The First Interview - Raymond E Feist - The Road to Becoming an Author
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2018
- Hi there! My name is Magnus Edgarsson - Welcome to my UA-cam channel "Magnus & The Arts"!
My aim is to interview authors - and other people who are involved in the Arts in some way or another - and publish the interviews here.
bookshop.se/ My go-to bookshop!
Every interview on here are filmed, edited and published by me.
First out is Raymond E. Feist, international bestselling author!
Back in 1995 I was searching for something new to read after having read Stephen King, David Eddings and loads of other writers for a long time. A couple of friends and I walked into a bookshop and my eyes locked onto a broad-backed paperback with one word written on it: "Magician" written by a man called Raymond E. Feist. I took a liking to it right then and there and the rest, as they say, is history.
I never would have guessed that I one day would sit down with Ray to interview him about his life but when the opportunity presented itself I acted on it. He announced on Facebook that he was going on a book tour with his latest novel "King of Ashes" and I simply asked him if he would like to sit down for an interview. Ray and his publishing manager said yes and we met in Uppsala on April 30 (2018) at the hotel where he was staying - Elite Hotel Academia Uppsala BIG thank you for letting us use your rooms. This video is the result of this meeting.
Ray Feist has been a force in the field of fantasy since the early 1980s and he is still spinning out fantastic stories. The latest is called "Master of Furies" and is the third novel set in a totally new world. Midkemia is now a closed chapter. If you haven't read it yet, you should.
All the best,
Magnus
The signs inbetween the sections of the interview is a photo of my own copies of some of Ray's books.
"Wheels" and "Travel Light" by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
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Feist is the man who not only reignited my love for reading but made me want to be an author myself.
This interview was so insightful; it's nice to get an insight into a role model's life and mind.
Thanks, Magnus, for uploading this.
You are very welcome! Meeting Ray was a pleasure and the interview was a lot of fun to do. Ray really delivered! :)
Magnus, like Pugs child
Having friends that believe in you so much they pay for your rent and groceries to finish the book, that is so beautiful. And how right they were, all these years later you're still writing amazing books!
Friends are what matters! :)
Feist is an all time great. Is one the very few authors I enjoyed just as much when I was 17 I do today at 46'.
Make it through pug long first chapter through the storm and the rest of the Midkemia books just flow and are such easy reads. Characters are so in-depth you find yourself attached to small part side characters along with the many epic heros of the world.
I see that I have not replied to your comment! Bad form, sorry about that! I too really like (love) the stories and the way I can't help rooting for/liking/loving the characters and all their shenanigans. :) Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoyed the video with Ray. :)
I'm lyrical about the first two trilogies, but after that Feist falls into this "power creep" trap - every book's enemies/monster gets ever more powerfull in order to pose a threat, and the whole thing just becomes incredible. In a bad way. I have Feist books in my collection, gifted to me 30 years ago, that I still haven't read because of this.
I was fortunate enough to meet Raymond on his King of Ashes signing tour. Great guy.
This interview was made during that particular tour! I met Ray in Uppsala, Sweden. He's a great guy!
I have a similar story, 17years old, mostly read teen-fiction, loved reading but I wanted something more grown up, more intense, I walk into a book store, I ask the girl behind the counter what she recommends, she Suggested Magician, I bought it right there on the spot. Finished it in a week, went back the same week I finished it, and bought the next SIX books in the series.
I love them all. I own every single one of Mr. Feists books now, and anyone looking for something incredibly to read my first recommendation is Magician.
I'm 25now, and couple years back my house was flooded, The only book damaged was Magician, my brother purchased me a new copy for Christmas just last year and I can tell you. Even though I had already read the book(mutliple times), it was the best gift I could ask for.
I was 15 when, pursuing - as per usual - both the local bookshop and its Fantasy section, bought "Magician" and enjoyed it so much I continued to buy, and read the ongoing books in the (various) series by Feist. Is your new copy of "Magician" the revised, longer version that Feist reworked some years after the first edition? I've not yet read the revised edition and am intrigued to hear how it compares to the original, particularly as Feist stated the revised book was done once he had improved as a writer.
