situation before leaving with his honor intact. The third story again references the Blackfyre Rebellion, where Dunk accidentally finds himself at a wedding tourney that is a secret cover meeting for some conspirators for a second rebellion. He foils this with the help of Egg.

These small pastiches of Westeros before the events of ASOIAF build some fun background to the main story. The characters are both referenced in the main sequence so this expands the mythology in a really fun and effective way. The stories themselves are enjoyable, but losing the politicking of the main story does lower the impact of them somewhat, but as stories of a hedge knight and a squire these work well

These short stories are great for a fix while all await the next book in the series. Love the background here.

Short but lively story

Unlike Game of Thrones this story focuses on a single character, making it easy to follow. The story managed to paint a sympathetic picture of the main characters and made me root for them throughout the story.
Plenty of action that is described in suspenseful detail