RIFTWAR companion volume to be published in 2013

The last-ever novel in Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Cycle, Magician's End, will be out in May. This is the 30th novel in the series and marks an end to the saga that began back in 1982 with the publication of Magician.

Appropriately, it has been revealed that there will now also be a companion volume to the series. Entitled Midkemia: The Chronicles of Pug, this book will be a 192-page 'coffee table' book containing illustrations and extensive maps about the world of Midkemia. The project grew out of a mooted 'Midkemia Atlas' that Feist planned several years ago. The book will also feature 'narration' from the characters of Pug and Magnus.

“In the first year of the reign of King Lyam conDoin, I, Pug of Crydee, magician to the royal court and cousin to the King by adoption, do take quill in hand and set forth this writ, that all may benefit from the knowledge I have gained…” -Pug of Stardock

So begins the narrative account of Feist’s best-selling character, Pug of Stardock, for Midkemia: The Chronicles of Pug. Part travel log/journal and part atlas, this visual compendium brings the world of Midkemia to vivid, illustrative life, and gives readers a completely new look at the creative genius of Raymond E. Feist.

Designed and illustrated by the same creative team that brought us the Harry Potter books (Film Wizardry and Page to Screen), Midkemia: The Chronicles of Pug is divided into five sections and transports readers -- via maps, blueprints, floor plans, and journal text -- to the outer reaches of the Midkemia world and into its cities. Starting at the Far Coast, Pug, the hero of The Chaoswar Trilogy, recounts his childhood, before he embarks on a journey that takes him to the Grey Towers, Sorcerer’s Isle, and Krondor. Pug also encounters several favorite characters and people along the way -- including Jimmy and Locky, the Sauur, and Erik and Roo in Ravernburg. Beautiful hand-drawn maps illustrate the changes in Midkemia’s geography as war ravages the land and physically alters the landscape; dedicated readers and fans can literally trace the changes made by each battle. Unlike anything else in the Feist oeuvre, this book is a totally immersive look into the world of Midkemia as never experienced before.

Notably, Feist is co-writing this book with Stephen Abrams. Stephen Abrams created Midkemia in the mid-1970s as a roleplaying setting. Feist, a player in Abrams's games, started writing the Riftwar Cycle to 'fill in' the history of the roleplaying setting at Abrams's suggestion, with Magician set some 500 years before the 'present day' of the setting. The original plan was for Feist to write the account of the five great Riftwars that shaped the history of the planet. Impressively, some thirty-five years after that discussion, that's pretty much the task that Feist has now completed.

The book is currently scheduled for publication on 5 November 2013 from Harper Design. A working cover is shown above. You can look inside the book and see how it's going to look here.

Thanks to Jussi from Risingshadow for discovering the above information.