@@Adara007 I believe it is the revised version, as It has the latest cover art.
Very nice! (sorry for the very late response) I think we, a lot of the time, underestimate the importance of those who work in bookshops. They can often give us maps to unknown new worlds that would have remained unknown if not for their gentle advice. I know because I have, just like you have, experienced this first hand :) So, anyway. I'm glad you found your way to my channel and hopefully it gave you something :)
Pug,Thomas,Arutha,Jimmy the Hand,Nakor the Blue Rider, Eric von Darkmoor,Rupert Avery,Calis,Tal,Miranda and many more are now my friends and i have Mr Feist to thank.From the bottom of my heart thank you so very much Mr Feist thank you.
I'm glad you fouind my interview with Ray. He's a gentleman and I too am very happy to have found his world, Midkemia (and other worlds too). It's full of wonder! :)
Thanks Magnus, that was the ultimate interview, been waiting years for it.
"Queen Of Storms" - bring it on!
You are welcome! I'm very happy to hear that the interview is appreciated! :)
"I had no money so, that was good."
Mr. Feist is partly to blame for me loving writing and world building, this was such a great interview to listen to! Looking forward to whatever he puts out next, whenever he's ready. Each author is on a journey through Life just like the rest of us, and I have finally discovered that yes, I can write, and yes, some people actually like it. Not everyone, but hey, we just like different flavored icecream! Thank you Mr Feist! Keep writing!
Ray was a complete pleasure to interview! I am glad you liked it!
I like the Trilogy and find it absorbing / easy to listen to via Audio on YT. Thanks for the interview and great enjoyment of the Books by this great guy.
@@sabejreid2072 Hi there! I'm glad to see that my talk with Ray still reaches fans and I thank you for taking time to comment! 😀
In 2008 I saw a book in a cheap 'grocery store' for £1. I asked my mum to buy me it.
12 years later I've finished my first fantasy book.
The book my mum bought was Talon of the Silver Hawk. I've also got a hawk tattooed on my chest.
So, reading Ray's stories made a writer out of you! That's really great! 👑👑👑
Thankyou Ray for your most wonderful work. You are a very likeable global treasure.
Not at all sure why your comment hasn't surfaced until now. Weird. Anyway, cool that you enjoy Ray! :)
"slaveholder's rebellion"
what an absolute HERO for referring to the civil war with that phrasing. i'm officially going to grab everything i can that was written by the man.
What an amazingly well read, interesting man. Great interview!
Thank you very much! Ray was an absolute treasure to interview and he gave freely of his time. I am very pleased by the way the end product turned out.
Watching this from Perth, Australia :)
Cool! I did the interview in Sweden, half a world away!
My father gave me his copy of magician for my 15th birthday, last year he was alive, I've read everything of Feist since and do heartily believe the world he created is the penultimate fantasy world in the fiction book scene
I believe Midkemia and Tsuranuanni both feel very real and that adds to the greatness, for sure!
I didn't read much as a child until one fateful day when I was 12 years old and my mum came home and offered me a gift - a choice of 2 books: Magician or a Danielle Steele book (can't remember the name). For context, we had been living in Australia for several years now but came into the country as refugees and mum's english wasn't great at the time. I chose Magician and mum gifted my cousin the other book (that's a whole other story lol). My life changed after that book and I learned things didn't have to be so miserable and scary. Life wasn't easy but this book helped me cope, it was like a dear friend. I hope Mr Feist knows how many hearts he has touched with his talent. Thank you and God bless.
What a wonderful memory! Thank you for sharing it! ❤️💪
What a superb man! When I read his books he sounds totally English in the way he writes. Really strange to hear him speak as an American! He has given years of escapism over decades for many people!
High Fantasy is, in my humble opinion, very much old-school English so I agree with you :) Thanks for stopping by and sorry for not answering your reply for over a year. :)
this great man although he will deny being a great man, changed my reading and writing life the way he described at the start. i had the same moment of wow i want to read and learn, then later try my hand at being an first time author myself. thank you
Ray if you read this comment.
