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American publication Wired is facing ire from fans and critics alike for its profile on author Brandon Sanderson, known for his sci-fi and fantasy works. The article in question, written by Jason Kehe, was published on Thursday, March 24, 2023, and titled "Brandon Sanderson Is Your God."
Sanderson is known for his The Stormlight Archive, and the Mistborn series set in an original fictional universe called Cosmere. He also wrote the final books in the series The Wheel of Time after its author Robert Jordan passed away in 2007.
However, Kehe found the fantasy writer uninspiring both as an author and an individual. He wrote:
"Sanderson talks a lot, but almost none of it is usable, quotable."
At another point in the article, he adds:
"IT’S NOT THAT Brandon Sanderson can’t write. It’s more that he can’t not write.
Despite the success of his books, Sanderson was largely an unknown personality to mainstream readers until the aforementioned profile was published. The cynical article has since gone viral and many have taken to social media to call out Kehe for his amateurish and pretentious tone.
"All pretentious and hardly satire": Wired article slammed online for amateurish profile on Brandon Sanderson
As Sanderson's profile written by Jason Kehe went viral, internet users condemned the author for his ignorant, disrespectful, and bland writing. While Sanderson's fans came to his defense, Twitterati, even those who were unaware of the author, called out the "disrespectful" article.
Those who were familiar with Sanderson's life and work pointed out that there were many other faults of the high-fantasy writer, including his donations to the extreme Mormon Church, infamous for its "conversion therapy" and teaching at an "anti-lgbt and s*xual assualt-ridden university."
However, user @lucidaluminia mentioned how Kehe "chose to come off as an a**hole."
User @scottew sarcastically stated:
Twitterati refused to share any comments with a re-tweet of the article as it would "give a platform" to the piece. User @authorjla remarked:
"OK, so I read the Brandon Sanderson article in Wired. I'm not going to share it, because it doesn't deserve it..."
Here are some more comments seen on Twitter criticizing the Wired article:
Brandon Sanderson asks fans to calm down as they slam Jason Kehe
In response to the public outcry, the Elantris author shared a letter with his fans on Reddit where he thanked the community for standing up for him. Brandon Sanderson, added:
"As a community, let’s take a deep breath. It’s all right. I appreciate you standing up for me, but please leave Jason alone."
The author stated that Kehe was honest and even agreed that he was not the most exciting and interesting person but added that he loved his work. He also remarked that the profile was not an attack on the community.
He concluded his response by reinforcing that he bears no ill-will towards Jason, calling him a "sincere man," requesting that his fans "leave him alone."
