A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: A Review of Sorts

Paul Jameson
2 days ago
2 min read

No book reviews this week, though I have read a number of short stories by Chekov, Ambrose Bierce, and Alexander Pushkin - more on those and more another day. No. Today my review of sorts is about the television series 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' which aired its finale on Monday the 22nd February 2026.

I've not written a review of a TV series for a long while, but A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms refuses to be ignored. Set in the Seven Kingdoms of A Game of Thrones, based on the novellas by GRR Martin, and released by HBO, it is a piece of television genius; even with that said I feel I am understating its brilliance. Based on the coming together of Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg, it follows the tale of a Hedge Knight and his squire at the tournament for the coming of age of a petty noble's daughter. It brings together the fate and fortune of nobles, royalty, petty peers, and common folk, brought to life by amazing performances, setting, costume, folkloric echoes of the countryside, and the simple story that is at its heart.

In fact I would go so far as to say this is an example of perfect storytelling.

Only six episodes long, each being short at just thirty minutes, not a second is wasted. So much is compressed into each episode, it's like going back in time to the '70s when shows were short and story all important. But as important as the story is the folkloric setting, a closeness to nature; robin and elm, hedge and horse, music, visuals that give it a feeling of watching a medieval Detectorists, or the 2019 series of Worzel Gummidge. As an author whose own works draw heavily on folklore, nature, and the countryside, this show was a slice of heaven.

I loved it.

And having said that, and as a last, I have to bring attention to two performances that gave the two main characters real life: Peter Claffey, as Ser Duncan the Tall, and ten year old Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg; I hope these two win all the plaudits they most thoroughly deserve. They were perfect.

This show really was a piece of television history.

"Every knight needs a squire. And you look like you need one more than most.”

Until next time,

Much love.

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