Arms still feel weird, and my plans for next weekend kind of crashed, but I get a long weekend! It’s the Fourth of July! Independence Day! Nobody drink tea, or you’re not Patriot!
I have been getting weirdly into this thing by Matt Rhodes, one of the concept artists on Dragon Age, titled Dead Gods, which is a crazy fantasy take on the story of Noah? With some Book of Enoch and other bits thrown in there.
Also! I finished Stray!
American Revolution Recommendations
I did not make notes for this week’s Saturday Note, so I am sort of writing this on the fly. I am of the strong opinion that there should be more fiction out there set during the American Revolution, and it’s darn frustrating that there isn’t more mainstream stuff. Like, sure, there’s Hamilton, and The Patriot, but considering our country’s output of media, you would think that it’d be a much more popular subject.
So I’m throwing out some recommendations! All of them are things I think I’ve talked about before, but are still things that I think are underrated or not talked about enough.
Traitor to the Crown by C.C. Finlay
Okay, I just read these books so maybe you guys are tired of me talking about them. Too bad! They’re really good!
The gist of the series is that there were witches in the colonies at the time of the American Revolution, that magic is real, and that there’s a nefarious group of witches backing the British that our heroes must overcome.
Part of what I really like about this trilogy is how detailed it is. Yes, it sometimes uses magic to unnecessarily explain away things in history, but it’s covering an awful lot of history! You will probably learn something reading these books, because not only do major events become part of the Plot, you see details that you probably don’t know about in the depiction of the events. Finlay clearly did his research, and it shows in every major story beat.
Now I think the series could be doing more to show things like the spy ring, the French and Spanish aid the US received, and explore some of the historical figures more. There are a couple who clearly have something going on (Franklin comes to mind) in this secret history, but we only get small glimpses. Otherwise, it’s still a book series I’ll recommend again and again.
Liberty’s Kids
Why yes, the animated PBS show with the surprisingly stacked cast and catchy theme song. Which I think is all on YouTube? Go look for me.
The premise is that these kids (who stay the same age through the entire Revolution and years afterward somehow…) are reporters for Benjamin Franklin’s newspaper: James, an ardent Patriot, and Sarah, a committed Loyalist. So you get a complex picture of the events as they unfold.
I think what’s impressive about Liberty’s Kids, as a kid’s show, is that it isn’t afraid to be critical and give a ‘warts-and-all’ view of the history. No, there’s no horrible on-screen violence or anything, but you do get critical looks at things such as tar and feathering Loyalists, treatment of Native Americans, hypocrisy on slavery. It’s a show that isn’t afraid to tell the story of the American Revolution in a way that not everyone comes out of it looking saintly.
And that’s pretty darn impressive in a time when plenty of adults aren’t willing to do that.
1776
…okay this one isn’t that underrated, but it was sort of overshadowed by Hamilton as the history musical about the American Revolution. Which is a shame because this one is also really good!
1776 is about getting Continental Congress to declare independence from Great Britain. No stepping around it, to actually agree that they’re going to be independent. And so John Adams has quite a lot to get done, because not everyone wants to commit to it! Or have it at all, really, in some cases. And once they get people to agree to independence, there are disagreements as to what that will mean.
It’s another story that’s not afraid to point out hypocrisies in the founding, notably with slavery, though some figures still come off as much better than their historical counterparts.
Then there’s the music. The music here is great! Fantastic! Which is what you need in a good musical.
And as it’s really darn hot out these days, it’s a good reminder to ask, “Why don’t we open up a window?!”
Turn: Washington’s Spies
The AMC show about the Culper Ring is a bit difficult at first. When it started, it had a horrible love triangle. Believe me, just get through the first season, which is good aside from that one part, and you’ll be fine.
Because the series is really, really good once it gets rolling. It takes some liberties with the history in order to make a more intense spy drama, sure, but there’s also a lot of really weird, interesting details that turn out to have been drawn straight from the history books. Especially in regards to Benedict Arnold–there are a surprising number of odd historical facts in that depiction. Like with Traitor to the Crown, you’ll learn a lot, though in this case, it’s more like you’ll look up things and be surprised by what you find.
Also, while watching, we kept track of who had the highest score on trying to kill Simcoe, and that’s great fun. A surprising result by the end of the series, too!
Assassin’s Creed III
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