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So Wired did a hit piece on Brandon Sanderson of all people
Posted on 3/28/23 at 5:11 pm
Posted on 3/28/23 at 5:11 pm
Not a hit piece in the traditional sense, mind you. There’s no dirt whatsoever on him.
He’s the king of fantasy right now so Wired sent out a guy to interview him and do an article. Well, the writer of the article found him boring so wrote an absolutely awful, prickish, condescending article absolutely trashing how “lame” he is, trashing pretty much all fantasy fans, etc. Basically this holier than thou journo from San Francisco (shocker!) finds everything about Fantasy to suck.
If you really want to read it, it’s here:
LINK
Lots of people have come to his defense. Here’s WinterisComing commenting on it:
LINK /
And finally Brandon wrote an extremely gracious letter about it complimenting the wired writer and telling fans to leave him alone. Better man than us.
LINK
He’s the king of fantasy right now so Wired sent out a guy to interview him and do an article. Well, the writer of the article found him boring so wrote an absolutely awful, prickish, condescending article absolutely trashing how “lame” he is, trashing pretty much all fantasy fans, etc. Basically this holier than thou journo from San Francisco (shocker!) finds everything about Fantasy to suck.
If you really want to read it, it’s here:
LINK
quote:
He sits across from me in an empty restaurant, kind of lordly and sure of his insights, in a graphic T-shirt and ill-fitting blazer, which he says he wears because it makes him look professorial. It doesn’t. He isn’t. Unless the word means only: believing everything you say is worth saying. Sanderson talks a lot, but almost none of it is usable, quotable. I begin to think, This is what I drove all the way from San Francisco to the suburbs of Salt Lake City in the freezing-cold dead of winter for? For previously frozen dim sum and freeze-dried conversation? This must be why nobody writes about Brandon Sanderson.
So, recklessly, I say what’s on my mind. I have to. His wife is there, his biggest fan, always his first reader, making polite comments. I don’t care. Maybe nobody writes about you, I say to Sanderson, because you don’t write very well.
Lots of people have come to his defense. Here’s WinterisComing commenting on it:
LINK /
And finally Brandon wrote an extremely gracious letter about it complimenting the wired writer and telling fans to leave him alone. Better man than us.
LINK
This post was edited on 3/28/23 at 5:13 pm
9
Posted on 3/28/23 at 8:31 pm to Fun Bunch
They hate him for being Mormon and not putting LGBT all over his books
Posted on 3/29/23 at 8:47 am to RougeNole
Imagine being some no name “journalist” and shitting on the writing ability of one of the biggest authors in fiction.
Posted on 3/29/23 at 10:13 am to Fun Bunch
I read the article and the guy had a problem writing about someone who is not the most (self-admittedly) exciting person on the planet. It also does not help that Brandon seems to be pretty open about who he is on his social media channels. He is a guy who loves to write and tell stories. Maybe that boring nature is what makes him so prolific?
Anyway, it's okay to comment on the author, but to comment on his family and friends in the article like he did is below the belt.
Brandon is clearly a much better man than me, because someones talks shite about my wife or kids or friends, and I'm gonna meeting a baw outside Sonic. Brandon is the public figure and discourse around him (positive or negative) is completely valid. Taking shots at his family is not okay.
Anyway, it's okay to comment on the author, but to comment on his family and friends in the article like he did is below the belt.
Brandon is clearly a much better man than me, because someones talks shite about my wife or kids or friends, and I'm gonna meeting a baw outside Sonic. Brandon is the public figure and discourse around him (positive or negative) is completely valid. Taking shots at his family is not okay.
Posted on 3/29/23 at 12:30 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:
He sits across from me in an empty restaurant, kind of lordly and sure of his insights, in a graphic T-shirt and ill-fitting blazer, which he says he wears because it makes him look professorial. It doesn’t.
Yea this guy just dislikes him. A lot of interviews talk about the way other people dress and they pick at the person for it being not fashionable but it's in just. This guy legitimately dislikes him. How does this guy have a job if that's how he's seriously judging people?
quote:
. I begin to think, This is what I drove all the way from San Francisco to the suburbs of Salt Lake City in the freezing-cold dead of winter for?
THE HORROR. He had to DRIVE in a vehicle with the temperature perfectly adjusted the entire time, that must have been traumatic for him. I guess this is the modern pussy version of "In my day I had to walk two miles uphill in the snow to get to school."
Posted on 3/29/23 at 2:22 pm to Fun Bunch
Lol. frick Wired and that "journalist."
Sanderson is a hard working dedicated master of his craft and seems to genuinely enjoy what he does and his fanbase.
That "journalist" is a smug whiny little bitch.
Sanderson is a hard working dedicated master of his craft and seems to genuinely enjoy what he does and his fanbase.
That "journalist" is a smug whiny little bitch.
Posted on 3/29/23 at 3:23 pm to Fun Bunch
Wired has become a terrible publication. No surprise on this one.
There is a pretty clear bias against normalcy, general kindness, and a do good/belief in good attitude that gets the nihilists in an uproar.
Being just a good dude who likes his work and family - "boring!"
There is a pretty clear bias against normalcy, general kindness, and a do good/belief in good attitude that gets the nihilists in an uproar.
Being just a good dude who likes his work and family - "boring!"
Posted on 3/29/23 at 3:32 pm to Freauxzen
Some of the actual article is fair.
Sanderson is not a very good prose author. In the fantasy realm, prose-wise he is elementary at best compared to people like Martin or Rothfuss.
