ARE THERE NO TRUE ADAPTATIONS AMONG YOU?

Anyone who knows me likely knows of my love for George R.R. Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire', upon which 'Game of Thrones' was based. Martin's main series is amazing, but I also have just as much regard for his other work set in the same universe, the set of novellas collectively known as 'Tales of Dunk and Egg' or 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'. 'The Mystery Knight', the third and final entry in the trilogy (for now!), was special enough to me and my wife that we included it in the table names at our recent wedding, with each of the ten tables named for a book we have both read and loved (and that had titles that wouldn't be too off-putting for guests).

So, imagine both my delight and my apprehension when it was announced it was going to be adapted into a series by HBO, acting alongside 'House of the Dragon' as a prequel to 'Game of Thrones'. I have something of a complex relationship with adaptations of Martin's work (though I know I'm far from alone in that, these days), but as its airing approached and the signs got better and better, I began to get more and more excited. While I have generally favourable views on 'House of the Dragon', what is undeniable is that it is as grim and dark as it gets for fantasy TV, and about as ambitious, expensive, and time-consuming to make, to boot. 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms', I knew, could prove the perfect palate-cleanser for such heavy, epic stuff. Focused on a humble knight hoping to become a champion in his first ever tournament, as well as the squire that he picks up in strange circumstances along the way, 'The Hedge Knight' (the first novella in the series) is a much smaller, quainter tale than anything found in 'Game of Thrones' or 'House of the Dragon'. Still impactful and important to the wider world, and still undoubtedly dark at times, but told largely from the point of view of Dunk, or 'Ser Duncan the Tall', as he begins styling himself. A simple, kind former street urchin, Dunk (often naively) sees the best in both people and the world, and he has a keen sense of honour and justice that permeates the prose in the novella. So much so that it often feels very different to Martin's other work. Accompanying Dunk, and making up one of the best duos in fiction, is his young squire, 'Egg', who is in some ways more savvy, snarky and world-weary than Dunk - though in many others even more child-like and naive (something that makes sense, given that he is, in fact, a child).

And now, all the episodes of season one of 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' are out. I have, of course, eagerly consumed them all. So, what's the verdict? They're great! The casting for Dunk and Egg and the chemistry between the two actors they chose was always going to be the key to the show's success, and in that sense it was better than I ever could have imagined. Peter Claffey (Dunk) and Dexter Sol Ansell (Egg) truly embodied these excellent, utterly loveable characters, and in some ways (in combination with the writers) have grown them above and beyond what was already there. The sets and costumes are perfect, too, sticking very closely to the much-beloved graphic novel based on the story. Most importantly, they really nailed the feel of the novellas; this small-scale, intimate and twee twist on a massive, dangerous world we already know so well. To borrow Gen-Z internet parlance, the novella is extremely 'vibes-based'. The show really captured those vibes incredibly well. What's more, people seem to agree with me, and 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' seems (largely anecdotally) to be performing fantastically with both critics and wider audiences alike.

Do I have some nitpicks and quibbles? Of course, what kind of book reader would I be if there weren't any small aspects of an adaptation that didn't irk me? But the whole is good enough that I can forgive and forget some of the less-to-my-taste bits that made it up, and there are also plenty of improvements from the novella dotted throughout, as well.

I do worry for future seasons, though. The next novella, in particular, will be a tricky story to adapt, and while each of the books is different, they also have similarities to their structure that will be challenging if the showrunners are going to keep things fresh and interesting moving forward. That's a worry for another day, however. For now, I'm just going to enjoy that I got a faithful, well-executed adaptation of one of my favourite books. I'll let the showrunners worry about how they're going to approach season two, and hope they have a bit of credit in the bank with HBO and audiences if they stumble at all.

Coincidentally, it has also been exactly 25 years since the release of another one of my favourites. 'A Knight's Tale' is a film that shares many similarities with 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' (so much so that I've seen speculation online that HBO copied it - hard to believe since Martin wrote 'The Hedge Knight' in 1998, three years before 'A Knight's Tale' came out). My wife and I were so happy to get to go and see an anniversary screening nearby in Oxford, and it really was great fun. It's not a cinematic masterpiece, but the chemistry of the cast is just so wonderful, the wackiness and anachronism really refreshing, and the depictions of the jousting still hold up incredibly well (and are well worth seeing on a big screen). If I hadn't also been to the anniversary screenings of 'The Lord of the Rings' films recently, I would have said it was the best experience I've had in a cinema in years. It did make me feel old, though. Not because of the film's age, particularly, or because of reminders of my childhood, but because both Liv and I came out of the cinema saying 'they don't make films like that anymore'. Depressing stuff. Both because it's true - a film like that would just never get made today - but also the latest sign of our slow decline into typical middle-age moaners when it comes modern media.

Anyway, I hope you (the non-existent person that reads this blog) enjoyed these ramblings. Things are progressing with regard to self-publishing 'The Worth of Scars', though it's mostly been the boring, admin-y bits lately. Nothing particularly juicy to write about. Future blogs will be filled with more exciting news, and my first ever newsletter will be sent out soon with the first of it. If you want to get that news early, and straight to your inbox, sign up here!

Cheers,

Gabe