on Google Preferred Source Google News Link copied to clipboard By Maria Loreto Published Sep 7, 2026, 12:23 AM EDT Analysis It all comes down to maps
Yunkai’s freed slaves hoist up their liberator and mother. HBO Sign in to your Polygon.com account Add Us Add on Google Preferred Source Google News Summary Generate a summary of this story Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Thread 1 Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Brandon Sanderson is one of the biggest voices in the fantasy genre. More than a writer and publisher, he's an audience-friendly scholar. Somehow he finds time to expand the Cosmere on a near-annual basis and also deliver lectures on Tolkien’s magic systems . There’s a reason we turned to him once upon a time to teach us his time-management wizardry .
In a talk with fellow fantasy author Joe Abercrombie, shared on YouTube earlier this year, the pair discussed the craft of writing. That’s when Game of Thrones was brought up — again. For Sanderson, it is a prime example of the strengths and weaknesses of Epic Fantasy.
"I grew up reading the big epics. I think it's the most natural form for fantasy in some ways. It gives you a lot of time to dig into that world and immerse yourself in it and explore another place,” he said. "I think that's why Game of Thrones did well."
When asked about the downside of these stories, Sanderson spoke from personal experience, sharing that burnout is a real problem, with him having to take a break from the writing process at around the 10th pass of the draft.
Image: HBO "Epic fantasy has this danger. It starts very personal, and then it can drift away from being personal about the characters if you're not careful. Authors tend to get more excited about side characters later on. We see this happening a bit in Game of Thrones and in A Wheel of Time. How can you make sure something that big remains fresh and personal and exciting? That's a real challenge with the genre."
This is an “again” situation because last time the two writers got together in 2025, George R.R. Martin’s series also came up. The two were discussing the release of Abercrombie’s The Devils , which came out last year. “Don't you dislike maps? Isn't that something I once heard, that you don't like maps?” asked Sanderson.
“I mean, I love maps,” replied Abercrombie. “But I think they need to be exercised in the right way. I suppose what I don't like is a kind of lazy application of maps.”
“When I was first writing The First Law , I guess I wanted to write something that was very character focused, that was almost told in tight closeup on the people. And to start with the widest shot imaginable of the whole world felt like exactly the wrong kind of tone to begin with if you want,” Abercrombie said.
Image: HBO While immersive and exciting, the inclusion of a map creates some expectations for the reader. It also adds a sheen of realism, providing the reader with visual information that could later create problems for the author that they must address in the writing. Sanderson mentioned the Game of Thrones franchise as an example. “And once you put the map in, you run into some problems. Maybe like some later Game of Thrones seasons, we're like, ‘Well, how did they get from here to here?’” he said.
“And when you're trying to be very realistic when presenting some of that stuff, it can get you into trouble,…