George R.R. Martin fans frustrated over “crazy” A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms statement

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I’ve been following the news about George R.R. Martin and his new release, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and something he said about the Dunk and Egg stories has me a little worried, honestly. It sounds like maybe we won’t be getting as much of that series as we’d all hoped!

The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms adapts the story from the novella, The Hedge Knight. While the episodes are shorter than those in shows like Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, a second season is currently being filmed and is anticipated to be released in 2027.

The second season of the show will be based on George R.R. Martin’s story, “The Sworn Sword.” After that, only one more of his published “Dunk and Egg” stories, “The Mystery Knight,” will be left to adapt. Martin discussed this plan in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

I’ve only written three Dunk and Egg novellas so far, but I have many more stories swirling around in my head,” he explained. “I really need to get them written down. I started working on two of them over the past year – one takes place in Winterfell and the other in the Riverlands.

George R.R. Martin’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms comment sparks concern

Fans are worried because George R.R. Martin still hasn’t finished writing the books that inspired Game of Thrones, the ‘Ice and Fire’ series.

After fifteen years of work, The Winds of Winter – the second-to-last book in the series – has become a major source of anticipation for fans, but also a significant burden for author George R.R. Martin, who has even called it “the curse of my life.”

The author has explained the delay is partly due to his many other projects, especially his work expanding the world of Game of Thrones. His recent consideration of writing additional stories about Dunk and Egg has generated a lot of discussion.

After the second episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms came out, someone posted on Reddit about how surprising it was to hear George R.R. Martin express concern that the show might move ahead of the books.

It’s surprising he’s still planning to write more stories about Dunk and Egg. He once mentioned a possibility of up to fifteen, but I highly doubt we’ll get even one additional tale. It’s just unbelievable.

I saw a bunch of people bringing up stuff George R.R. Martin said before about doing a Dunk and Egg series. Apparently, back in 2017, he wrote in his online journal that while he wants to do it – and a lot of us fans do too – it wasn’t happening right then. He definitely hasn’t ruled it out forever, just said ‘eventually’ might be possible.

I’ve only finished and released three short novels so far, but I have plans for at least seven, eight, or even ten more. Knowing how slowly I work, and how quickly a TV series is developed, it’s going to take a while.

I don’t want a TV show based on the Dunk & Egg stories to outpace the books, like what happened with Game of Thrones. I plan to create a show eventually, but only after I’ve finished writing all the Dunk & Egg stories, and that’s still quite a ways down the road.

In a 2023 blog post, Martin admitted he has more Dunk & Egg novellas planned than he initially realized, and he needs to find the time to write them before finishing the currently published stories.

I’ve got a few ideas for stories – like ‘The Village Hero’ and a Winterfell tale about the She-Wolves. I’m also thinking I should write that Dornish adventure to fit between ‘The Hedge Knight’ and ‘The Sworn Sword.’ And honestly, there are even more ideas after that.

I’m aiming to finish writing ‘The Winds of Winter,’ then alternate between working on ‘A Dream of Spring’ and the second volume of ‘Fire & Blood,’ fitting in another ‘Dunk & Egg’ novella between each. If I can keep up that pace, it’ll buy me a few more years before I fall behind Ira and his team.

The Winds of Winter is still the real issue

One fan reacted to his statements, asking, “Seriously? Does he expect the TV show to just pause and resume whenever he publishes a new book?”

George R.R. Martin’s biggest regret is not finishing the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ book series. He explains that when he sold the rights to HBO, he had four books published and was well into writing the fifth, but the scope of the series became overwhelming.

— ScreenTime (@screentime) January 23, 2026

Someone else pointed out that it’s unbelievable he still expects success with his new book, especially after two decades of consistently making overly optimistic predictions that have always led to trouble. It’s as if he’s completely detached from reality.

Someone else pointed out that it’s ironic he’s worried about the new spin-off show surpassing its books, considering the original show passed its source material years ago – and he still hasn’t finished writing those original books!

Some readers have advised George R.R. Martin to pause work on the main A Song of Ice and Fire series and concentrate on finishing the Dunk and Egg novellas, suggesting it would be a more manageable approach. Others have echoed this sentiment, stating they’ve felt this way for a long time.

He doesn’t want to abandon the main series entirely, but it’s obvious he’s lost enthusiasm and has many other ideas he wants to explore. It would be good for him to take a break from it and focus on those other stories.

Perhaps if he tried that, he could finally complete the main story without getting bogged down and exhausted, which has been slowing him down.

Martin’s most recent published novel, A Dance with Dragons, came out in July 2011, and fans have been waiting for the next book ever since, with many updates and setbacks along the way. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he was asked if he’d ever thought about abandoning The Winds of Winter.

Despite the challenges, he’s still committed to completing the project. “I’d be devastated if I didn’t,” he explained. “It would feel like giving up, and I really want to see it through.”

Okay, so I was a little worried about the future of the Dunk and Egg stories, but it sounds like we’re covered! Apparently, the showrunner, Ira Parker, told The Hollywood Reporter that George R.R. Martin actually gave him outlines for twelve unpublished Dunk and Egg tales. They can use those for future seasons of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which is awesome news for fans like me!

George R.R. Martin has shared twelve previously unpublished ‘Dunk and Egg’ stories with Ira Parker, the showrunner for the upcoming ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ series. Martin hopes this will help the show avoid the issues that plagued ‘Game of Thrones’ (according to The Hollywood Reporter).

— ScreenTime (@screentime) January 19, 2026

This approach addresses the problem if the author needs to work on different things, a point that was also raised in a recent Reddit conversation.

According to one source, Ira and HBO already have materials to move forward with the series. They can use outlines and sketches George R.R. Martin provided, particularly those detailing the She-Wolves of Winterfell and a storyline set in the Riverlands.

Several people have come to Martin’s defense, pointing out that the earlier blog posts were from many years ago. One person commented, “He wrote those nine years ago, so it’s understandable that his views have evolved since then.”

He likely changed his mind because he understands what he’s capable of. Since he realizes he won’t be the one to share those stories, he’s allowing someone else to do it while he can still help shape how they’re told.

The first two episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are now available to stream on HBO Max. You can also find articles explaining George R.R. Martin’s comments on the episode 1 bathroom scene, the reason dragons aren’t featured, and whether the character Dunk has any connection to Hodor.

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2026-01-27 16:20