Customer Reviews

Hedge Knight

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For those of you who already own the Hedge Knight trade paperback that was originally published by Devil's Due, this is the exact same material you've already seen, re-released by Marvel Comics. It may have different cover art, but if you order the book expecting something new you will be disappointed. Now, on to the book itself...

I was a bit skeptical when I heard that someone was going to adapt George R.R. Martin's Hedge Knight short story into graphic novel format, but I love comics so I gave it a try.

The original Hedge Knight story, which appeared in the Legends anthology, was my introduction to Martin and his epic Song of Ice and Fire series. To be blunt, his writing ruined me for just about every other fantasy author. Nearly every other fantasy series pales in comparison.

So how did the Hedge Knight, a relatively straightforward tale about a knight who attends a tourney and finds himself entangled in the affairs of princes, translate into comic book form?

While Ben Avery's adaptation covers all of the main points of the story, it just doesn't have the same feeling. He does an admirable job, but it's still missing something intangible that the prose story gives the reader. I wish I could explain it better, but the feeling you get after reading this volume is similar to when you see a movie that has been adapted from one of your favorite books. It never quite measures up.

Mike Miller's artwork is the book's saving grace. His renderings of Martin's characters matched the pictures I had in my head from reading the story so closely it was downright eerie. From the epic battles to the mundane sequences, Miller's artwork is a major enhancement to the overall storytelling. Seeing his interpretation of Martin's characters is more than worth the price of admission.

This paperback collects the entire Hedge Knight limited series, plus a new story that leads into the second Hedge Knight story from Legends II. It may not please all George R.R. Martin fans, but it is a worthy attempt at adapting the story, and is well worth checking out.

I ordered both of the Hedge Knight graphic novels thinking they were actual novels, so I was quite surprised when I opened up my Amazon package to find comics/graphic novels instead. It may have been mentioned somewhere, but I didn't see any description to that effect, so I didn't realize it.

Luckily, my husband (who I bought them for) is a fan of graphic novels in addition to being a fan of the author. So, it turned out to be OK.

I just wanted to say for anyone not already aware, these are GRAPHIC novels. :)

Husband enjoyed them, and is looking forward to the third installment (if it ever gets published...) :P

I picked this up issue by issue at the comics store, and it is so good that I purchased both it and it's sequel, Hedge Knight 2, in hardcover.
It has the great elements of an adult comic: solid charaterization, beautiful artwork and fine story telling. This is not a cliched knight/swords tale.
When I looked up the author, George R. R. Martin, I found that these stories are based on two short stories which are themselves stories from Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. I am finished with the first 3 books of that series now, and they are just about the best fantasy around. Again, I could say, "solid charaterization and fine story telling. These are not cliched knight/swords novels."

If you like the graphic, I believe you'll like the novels. And vice versa.

I really have nothing but good things to say about this comic. I think its a worthy sequel to its predecessor and though the story is in a world of pseudo medieval fantasy it's not really about that. It delves deep into character in a way that brings the world to life. The story is so good that I am glad that there is artwork here to do it justice and that seems to 'fit' with a fantasy world that feels grounded in reality.

This was a very good graphic novel. If you enjoy the series A Song of Ice and Fire then this is a worthwhile and enjoyable read. The Hedge Knight gives you good background on the world, events and characters that are mentioned in the origianl Song of Ice and Fire books.

The setting for this story is the same as that for George R. R. Martin's acclaimed "A Song of Ice and Fire" epic fantasy series. The time period is about 90-100 years before the events of the first book in the series, "A Game of Thrones". The main character is a very tall young man named Duncan, who was the squire of a hedge knight, Ser Arlen Pennytree.

A hedge knight is a freelance fighting man. He makes his living by hiring out his services to lords of the land and also by fighting for the prize money at tournaments. A hedge knight is not beholden to any Lord, and can choose to accept only those jobs that they feel is morally right. However, a hedge knight is landless and must "scrape out" a meager living. Ser Arlen dies from a fever chill on the way to a tournament. Duncan buries his old master beside the road, says a prayer, and decides to compete in the tournament in the place of the deceased hedge knight. He packs the horses and takes the road to Ashford. On the way, he crosses paths with a bald-headed young man called "Egg" and agrees to take the youngster as his own squire.