But he is an absolutely excellent, amazing worldbuilder, and there is something to be said for ACTUALLY COMPLETING AND PUBLISHING books, the whole actual point.
But so much of the article was just this guy being a total and complete dick.
Sanderson is not a very good prose author. In the fantasy realm, prose-wise he is elementary at best compared to people like Martin or Rothfuss.
But he is an absolutely excellent, amazing worldbuilder, and there is something to be said for ACTUALLY COMPLETING AND PUBLISHING books, the whole actual point.
But so much of the article was just this guy being a total and complete dick.
Posted on 3/29/23 at 4:52 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:
Sanderson is not a very good prose author. In the fantasy realm, prose-wise he is elementary at best compared to people like Martin or Rothfuss.
Does anyone say he is though? I don't think that's the general belief. He does write action better than most.
He's a level above a King, Koontz and a bunch of other famous authors. That's about as far as I'd put him.
(And that's admitting that I think Martin's prose is pretty bland too. MOST fiction now suffers from mediocre prose. Fantasy or not.)
Posted on 3/29/23 at 6:00 pm to Freauxzen
Only fantasy authors I’ve read with better prose so far are Rothfuss and Erikson. Sanderson has gotten much better each book it seems, his prose in Tress was probably his best. Sando still my favorite author overall, frick this guy.
Posted on 3/29/23 at 6:02 pm to Freauxzen
Sanderson gains more points again for me by not unleashing his massive following on that twit.
Posted on 3/29/23 at 8:55 pm to Fun Bunch
I was wondering if anyone was going to post this article here. It's just incredibly rude and mean-spirited. I understand frustrations for him not have some traumatic past or horrible backstory, but the guy dug deep into some early 90s "NERDS! Stop liking things!" type drivel.
Esquire did an article on him as well (delayed a few days after the wired piece): LINK
Esquire did an article on him as well (delayed a few days after the wired piece): LINK
Posted on 3/29/23 at 10:07 pm to spehog
quote:
Only fantasy authors I’ve read with better prose so far are Rothfuss and Erikson.
Wut? Erikson is a worldbuilder like Sanderson, neither are amazing prose guys. They are both absolutely top tier in terms of world building, magic and magic systems, and writing fights though.
Rothfuss is definitely top tier prose though. Guys like Gene Wolfe, Guy Gavriel Kay, Jack Vance, R Scott Baker, Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, and Rothfuss I would consider top tier prose guys.
Ironically I wouldn't consider any of those guys near my top fantasy authors list outside of Tolkien and Gaiman, as the top prose guys seem to struggle with great characters and good plots (Gaiman can struggle with this at times as well, his stories are just usually magical enough to elevate them higher for me).
Most top prose guys just do too much what I would call author wanking on the page. Writing pretty for the sake of it at the detriment of the story.
This post was edited on 3/29/23 at 10:21 pm
Posted on 3/29/23 at 11:12 pm to auyushu
I think King does excellent prose. Better than most.
Posted on 3/30/23 at 7:45 am to Freauxzen
quote:
Wired has become a terrible publication.
It really has. Super interesting mag when it came out, but it’s just climate change and leftist back patting now.
Posted on 3/30/23 at 7:46 am to auyushu
quote:
Rothfuss is definitely top tier prose though. Guys like Gene Wolfe, Guy Gavriel Kay, Jack Vance, R Scott Baker, Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, and Rothfuss I would consider top tier prose guys.
Don’t sleep on Abercrombie.
Posted on 3/30/23 at 10:44 am to sorantable
quote:
Don’t sleep on Abercrombie.
Beat me to it.
I also didn't realize people didn't think Martin was good at it. I'd consider that one of his stronger points imo. Granted I've only read Sandman by Gaiman so i'm probably not the best authority on him but I felt him to be more confusing than good prose. Half the time I'd find myself re-reading paragraphs to make sure I understood what he was saying.
Posted on 3/30/23 at 10:44 am to sorantable
quote:
Don’t sleep on Abercrombie.
He's not really top tier prose to me, simply due to not consistently being there. He's much like Martin in that he's among the best at characters and plots (which is why they are two of my personal favorites, as those are the most important qualities for fantasy to me personally), and has really solid prose that will be elite during certain scenes.
The House of the Maker scenes in the first trilogy and the transitioning battles scenes in The Heroes in particular were standouts in terms of building a vivid scene.
I think Abercrombie, Erikson, and Martin are all guys who have elite prose when it comes to descriptions of battle, but are just solid otherwise.
This post was edited on 3/30/23 at 10:47 am
Posted on 3/30/23 at 10:58 am to iwyLSUiwy
quote:
didn't realize people didn't think Martin was good at it. I'd consider that one of his stronger points imo. Granted I've only read Sandman by
Sandman is a series of graphic novels/comics, while I think it's some of his best stuff it'd be hard to have elite prose in that medium. I was more referring to his novels.
I think people are equating engaging writing with good prose, when generally people talking about elite prose writers are talking the beauty, elegance, imagery, and the vividness of the writing.
Much of the time I think the top prose guys can be a little dense and sometimes confusing for no real purpose, which puts them lower on my personal lists. I can appreciate that they have great prose, but I'm more into the action.
Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels for example are considered among the best prose in fantasy for example, but are very dense. I have never really gotten into that book for that reason. I'll have to give it another chance someday.
Posted on 3/30/23 at 1:54 pm to auyushu
quote:
the transitioning battles scenes in The Heroes in particular were standouts in terms of building a vivid scene.
The battle scenes in the Heroes was some of the best stuff Abercrombie has written.
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