In the world of fantasy, Brandon Sanderson and Joe Abercrombie stand tall. Abercrombie is known as a pioneer of grimdark fantasy with his The First Law and The Age of Madness trilogies, Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and more. Sanderson has crafted epics such as Mistborn and The Stormlight Archives, and he completed The Wheel of Time saga from the late Robert Jordan.
The two authors have become friends over the years, even sharing fun stories about their experiences together. In a recent YouTube video from Waterstones, a game of “Who’s Most Likely To…” turned to a conversation about classic novels. This sparked Abercrombie to ask if Sanderson considers himself “as someone versed in the classics.”
Though Sanderson said he was into “the classics of fantasy,” he admitted he’s not well-versed in the general classics.
Abercrombie brought up Middlemarch, Mary Ann Evans’ 1871 book about British society (written under the pen name George Eliot), which was a breakthrough in discussing gender norms and provincial life. Sanderson said he “read a fair number,” only to admit he’d never read War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy's classic novel of conflict, with Abercrombie saying he had.
Sanderson did throw in two books he had read, both by James Joyce: Dubliners, Joyce’s 1914 collection of stories of middle-class life in Ireland and Portrait of the Artist, Joyce’s tale of a young man’s artistic awakening.
A major shock was Sanderson saying he’d never read Ulysses. Yes, this master of fantasy has never read one of the classic epic adventures, which is the backbone of mythology and paved the way for scores of adventure tales to come. When Abercrombie pushed on his Charles Dickens knowledge, Sanderson said he’s read A Tale of Two Cities but not Great Expectations.
It was Sanderson’s turn to flip it around by asking if Abercrombie had read Phantasmion, Sara Coleridge’s 1837 book, often considered one of the first English fairy tales. Abercrombie joked, “No, I think you’re making that one up. I don’t believe there is such a book.” Sanderson admitted he knew of Phantasmion because of his research on works that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien for his recent speech at Oxford.
“So now I've read a bunch of these old 1800s fantasy books and things like that,” Sanderson stated.
“The precursors of epic fantasy.” Abercrombie joked, “that’ll get a sales bump now.”
It’s an intriguing discussion, as clearly both authors are well-versed in fantasy, while Sanderson is not ask knowledgable in other literary works. It is a bit surprising Sanderson hasn’t read either War and Peace or Ulysses, given his love of grand, wide-scope adventures. Yet his enjoyment of character works about simple life fits his writing. Likewise, Abercrombie’s tastes seem to go for darker tales, which explains his own works.
It’s a fun reminder that even the most successful writers have a long TBR—including the classics!
Add us as a preferred source on Google