"Neal had a couple of good ideas and they fit nicely, so that's the way I decided to go." -- Raymond E. Feist
Raymond Elias Feist (born Raymond E. Gonzales III, 1945) is an American author who primarily writes fantasy fiction. He is best known for The Riftwar Cycle series of novels and short stories. His books have been translated into multiple languages and have sold over 15 million copies.
"Also, it's risky to try to duplicate earlier success. Magician had a certain charm to it, mostly due to my choice of lead characters, that I would be hard put to duplicate.""I'm a huge fan of Cabernet and Bordeaux, and am passionate about Pinot Noir and Burgundies.""If I leave my computer, I'm probably not going to get back for hours. If I take a few minutes to answer questions and go web surfing, then guilt kicks in and I get back to work.""In the end, my reasons for moving down the timeline and introducing a new cast have more to do with keeping myself entertained, on the assumption that if I get bored, my readers are going to be even more bored.""Jigsaw Lady is the working title of a science fiction novel I've had in my head for darn near 15 years. I think I'll start work on it next year (in all my spare time) but I'd like to get it finished some day.""Often I'll try things that just won't happen the way I'd like them to, so hearing that they're not working saves me some wear and tear the next time around.""One likes to think one grows as a writer as one ages, else all you get is an "old" young writer. Beyond that is the changing landscape of the universe and the stories I choose to tell.""One of the key issues will be personal honour vs. the good of the many, and unforeseen consequences.""The issue of the Betrayal was so central to that, I felt the need to comment upon it. My choices were to ignore the games and put them "outside" of continuity or to integrate them. I chose the latter.""There were two things going on: 1) I had already established in my own mind where I wanted to go with the next series, and having James around as a Grey Eminence would have complicated matters. He had had an amazing life and it was time to bid him good-bye.""There's always going to be comparisons, and that's unavoidable. There are people out there who feel I hit my peak with Magician and have gone downhill since.""Writing is hard work; it's also the best job I've ever had.""You can only have one first born child. You may love all your children deeply and with passion, but there is something unique about the first born."
Raymond E. Feist was born in 1945 in Los Angeles, and was raised in Southern California. He was born with the name Raymond E. Gonzales III; when his mother remarried, he took the surname of his adoptive stepfather, Felix E. Feist. He graduated with a B.A. in Communication Arts with Honors in 1977 from the University of California at San Diego. During that year Feist had some ideas for a novel about a boy who would be a magician. He wrote the novel two years later, and it was published in 1982 by Doubleday. Feist currently lives with his children in San Diego, where he collects fine wine, DVDs, and books on a variety of topics of personal interest: wine, biographies, history, and, especially, the history of American professional football.
The majority of Feist's works are part of The Riftwar Cycle, a fictional universe featuring the worlds of Midkemia and Kelewan. Human magicians and other creatures on the two planets are able to create "rifts" through dimensionless space that can connect planets in different solar systems. The novels and short stories of The Riftwar Cycle record the adventures of the people on the various worlds.
Midkemia was originally created as an alternative to the Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) role-playing game. When Feist studied at the University of California, San Diego, he and his friends created a new role-playing game based on their own original world of Midkemia. They called themselves the Thursday Nighters, because they played the Midkemia role-playing game every Thursday evening. After some time, when the group changed and began meeting on Fridays, they became known as the Friday Nighters. The original group have since formed a company called Midkemia Press, which has continued publishing campaigns set in Midkemia.
Other works
Feist has published one non-Riftwar novel, Faerie Tale, a dark fantasy set in the state of New York. He has also published several short stories in various anthologies.
