Who will claim the Iron Throne and why? On the eve of the premiere of the final season of Game of Thrones, M.L. Cavanaugh’s new book brings together 30 expert strategists to answer that question and engage in questions surrounding the most popular television series of our time.

As characters battle for power and control, there is magic and witchcraft, fiery dragons, frozen zombies, chaotic combat, swordplay and brutal intrigue, creating one of the most intense worldwide strategy plotlines in contemporary television.

By applying the theories of our actual world to the examples in fictional Westeros, including Tyrion Lannister’s unlikely success, Daenerys Targaryen’s fire-strafing dragons and Jon Snow’s abilities as a leader, Cavanaugh will discern the fascinating connections between George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world and real war and politics.

Cavanaugh is an active duty Army Strategist with experience in 11 countries and assignments ranging from the Pentagon to Strategic Command and Iraq to West Point. He is the youngest recipient of the U.S. Military Strategists Association’s professional award, the Order of Saint Gabriel the Archangel (2015), in addition to earning West Point’s faculty-wide Apgar Award for Excellence in Teaching (2014), and being named the U.S. Army’s Athlete of the Year (2009).

A Founding Member of the Military Writers Guild, Cavanaugh is a Non-Resident Fellow and co-founder of the Modern War Institute at West Point.

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