Wheel of Time’s Robert Jordan Predicted the Pitfall That Could Derail George RR Martin's Game of Thrones Prequel

Prequels are everywhere, but they are way trickier than they look. The late Robert Jordan (yes, Wheel of Time Robert Jordan) laid out exactly why, and it lines up neatly with what George R.R. Martin is doing with his Dunk and Egg stories — and what HBO is about to adapt as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Why prequels are a headache (and Jordan was blunt about it)

Asked by Michael McCarty which is harder — a sequel or a prequel — Jordan didn’t hesitate. He basically said prequels live under strict limits because you can’t blow up twists meant for the main books. Or as he put it:

"I think the prequel, because you don’t want to give away things that come as a surprise in the main sequence books. You want to be a surprise as much as possible. That means you have constraints. I don’t want to take away any of the "Wow" factor from the main books..."

That is very much the playbook for Dunk and Egg. Martin keeps those novellas close to the ground: they connect to A Song of Ice and Fire in ways fans can clock, but they don’t tip over any major reveals.

What Dunk and Egg actually cover (and what they carefully don’t)

The stories drop us into Westeros when the Targaryens are still on the throne but past their prime. The dragons are gone, the dynasty’s grip is loosening, and instead of following royal power players, we ride along with a hedge knight named Dunk and his squire, Egg. The focus is on smallfolk and street-level adventures — not palace pyrotechnics — so the books can deepen the world without stepping on the main saga’s toes. It’s deliberate, smart, and very much the kind of writer-craft constraint Jordan was talking about.

So what does that mean for HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?

Expect a smaller canvas by design. Martin has already said this run does not feature dragons, massive battles, or White Walkers. If House of the Dragon worked by dialing into the political knife-fights people loved in Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is doing something else: a more intimate, character-first road story with jokes and warmth baked in. The tone is expected to be lighter and more humorous than Game of Thrones’ blood-and-thunder vibe.

Hype now, questions later

There’s a lively debate brewing about how broad the appeal will be without the franchise’s usual spectacle. The buzz is strong at the moment — Martin says Season 2 is already in the works — but some fans on Reddit are skeptical about announcing a renewal before the show even airs, reading it as a way to "create hype and project confidence." Fair take or not, the show will ultimately have to win people over on charm, chemistry, and tight storytelling instead of fire and ice fireworks.

• Series: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg)
• Showrunner: Ira Parker
• Release date: January 18, 2026
• Where to watch: HBO (USA)
• Scope: no dragons, no huge battles, no White Walkers; smaller-scale adventures
• Focus: hedge knight Dunk and his squire, Egg; life among the smallfolk under a fading Targaryen dynasty
• Tone: more lighthearted and humorous than Game of Thrones
• Status: Season 2 already being worked on, per Martin

Are you in for a humbler, cozier Westeros road trip, or do you miss the dragon-age chaos? Drop your take in the comments.