Feist claims to have been unaware of this origin when he wrote Magician. As a result, much of the background of Kelewan – the Tsurani Empire, the lack of metals and horses, the Cho'ja, the pantheons of 10 major and 10 minor gods – come from Tekumel. The original D&D campaign which he based his books on had an invasion of the Midkemia world by Tekumel. Barker's Empire of the Petal Throne was the source for much of the world of Kelewan. Feist acknowledged that the Tekumel setting from M. The book contains a number of common fantasy tropes but also draws from other ideas writing in Foundation, Hannu Hiilos draws parallels to the work of James Fenimore Cooper and the story of Robin Hood. Īs well as being based on the world invented with his friends at university, Magician has a number of other influences. Feist wanted to make sure any re-issue included new material so restored some scenes he felt were important but also retained some of the original cuts. It was republished in 1992 in a 10th Anniversary edition entitled 'The Author's Preferred Edition' containing scenes that had been cut from the original. Magician was separated into two volumes for the United States market and published as: Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master. The book was finished by 1979 and published in 1982 by Doubleday books. At some point Feist lost his job but his friends bankrolled the effort to complete Magician. At this time he had the idea for a novel involving a boy magician and began to write.

įeist graduated in 1977 and began work in the healthcare industry. Prior to starting work on Magician, Feist had written some short and 'light-hearted' stories about the world they had created. The name and broad idea for Midkemia came from a group of friends who invented the world and some of the core mechanics, such as the magic system. At university he was a fan of role-playing games and regularly played with his friends. Magician is Feist's first published novel, written in the years after he graduated from University of California, San Diego. Several adaptions for TV have been attempted, but none have moved beyond the initial stage. Magician is viewed as a classic fantasy novel which focuses more on the broad politics of nations rather than individual stories. In 1992, after the author, and series, fame had grown it was re-published in an edition titled 'The Author's Preferred Edition' (or 'revised edition' in some markets) text restored from the original edit. The story follows the early life of friends Pug and Tomas as their world is overtaken by war against alien invaders who appear via portals. The book is set in a Dungeons & Dragons–style fantasy world called Midkemia, originally invented by Feist and his friends during college. Magician was originally published in 1982. It is the first book of the Riftwar Saga and of the wider Riftwar Cycle. Magician is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E.

Magician apprentice raymond feist