Sanderson says George R. R. Martin wasn't considered to finish The Wheel of Time

According to Collider, Brandon Sanderson said George R. R. Martin was never seriously considered to finish Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time because Martin had his own series to complete and could not spare the time.

Sanderson, who completed the final three Wheel of Time novels — The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and A Memory of Light — addressed a Reddit post by writing, "The big reason nobody seriously considered him is the obvious one—he had his own series to finish, and simply could never have spared the time. He wasn’t as behind in 2007 as he has been lately, but George has never been a particularly fast writer, and could never have been spared for this." The remark came as a rebuttal to a long-running notion that Martin might have been the favored choice to finish Jordan's work.

Martin's The Winds of Winter has been in the works since 2011 and the lack of updates has strained his relationship with his extensive fanbase; some readers would like Sanderson to take over that book. Meanwhile Martin's Fire & Blood has inspired the House of the Dragon prequel, which is headed for a third season even as showrunner Ryan Condal confirms Season 4 will be the last, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is due to arrive on screens very soon.

Key Topics

Culture, Brandon Sanderson, Martin, Robert Jordan, Gathering Storm