Magician Book Series Raymond E Feist

[Kristin Dampeer]

Magicianis Feist's first published novel, written in the years after he graduated from University of California, San Diego. At university he was a fan of role-playing games and regularly played with his friends.[1] 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.[2] Prior to starting work on Magician, Feist had written some short and "light-hearted" stories about the world they had created.[1]

Feist graduated in 1977 and began work in the healthcare industry. At this time, he had the idea for a novel involving a boy magician and began to write. At some point, Feist lost his job; however, his friends bankrolled the effort to complete Magician.[3] The book was finished by 1979 and published in 1982 by Doubleday books.[2][4] 'Magician was separated into two volumes for the United States market and published as: Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master. 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. Feist wanted to re-issue the low circulation original hardcover and his publisher, Lou Aronica, said "he would only do it with new material" so Feist restored some scenes he felt were important while expanding or rewriting other material.[5]

War erupts between the Midkemians and the otherworldly Tsurani. The Duke's troops engage in a fierce battle in an effort to locate and destroy the rift in spacetime which gives access to the Tsurani, but Pug is captured and taken back through the rift to Kelewan, the Tsurani homeworld, as a slave. After years of stalemate fighting on Midkemia by the two opposing forces, Pug returns as a magician, a Great One, the Tsurani name for master practitioners of magic. Meanwhile, a fellow slave, Laurie, along with a Tsurani warrior, Kasumi, embark on a secret errand of peace from the Tsurani Emperor to King Rodric in Rillanon, but also fail to persuade the mad king.

With Rodric's death, Lyam assumes command and sues for a peace treaty with the Emperor Ichindar. During the peace conference, the two rulers, with Pug as the interpreter, begin on good terms by exchanging gifts. Due to the interference of powerful and mysterious sorcerer Macros the Black, the elves and dwarves mistakenly perceive treachery, and the truce dissolves into an all-out conflict. Macros enlists Pug's help to close the rift once and for all, and the connection between the two worlds is severed, leaving numerous stranded Tsurani soldiers in Midkemia, including Kasumi. The Tsurani, who expect to be put to death as is custom on their world, are instead granted freedom in return for their pledge of service to the Kingdom, and are stationed in LaMut with Kasumi made Earl and given command.

Lyam chooses to reveal Martin's birthright on the eve of his selection and coronation, threatening to throw the Kingdom into turmoil and potential civil war, but Martin relinquishes his claim, making Lyam the rightful king and ending any possibility of dispute.

Colin Greenland reviewed Magician for Imagine magazine, and stated that "There isn't really anything original about Magician. It relies heavily on generalized characters and landscapes; but after a slow start Feist gets everything in perspective, emphasizing the distances and difficulties of stopping this war nobody really wanted to start."[9]

In March 2006, the novel was adapted into a comic book series titled Magician Apprentice, released by Dabel Brothers Productions and Marvel Comics. The first six issues were released as a graphic novel hardcover. After almost one year of collaboration, Dabel Brothers Productions and Marvel parted ways, with all the books, including Magician, being retained by Marvel. In June 2009, the series continued with the release of a 5-part Marvel limited series titled Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar.[11] The series was also released as graphic novel hard cover (Volume 2) by Marvel. Issues 13-18 are planned to be released under the title Magician: Riftwar.

Magician was first optioned for television adaptation in 2018 by BCDF Television. Feist stated he had been in numerous discussions since publication but that this was the first time he was happy to sell the rights.[12] The deal with BCDF fell through, but in February 2022 it was announced that Six Studios had obtained the rights to the first six books in the arc.[13]

Magician is the name of the bestselling fantasy novel by author Raymond E. Feist. Originally published in 1982 this is the first book in the Riftwar Saga series which after its success led to many more books being written by Feist about the fantasy world of Midkemia. It was re-published as a revised edition in 1992 which contained text omitted from the original release. It is currently released as two separate volumes in the USA, Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master.

During a storm, a servant-boy, Pug, was caught outdoors and encountered a wild boar. He was saved by Meecham, a franklin, who brought him indoors, into the home of the Duke's magician and adviser, Kulgan. During their conversation, Pug was handed a crystal ball for scrying, to which he is able to activate and view Castle Crydee, much to Kulgan's surprise.

