A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin
Reviewed by Jason Koivu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is just what I was looking for! Old timey, good-doer knights and squires doin' good in an old timey setting!
I had picked up a fantasy book a few weeks ago that I hoped would satiate my current reading desires, but alas no. So I turned to George R.R. Martin. He's always a good bet. I like his writing style and I'm familiar with the world he's built. Sure, there's such a small amount of fantasy in his work that, aside from mention of dragons in this particular book, it could almost be called historical fiction for its similarity to the York and Tudor War of the Roses back in the 15th century.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a collection of three lengthy short stories that follow the adventures of a hedge knight and his squire. Any fan of the Song of Fire & Ice series will recognize many of the names dropped herein even though these stories are set about a hundred years prior.
So what you get are some fun action/adventure tales with a helping of Seven Kingdoms history. It's a well-balanced combination. Seldom was I inundated with one or bored with the other.
The stakes are high enough to make you care surprisingly deeply about the two main characters by the end of the book. There's good, solid tension through out. And yet, the stakes aren't "Save the World or Bust!!!" high, which is a nice departure from the epic fantasy of the day.
In summary, this is a very enjoyable distraction that will entertain the dickens out of Martin's fans!
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