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Westeros is so back, baby. Though I guess it never really left.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the latest Game of Thrones prequel to air on HBO, has officially debuted, adapting George R.R. Martin's high-fantasy world in a way that's yet to be seen. Based on The Tales of Dunk & Egg novellas, the Peter Claffey-starring series is a giant departure from what's come before in terms of tone, story arc, and according to the author himself, in budget.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in a recent career retrospective, Martin gave the series' truncated budget as a major, though perhaps not the only, reason for its existence. 

"This doesn’t have any dragons or big battles," the Song of Ice and Fire writer tells the outlet, "It has a field and a lot of tents and some horses." Martin further expanded on this idea by saying HBO was attracted to a Game of Thrones show in which "we could get the budget a little under control."

Echoing Martin's sentiments was series showrunner Ira Parker, who seems to believe a paring down was exactly what the plague doctor ordered for a franchise as sprawling as Game of Thrones.

"At the end of the day," Parker tells THR, "We are Game of Thrones without all the stuff [...] We have one of the ingredients — two unusual characters like Arya and the Hound, or Brienne and Podrick — who are paired together and having conversations. I hope that’s what [made Thrones work]."

Well not to count your dragons before they're hatched, Ira, but according to reviews of episode 1, that is part of what's making A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms work. And all that without having to shell out for White Walker insurance.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is streaming on HBO Max now.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 may have wrapped on HBO Max, but with House of the Dragon season 3 coming just around the corner, it's always a great time to read up on all things Game of Thrones. Fortunately, Popverse has everything you need to journey through the George R.R. Martin-created Westeros, including:

• Popverse's Game of Thrones watch order 
• How to read George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series in order 
• The biggest differences between The House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones
• The history of Westeros's greatest houses & families
• Every single dragon in The House of the Dragon so far

Plus much more coming as it gets announced!