I’ve said it before and’ll repeat it: George R. R. Martin likes what he sees until he doesn’t. He’s not badmouthing Game of Thrones right now, but he’s been extremely vocal about what House of the Dragon has been delivering. I don’t blame him at all, and that’s why I’m thrilled with his enthusiastic endorsement of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. “I’ve seen all six episodes (the last two in rough cuts, I’ll admit), and I loved them. Dunk and Egg have always been my favorites, and the actors we found to play them are simply incredible. The rest of the cast is great, too. Just wait until you meet Laughing Storm and Tanselle Too-Tall,” he shared on his blog.

There’s one detail that makes all the difference here: Martin has seen the entire season, and even though it’s not finished, it’s the first one he’s ever gotten his approval for. This is amazing because, just like him, fans love this story and have always asked for it to be adapted for the screen. “It’s as faithful an adaptation as a reasonable man could hope for (and you all know how incredibly reasonable I am on this particular subject),” he goes on to explain. “There’s a huge fight scene here, as exciting as anyone could ask for, but there are no dragons this time, no big battle, no white walkers… this is a character piece, and its focus is on duty and honor, chivalry and everything that means,” he warns the uninitiated, remembering that the story was written and published when he was still working between Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings, “and it was so popular that it brought tens of thousands of new readers to Westeros.”

Totally true, and the best reveal is that “the series will make its debut later this year,” Martin tells us. “Maybe in the fall.” That is: November 2025.

“I hope you love the series as much as I do,” he teases.

Does anyone doubt it?