HBO’s newest expansion of the Westeros mythos, the character-driven and remarkably focused prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has prompted George R.R. Martin to re-emerge for a new round of interviews. Amidst the promotion, the author touched upon the notoriously lengthy creation of The Winds of Winter and reiterated his desire to pen additional novellas following the show’s central figures. For those who have tracked Martin’s updates over the years, this ambition is familiar: he has previously suggested that the adventures of the wandering knight Dunk and his young companion Egg could eventually span a dozen stories—provided he ever completes his main saga.
“My long-standing goal has been to write a comprehensive series of novellas detailing the entire lives of Dunk and Egg,” Martin explained in a blog post from 2014. “While I’ve mentioned various numbers in past conversations—seven, ten, or twelve—nothing is set in stone. I will produce as many installments as required to tell their story from start to finish.”
In that same post, he clarified that only three novellas have been finalized to date: The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight. These were initially featured in different anthologies before being compiled into the 2015 volume A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Martin revealed that he had begun a fourth tale for the 2013 anthology Dangerous Women, but was unable to meet the deadline, leading him to set the project aside.
Photo: Steffan Hill/HBO
“That unfinished story was set in Winterfell and featured a group of formidable Stark women I nicknamed ‘the She-Wolves,’ though that was never intended to be the permanent title,” Martin noted. “Once finished, it will have a different name. I also have a rough concept for another novella titled The Village Hero, which takes place in the Riverlands. There’s no telling when I will find the time to complete them, or which will come first. I don’t anticipate making much headway until The Winds of Winter is delivered.”
He further detailed an ambitious vision for these works, hoping to eventually publish them as a collection of trilogies, with each volume containing three distinct stories.
It is somewhat peculiar how closely his recent descriptions of these incomplete works mirror his comments from over a decade ago. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Martin stated, “I have many more stories about Dunk and Egg occupying my mind. I’ve recently worked on two—one in Winterfell and another in the Riverlands.” This suggests that the manuscripts have remained in a similar state of limbo since they were first discussed, possibly indicating that very little writing has actually occurred since 2013.
Martin’s history of highly visible struggles with deadlines predates his current projects. He has often recounted how he narrowly met the deadline for the series’ debut novella, which was commissioned by Robert Silverberg for the 1998 anthology Legends. During an appearance on The Official Game of Thrones Podcast, Martin recalled that Silverberg approached him while he was already behind on A Clash of Kings.
Legends was designed to showcase new novellas from the most prominent names in fantasy, set within their most iconic worlds. The roster included Stephen King, Anne McCaffrey, and Robert Jordan. “I felt like I didn’t quite belong at the time,” Martin admitted. While he was a decorated writer by 1997, Westeros was not yet a globally recognized setting on the level of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld or Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea.
Silverberg insisted that the submission be finalized by the end of the year, threatening to pull the story if it arrived late. Martin managed to submit his work on December 31st—later discovering that three other contributors had also turned in their stories on that final day.
Martin views Legends as a vital catalyst that helped elevate his profile within the fantasy community, arguably paving the way for the eventual global phenomenon of the *A Song of Ice and Fire* franchise. Many readers first encountered his work through that initial Dunk and Egg story, which explains his enduring attachment to the characters. Perhaps this is just one more argument in favor of releasing George R.R. Martin from the expectations of The Winds of Winter so he can return to the smaller stories he clearly loves.
Source: Polygon