Days later, it was the time of the Choosing, where boys of age were to be chosen by various craft-masters as apprentices. Presiding over the events were the ruling noble of Crydee, the Duke Borric, and his children, Lyam, Arutha, and Carline. While other boys, including his best friend Tomas, were chosen, Pug remained the only person not chosen, until Kulgan stepped in, saying that he had a need for an apprentice.

As time went by, Pug grew increasingly frustrated by his lack of progress in his magical studies. As Kulgan and Father Tully speculated, Pug appeared to possess the ability, and he could grasp the theories of magic, but performing actual magic was more difficult. To help clear his head and cheer him up, Kulgan arranged for Pug to accompany the Princess Carline to go horseriding. Unfortunately, the duo encountered wild trolls, with their horses beyond reach. While Pug managed to get both trolls to chase him, he was unable to escape, and moments away from danger, he casted his first spell involuntarily, and killed both trolls.

When they reached home, Pug became an instant celebrity. For his deed, he was awarded the rank of squire, as well as the adoration of the Princess. Pug's deed concerned Kulgan, however, as traditionally, magicians could not simply cast spells out of thin air, but requiring an external focus, musing that Pug had probably found a new form of magic.

When the excitement wore off, another presented itself, in the form of an alien vessel shipwrecked on Crydee's shores. Pug and Tomas, being first on the scene, managed to enter the ship and liberated a few items before the tide reclaimed the wreckage. While on the beach, they discovered a survivor, who spoke a language unknown to them, and collapsed in terror as horsemen from the castle arrived.

Using a form of telepathy, Father Tully entered the mind of the survivor and gleaned some information before he died. As he explained, the survivor was a Tsurani, from a place far hotter, with a green sun, and an empire with a standing army of hundreds of thousands, far larger than any known empire in this world. A piece of pottery liberated from the ship appeared to be made of laminated wood, as is the alien's sword and armor. A magical scroll obtained from the ship stunned Kulgan, and opened a rift, a gateway through worlds. Hands reached from the other side of the rift, and was attempting to pull Kulgan through, when Pug threw a spear through, and the rift closed. As Kulgan explained it, the message was crafted by a magician from the ship, in order to bear a message back to his colleagues from wherever they came from.

Once they pieced everything they knew, Duke Borric decided that alien beings from another world could access Midkemia, and could appear again. In need of council, he send messages to hold a discussion with the elves from the nearby forest of Elvandar. The elves came, headed by their queen Aglaranna and her son, Calin, the Warleader of the elves. What they told him was even more distressing: strange people were sighted in the forest, mapping the area around Crydee, and disappeared without leaving tracks. With that, Duke Borric organized a party to travel to the Kingdom capital of Rillanon, to inform the King of a possible alien invasion.

During their journey through the forest, they were waylaid by bands of moredhel, the evil kin to the elves of Elvandar. Martin, the Huntmaster of Crydee, mentioned that the moredhel appeared to be migrating North by the thousands, and speculated on what could possibly uproot thousands of the most violent race known to mankind. Eager to avoid conflict, the party took a detour through the Mac Mordain Cadal, a dwarven mine that goes underneath the Grey Towers mountain range. During their trek, they were attacked by a wraith, and Tomas was separated from the party. While the party was forced to press on, Pug was inconsolable. The dwarven king who guided them through the mine, Dolgan, offered to go back and bring back Tomas back to the surface. Instead, he found Tomas in the company of a golden dragon, dying of old age. The dragon, Rhuagh, told them of his life story and his encounter with the Black Sorcerer Macros. Before he died, the dragon bequeathed a suit of magical armor to Tomas, and an ancient dwarven warhammer, the Hammer of Tholin, to Dolgan.

Duke Borric's party reached Rillanon and managed to convey the seriousness of the situation to King Rodric, a troubled young man new to the throne. The Duke was given command of the Armies of the Western Kingdom and they returned to find the outworlders appearing in force. On an intelligence mission to find out about how the outworlders accessed Midkemia, Kulgan and Pug led a raid into the heart of the Tsurani camp, and found a much larger rift. During the escape, Pug was captured and brought through the rift away from Midkemia.

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