George R R Martin.
Credit: Facebook/George R.R. Martin
New Delhi" Celebrated author George R R Martin says his new series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is one of the lighter and happier stories set in the world of "Game of Thrones", driven by two characters he considers among the best he has ever created.
The show, which started streaming on JioHotstar from January 19, is adapted from Martin’s popular Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. He serves as the show's creator alongside Ira Parker.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows the adventures of hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his young squire Aegon V Targaryen (Dexter Sol Ansell), nearly 90 years before the events of "Game of Thrones", when the Targaryens still rule Westeros but the age of dragons is fading.
“It’s just a story that really seemed to be working for me. And it came alive, and I had these two characters. I knew I had to write more about them because they’re two of the best characters I’ve ever created, and they’re unlike other characters that I have ever created,” Martin said in a video provided by American premium cable network HBO.
The 77-year-old author said that writing the character of Egg was particularly meaningful to him.
“I don’t write a lot about children because I don’t have any. I was one once and I try to go back and see how I was feeling there. So to create a character like Egg and have the feeling that I did it right, and then a character like Dunk — who’s very different from me too — I really like the characters and the general tone of the story,” he said.
While the series contains familiar elements of his fantasy world -- swordplay, betrayals and deaths -- Martin said its overall mood sets it apart from Game of Thrones as well as House of the Dragon.
"(It) is lighter and happier than the other books... I think it's come out wonderfully and that people will really like it," he added.
The show, which has already been renewed for a second season, has received mostly positive reviews, with praise for its tone, characters and fresh take on the Westeros world.
As a writer, Martin said he doesn't believe in repeating the same story over and over again.
"I do know that among my readers, the 'Dunk and Egg' novellas are very popular. A lot of my fans say 'these are the best things George has ever done.' But I think there's enough people who would like the world to be big and varied with a lot of different stories in it," he said.
Claffey echoed Martin and called "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" a unique and refreshing tale within the franchise.
"It's not a chase for the throne by a bunch of different families. And for a lot of people, that's going to be really refreshing. And for a lot of people, that's probably going to be, maybe, frustrating. I was such a fan of the original series and I know that ours is going to be a lot different."
The Irish actor and a former rugby player warned that the show might not please every fan.
"And there are millions and billions of 'Game of Thrones' fans out there, me being one of them and to think that you're going to please everyone is a very tall order. But I'm savagely proud of what we've done," he added.
Parker, who earlier worked as a writer on shows such as Rogue (2015), Four in the Morning (2016), and The Last Ship, said his journey to the show mirrored that of its central knight.
"Pure luck, that's how I got invited to this. I got a text from HBO at four o'clock in the morning, asking me what I thought about Dunk and Egg. I got flown to Santa Fe to meet with (Martin) and spend a week or a few days talking about this show.
"And in a very similar journey to Dunk's season one, I just got a little sort of fortunate push along at the exact right moment, which ultimately led to us doing a version of this that so far we're happy with," he said.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms also features Daniel Ings, Bertie Carvel, Danny Webb, Sam Spruell, Shaun Thomas, Finn Bennett, Edward Ashley, Tanzyn Crawford, Henry Ashton, Youssef Kerkour, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Daniel Monks.