The Hedge Knight: The Graphic Novel (A Game of Thrones) Paperback – November 5, 2013

Highly enjoyable. The artwork was beautiful and really helped frame the story. Really easy for me to read, I am 60 years old and vision impaired, so it is very frustrating to read regular books. Graphic novels are great for helping me with this.

The setting for this story is the same as that for George R. R. Martin's acclaimed "A Song of Ice and Fire" epic fantasy series. The time period is about 90-100 years before the events of the first book in the series, "A Game of Thrones". The main character is a very tall young man named Duncan, who was the squire of a hedge knight, Ser Arlen Pennytree.A hedge knight is a freelance fighting man. He makes his living by hiring out his services to lords of the land and also by fighting for the prize money at tournaments. A hedge knight is not beholden to any Lord, and can choose to accept only those jobs that they feel is morally right. However, a hedge knight is landless and must "scrape out" a meager living. Ser Arlen dies from a fever chill on the way to a tournament. Duncan buries his old master beside the road, says a prayer, and decides to compete in the tournament in the place of the deceased hedge knight. He packs the horses and takes the road to Ashford. On the way, he crosses paths with a bald-headed young man called "Egg" and agrees to take the youngster as his own squire.After much trouble, Duncan, who styles himself "Ser Duncan the Tall", finally gets his name on the tournament list. Unfortunately, trouble found him in the form of an altercation with one of the princes of the ruling House Targaryen. Ser Duncan intervenes while Prince Aerion Targaryen is in the process of beating a woman.For his crime, Duncan was to lose a hand and a foot. However, the good Prince Baelor Targaryen gives him a choice: Trial by Combat. After much negotiation with the accusing party, it was agreed that it was to be a Trial of Seven. Prince Aerion would pick seven fighters on his side, and Ser Duncan must find seven to stand with him.On the night prior, Ser Fossoway, promises to help Duncan. Egg, who turned out to be Prince Aegon Targaryen V, also promised to bring in honorable knights to help fight for Duncan's cause. During the morning of the tournament, Ser Fossoway tells Duncan that he has decided to fight for the other side, Aerion having made a promise to grant him his own lands if he were to do so. Meanwhile, Fossoway's squire, enraged by his master's treachery asked to be knighted so that he may fight on Duncan's side. Aegon also brings in four other knights, including two from the Hardyng family and one from the Baratheon clan. Still, they are one knight short. Duncan appeals to the crowd, asking them to fight for his cause. Not one of the noble knights present wanted to risk their lives, or offend their Lord, by fighting for him. However, at the last minute, Prince Baelor Targaryen himself decides to take Duncan's side and agrees to fight for him.During the fight, Prince Aerion unhorses Ser Duncan and proceeds to beat him with a morning star. Obviously at a skill disadvantage, Duncan relies on his great size and street fighting style. He manages to grapple Aerion to the ground and pounds the prince with his shield. The prince yields and withdraws his charge against Duncan.The fight claimed the lives of both of the Hardyngs, as well as the life of Prince Baelor Targaryen. Towards the end, Prince Maekar Targaryen offers Duncan a position among his household knights, and asked him if he would take his son, Aegon V, to be his squire. Aegon had declared that he would never squire for anyone but Ser Duncan the Tall. Ser Duncan agrees to take on Aegon as his squire, but only on the condition that he be allowed to travel and live the life of a hedge knight. And so begins the adventures of "Dunk and Egg".I highly recommend this book to youngsters. Lots of good, moral values there. Here are some that came to my attention:1) There are good, and bad "apples", in every family. Witness the pettiness and cruelty of Prince Aerion Targaryen. Compared to the nobility and generosity of both Aegon Targaryen and Prince Baelor Targaryen. Prince Baelor, considered to be the greatest knight of his generation, willing to die so that a lowly Hedge Knight might prove his innocence.2) Most times, we trade our personal code of ethics for a life of security and prosperity. The knights who refused to lend a hand were all beholden to the service of their lords. They live comfortably in their castles. And yet, it is the hedge knight, a landless knight, who is most true to the vow to "protect the weak" and to stand up for what is right. How many times have you compromised your ethics just to make a sale? As a manager, how many times have you fired employees, knowing they did not deserve it, simply because it served the needs of the employer?3) How many times have we abandoned a friend, or a cause, just because the opposing side had more to offer us?These are just moral themes that came to mind as I was reading this terrific short story. I suggest that if you can afford it, buy a few copies and donate them to your child's school library.

This is a classic retelling of the book A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and does a very good job with the illustrations.

Fantastic read with great illustrations! Can’t wait to complete the rest of the books in the series. I’d love to see more graphic novels like this for other Game of Thrones world stories

The graphic novel adaptation of the first of George R.R. Martin's Dunk & Egg novellas, not only stays true to the originally written story but gives it life with fantastic renderings of all the characters, the locales, and the action. Drawn by artist Mike S. Miller and livened by colorist Mike Crowell, "The Hedge Knight" gives both "Game of Thrones" book and show fans a great look into the history of the Seven Kingdoms by seeing the beginnings of two individuals, Ser Duncan (Dunk) the Tall and the future King Aegon (Egg) V, who impact the series even a century later.The story begins with Dunk burying his mentor Ser Arlan Pennytree before taking his arms and horses to the Tourney at Ashford Meadow in an attempt to win a place in a lord's house by winning a tilt and becoming a champion if only for a little while. Unfortunately Dunk finds himself broiled in a family feud, but this family happens to be the dynasty of the dragonkings--the Targaryens. Not only does Dunk find his temporary squire to be a Prince, but he punches and kicks Egg's older (cruel) brother Aerion which could either leave him dead or maimed. Dunk's fate comes down to a unique form of trial by combat, which has ramifications not only for him but knightly families and the realm itself.Of the work surrounding the graphic novel itself, I can only praise the work of Miller and Crowell who not only brought into visual life Dunk and Egg but so many other historically important characters in very consistent way throughout the entire book. It is hard to find fault with the work of these two men save with pointing out a few continuity errors, which unfortunately happen in every graphic novel. If anything after viewing their work I'm tempted to find more graphic novel either man has worked on given the good quality of work each put in this book.If you're a fan of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" world and haven't gotten this book yet I recommend you get it; if you're a television fan of "Game of Thrones" I highly recommend you get this book to see how the ancestors of some of your favorite and least favorite characters interacted while also seeing the Targaryens on the throne.