One hundred years before the events of A Game of Thrones, hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg, are heading north to Winterfell, answering a call for men from Lord Beron Stark. Being sworn to no lords, hedge knights travel where they are needed, performing chivalrous deeds for the realm. On the way, they are waylaid by a wedding and the promise of what could be a very profitable jousting tournament. Lord Butterwell is marrying one of Lord Frey’s daughters at the newly built Whitehall Castle. Something seems off, though… many of the men there seem loyal to Daemon Blackfyre, the Black Dragon, who rebelled against his half brother, King Daeron Targaryen, for the throne 16 years previously. Duncan is unseated by a knight who makes him a troublesome offer in exchange for his arms and horse back. Egg goes missing. Only Duncan knows Egg is really Prince Aegon Targaryen, and if anyone has kidnapped him, they’re likely to have found out his secret. Can Duncan unravel the conspiracy in time, before Egg is hurt?

I would have really appreciated a cast of characters at the beginning of this book. There were so many characters, both present and referenced from the past, that I quickly became confused. There are family trees in the Game of Thrones novels, so I don’t understand why they wouldn’t have something similar here. Even so, the story is excellently written, with all the conspiracies and suspense you’d expect from the novels. The art in this book was phenomenal. The figures are meticulously drawn, with lots of little details that made them come alive. The action scenes in this book are easily the best I’ve seen for a while. If you can keep everyone straight, this is a great way to live in Westeros for a bit longer.

– Kathleen

Martin, George R.R., Ben Avery, and Mike S. Miller. The Mystery Knight. 2017.

P.S. No spoiler in the comments, please!