After much trouble, Duncan, who styles himself "Ser Duncan the Tall", finally gets his name on the tournament list. Unfortunately, trouble found him in the form of an altercation with one of the princes of the ruling House Targaryen. Ser Duncan intervenes while Prince Aerion Targaryen is in the process of beating a woman.

For his crime, Duncan was to lose a hand and a foot. However, the good Prince Baelor Targaryen gives him a choice: Trial by Combat. After much negotiation with the accusing party, it was agreed that it was to be a Trial of Seven. Prince Aerion would pick seven fighters on his side, and Ser Duncan must find seven to stand with him.

On the night prior, Ser Fossoway, promises to help Duncan. Egg, who turned out to be Prince Aegon Targaryen V, also promised to bring in honorable knights to help fight for Duncan's cause. During the morning of the tournament, Ser Fossoway tells Duncan that he has decided to fight for the other side, Aerion having made a promise to grant him his own lands if he were to do so. Meanwhile, Fossoway's squire, enraged by his master's treachery asked to be knighted so that he may fight on Duncan's side. Aegon also brings in four other knights, including two from the Hardyng family and one from the Baratheon clan. Still, they are one knight short. Duncan appeals to the crowd, asking them to fight for his cause. Not one of the noble knights present wanted to risk their lives, or offend their Lord, by fighting for him. However, at the last minute, Prince Baelor Targaryen himself decides to take Duncan's side and agrees to fight for him.

During the fight, Prince Aerion unhorses Ser Duncan and proceeds to beat him with a morning star. Obviously at a skill disadvantage, Duncan relies on his great size and street fighting style. He manages to grapple Aerion to the ground and pounds the prince with his shield. The prince yields and withdraws his charge against Duncan.

The fight claimed the lives of both of the Hardyngs, as well as the life of Prince Baelor Targaryen. Towards the end, Prince Maekar Targaryen offers Duncan a position among his household knights, and asked him if he would take his son, Aegon V, to be his squire. Aegon had declared that he would never squire for anyone but Ser Duncan the Tall. Ser Duncan agrees to take on Aegon as his squire, but only on the condition that he be allowed to travel and live the life of a hedge knight. And so begins the adventures of "Dunk and Egg".

I highly recommend this book to youngsters. Lots of good, moral values there. Here are some that came to my attention:

1) There are good, and bad "apples", in every family. Witness the pettiness and cruelty of Prince Aerion Targaryen. Compared to the nobility and generosity of both Aegon Targaryen and Prince Baelor Targaryen. Prince Baelor, considered to be the greatest knight of his generation, willing to die so that a lowly Hedge Knight might prove his innocence.
2) Most times, we trade our personal code of ethics for a life of security and prosperity. The knights who refused to lend a hand were all beholden to the service of their lords. They live comfortably in their castles. And yet, it is the hedge knight, a landless knight, who is most true to the vow to "protect the weak" and to stand up for what is right. How many times have you compromised your ethics just to make a sale? As a manager, how many times have you fired employees, knowing they did not deserve it, simply because it served the needs of the employer?
3) How many times have we abandoned a friend, or a cause, just because the opposing side had more to offer us?

These are just moral themes that came to mind as I was reading this terrific short story. I suggest that if you can afford it, buy a few copies and donate them to your child's school library.

This is a really well done story. I shied away from it at first, since I am not a huge fan of the graphic novel format (I don't like spending $20 on something that takes 15 minutes to read). But it is a really good story. Through the seemingly meaningless story (at first) of Dunk the hedge knight, and Egg, a young boy who wants to be his squire, there is some great background to the novels, as well as some interesting information on the overall world, the Targyn family, and the history. Over all, if you are a fan of the novels, this is more than an item to read just to be a completist, it is a great read on its own, too.

While being enthousiastic about the first installements of teh song of ice and fire saga , this book is just an attempt to milk the cow while it's still there .
GRMM has not been able/willing to advance SOIF since 2000 and it has been 10 years now with no end in sight .
What he did instead was to pull out of his drawers sub par pieces that would have never been accepted for publication by somebody whose name is not GRMM .
I have read (a kind word , more accurate would be overflown) this book in a library and suggest that if you come on the strange idea to read this thing to do likewise .
It is full of cliches , no originality and little consistence .
It is already a waste of trees so avoid to waste money on top .

GRRRRR, I'm SO angry! Thought I was buying a book, but instead discovered that I'd bought a comic book!!