HBO’s latest trip back to Westeros, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is a smaller, scrappier kind of fantasy show, and I’m loving it. It’s built around the adventures of Dunk, a broke hedge knight with big ideals, and his sharp little squire Egg.
The catch is that the show’s source material is short and George R.R. Martin has only published three Dunk and Egg novellas so far. With Season 2 already in production, fans are doing the math and wondering if this series is headed for the same cliff that Game of Thrones hit when it outpaced the books.
That worry came up during a recent Reddit AMA with showrunner Ira Parker, when a fan asked if he could calm nerves about what happens once the show reaches the end of the published stories.
“After the way Game of Thrones ended, some people are understandably worried when they hear that only 3 D&E books have been published,” the fan wrote. “Is there anything you can say to assuage those fears, along with maybe some rough plans for what you guys are going to do after season 3?”
Parker made it clear this isn’t the same situation as Thrones charging into unknown territory with a full-on ensemble war epic. Here’s his response:
“Look, in some ways, we know a lot more about what happens after these three novellas because of all the supporting material (you like how i referred to asoiaf [A Song of Ice and Fire] as supporting material for d&e 😉 ), and so there’s less inherent danger… not no danger, just less… Anything beyond book 3 (if we could ever be so wonderfully lucky) would highly involve George.”
That “highly involve George” part is what fans want to hear. It also lines up with what Parker has said elsewhere: Martin has apparently mapped out a ton more Dunk and Egg stories even if they aren’t published yet.
Parker previously shared that Martin has given him “about 10 to 12 more little outlines for books, for novellas, taking Dunk and Egg all the way through their life,” which suggests there’s a real roadmap for where these characters go, even beyond what’s on shelves right now.
And to be fair, HBO seems pretty confident in this one. The series premiered January 18, 2026, and it’s currently rolling out as a tight six-episode season, with season 2 expected to adapt the second novella, The Sworn Sword.
Of course, even with Martin’s outlines floating around, execution is everything, and Parker’s been candid about the learning curve.
For now, though, it sounds like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has two big advantages: a simpler, character-driven setup, and an author who wouldn’t be watching from the sidelines if the show ever has to venture past novella number three.
