Brandon Sanderson, renowned author of The Cosmere series, has expressed curiosity regarding the true authorship of the recent Mr. Beast book, "The Most Dangerous Games." In an episode of his podcast, Intentionally Blank, Sanderson delved into his perceptions of the book's writing process.
"I'm really curious who the ghost writer was," Sanderson stated. "I would love for them to be credited, but I can see why they're not." He contrasted this with his own experience in co-authoring, such as with Blightfall, distinguishing it from the role of an editor. Sanderson elaborated on his approach: "if you see someone else's name on a book, chances are I came up with the outline and then was the editor on it."
Given Mr. Beast's extensive YouTube career, Sanderson finds it improbable that the content creator penned the book himself. The involvement of James Patterson, a prolific author, suggests he may have been instrumental in the book's creation. However, Sanderson questioned the extent of Patterson's direct contribution and whether an uncredited author was truly responsible.
"Normally it's James Patterson and somebody," Sanderson explained. "what happens in those situations usually is James Patterson has an idea, they brainstorm and outline together, then the person writes the book and Patterson reads it and offers feedback." He added, "It doesn't feel like a James Patterson book, but it's very strange for Patterson to use an uncredited ghostwriter, right?"
Sanderson, who also notably completed The Wheel of Time series for Robert Jordan, is no stranger to collaborative writing. While acknowledging the possibility that Patterson himself wrote the book, he maintains that an uncredited ghostwriter was likely involved.
"The Most Dangerous Games," released in September, has reportedly garnered mixed reviews regarding its success. The book's official description calls it "an unputdownable survival thriller."