The release of George RR Martin’s upcoming book has received backlash from fans who accuse his co-authors of having a “racist history”.
Martin, 74, wrote The Rise Of The Dragon: An Illustrated History Of The Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One, with the help of Linda Antonsson and Elio M. Garcia Jr., who are being accused of racism by some of their previous online publications.
Many fans expressed that they would boycott the work following comments by Antonsson and Garcia about casting white characters from Martin’s books with black actors.
Backlash: The release of George RR Martin’s upcoming book has received backlash from fans accusing his co-authors of having a “racist history”; Martin in the photo of 2014
The book, which will be an introduction to House Targaryens and features the main characters from HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel, will hit bookstores on October 25.
Martin recently announced the new job on his social media only to receive heated responses from fans who begged him to cut ties with the couple, with one writing: “I will not buy anything with Linda and Elio.”
Another added: ‘I will not buy this book given the co-author. His attitudes towards diversity disgust me. I love you George, but she is an example of what can be toxic in this fandom. (Also Steve Toussaint is one of the best parts of HotD).’
Problematic: Martin, 74, wrote The Rise of the Dragon with the help of married couple Linda Antonsson and Elio M. Garcia Jr, who are being accused of racism for some of their previous online posts.
Another outraged fan wrote: ‘His “co-author” Linda is a major part of the racist control within her fandom and has opposed @HBO’s decision to cast @StevieToussaint in #HouseOfTheDragon.
While another chimed in, writing: ‘Stop working with racists who bring hate and mockery to the fandom please.’
Both Antonsson and Garcia Jr., who are a married couple, have refuted the allegations.
Boycott: Many fans expressed they would boycott the work following Antonsson and Garcia’s comments about casting white characters from Martin’s books with black actors. The couple have denied all allegations of racism.
The duo created an online Game of Thrones forum, Westeros.org, in 1999.
George recruited them soon after to be the fact checkers for his book ‘A Feast for Crows’.
Antonsson and Garcia Jr. also co-authored “The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones,” in 2014.
Not the ideal book launch: Martin recently announced the new job on his social media only to receive heated responses from fans who begged him to cut ties with the couple.
Outrage: Another outraged fan wrote: “Your ‘co-writer’ Linda is a major part of racist control within your fandom and has lobbied against @HBO’s decision to cast @StevieToussaint in #HouseOfTheDragon.”
Fandom divided: While another fan chimed in, writing: ‘Stop working with racists who bring hate and mockery to the fandom please’
Will not buy: ‘I will not buy this book given the co-author. His attitudes towards diversity disgust me. I love you George, but she is an example of what can be toxic in this fandom,’ another user added.
Fans have taken issue with some of Antonsson’s blog posts, where he complained about actors of color who were cast as a character who was described as white in the book.
More recently, Antonsson is said to have objected to Steve Toussaint playing Lord Corlys in the HBO series House of the Dragon.
“There are no Black Valyrians and there should be none on the show,” he wrote.
Racist attacks: It comes after actor Steve Toussaint, 57, said he was subjected to racist attacks after he was cast in the upcoming HBO show House of the Dragon, a Game of Thrones prequel; In the photo 2022
She further argued her point in an interview with Variety, where she expressed that fans “selected statements stripped of context” and that she was upset at being “labeled racist, when my focus has been solely on world building.”
“If George had made the Valyrians black instead of white, as he mused in his ‘Not a Blog’ back in 2013, and this new show was proposing to make the Velaryons non-black, we would have had the same problem and would have shared the same opinion,” he added.
Linda also emphasized that she has no problem with inclusive casting, but believes “diversity shouldn’t trump story.”
In August, actor Steve Toussaint said he was the target of racist attacks after being cast as Corlys Velaryon in the upcoming HBO show House of the Dragon, a Game of Thrones prequel.
GOT prequel: Touissant plays the role of Corlys Velaryon in the Game of Thrones prequel; The House of the Dragon photo
A bigger problem: Toussaint noted that he has heard from several colleagues in the entertainment industry who have also been subjected to racist messages after being placed in high-profile roles.
The British actor, 57, told The Hollywood Reporter he underestimated the response when he was cast in the first prominent role by a person of color in the Game of Thrones universe.
“When I got the job, I literally said, ‘It’s just another role because I have black friends who had bit parts or recurring roles on ‘Game of Thrones,'” Toussaint told the outlet. “I didn’t realize it was a bigger one until I was racially abused on social media when it was announced. Yes, that happened.
Touissant said that one person called it the N-word and that others had made art to mock his involvement in the series.
Toussaint noted that he has heard from several colleagues in the entertainment industry who have also been subjected to racist messages after being placed in high-profile roles.
Coming soon! The Rise of the Dragon, which will be an introduction to House Targaryen and features the main characters from HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel, hits bookstores on October 25.
