So I Have Now Read A Game of Thrones
In 2014, the Hamilton musical (based on the story of one of America’s founders) got very big very quickly, especially among a subset of musical theater nerds who were, like the play’s protagonist, young scrappy ‘n’ hungry. Everyone swooned over a colonial history presented with a diverse cast, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s modern score, and the idea that Alexander Hamilton could have whupped Thomas Jefferson in a rap battle. Circa 2020, the praise and good vibes were dampened by criticisms of the play’s casting choices, its heroic framing of wealthy slave owners, and the supposed mediocrity of Miranda’s rapping skills. This phenomenon is particularly ironic because one of Hamilton ’s major themes is anxiety over what legacy a person can hope to leave, and how there is no telling what happens to that legacy when others are in control of it. Which brings me to A Song of Ice And Fire by George R.R. Martin and its first book, A Game of Thrones . Because you canNOT pick up a copy of this book, or