I am happy you found your way to my channel and the interview with Ray. He is a fine man, and I am very glad that I got a chance to meet him and also share that meeting with you. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mr. Feist, been a huge fan for many, many years. Pug took me to whole new world and I loved it. Thank you for this interview. Very insightful.
It was a pleasure to do this interview and we talked for a long time. I am glad you liked the interview!
"With a billion pixels per square millimeter..." LOL, I love that!
Great interview! I am re-reading Magician now after discovering it and falling in love with it 13 years ago. I might be in for a binge of back to back Feist novels over the next few months...
Did you read the first "Magician" or the revised, longer version Feist wrote years later? I've yet to read the revised edition but bought the first work aged 15 and continued to buy, read and love the ongoing series which only ended after about 30 books or so later! My especial favourite is the 'Empire' trilogy co-written with Janny Wurts and I'm listening to these via Audible whilst re-reading them on Kindle. Afterwards I'll likely also go on a binge of re-reading Feist's books. Btw, do you have any favourite characters from his novels? For myself, it's Jimmy the Hand, Nakor, Miranda (pre-demonic incarnation!), Mara along with Kevin and Hokanu and I'd love to see more from Feist involving these. I'd particularly enjoy a series focused on Nakor and his life before we meet him in jail (along with Roo & company), and a few books that continue the adventures of Mara and Kevin (picking up after "Mistress of the Empire" ends), and the efforts of Justin, as Emperor, to ensure the full acceptance of females and cho-ja as mages, and the 'Great Freedom' in the still somewhat traditional and hidebound Tsurannuani society.
I seem to have forgotten to reply.. So here's a reply two years late.. Thank you for taking time to write kind thoughts on my interview with Ray. :)
Thank you 🙂. Feist books are definately my flavor of ice cream!
Faerie tale needs to have some adaptation like a movie the story is just gold
Hi there! Thanks for visiting my channel! And, I agree. Faerietale would make a great movie but also, I think it would be awesome as a 10 episode tv-show. If they could do it in the same quality The Queen's Gambit was made. 👑
@@magnusthearts Anything I mean I've never read anything like it. It's like watching an 80s horror movie the words and descriptions are so vivid it's like your actually thede its not hard to picture anything that goes on. It's the only book I've read from feist so far are the magician books as good ?
@@rari02 Yeah, the three stories of the Rift War saga - Magician, Silverthorn, A Darkness At Sethanon, they are all three really really good! And after reading those I'd suggest reading the Empire Trilogy that Ray co-wrote with Janny Wurts. Those three novels are pure gold.
Then you have The Serpent War saga och onwards. Plenty of great reads ahead of you! :)
@@magnusthearts Thank you I will definitely be making those my yearly reads!
@@rari02 You are welcome! 👑👑
Thank you for a very informative interview. I never had the chance to see Raymond speak before, I was delighted to find what a down to earth guy he is. Love his books.
Hi there! Thank you so much and I am happy to hear that you like the interview! 🙏🙂
My journey started in the same way but I picked up the book called "A Darkness at Sethanon". What a book
Ah, so you got a bit ahead of the story. No matter. They are all great! Thanks for visiting my channel and I hope that you enjoyed the video with Ray!
@@magnusthearts yes, I was living in Paris that time and had the desire of some adventure in my life. I picked up that book, I liked the title and the cover. I am so glad that I judged this book by its cover 🥰
@@dobrealexvlad I also bought it because the cover looked awesome and the title jumped out at me. I had absolutely no idea who Ray was or what the Book was about. Super-happy that I, like you, judged it by its cover 😉
I've honestly never read anything by Raymond E. Feist, my dad got me into the Lord of the Rings when I was about 6 with the animated movie and I read The Hobbit through to Return of the king in a few days when I was 13, I'm honestly not even a big reader, but my dad always said "you should read Raymond E. Feist's Rift War Saga if you liked them" now I'm 38, I think its about time I picked some books up again, great interview by the way, what a wonderfully interesting man.
My reply is so late it is almost beyond comprehension! Sorry about that! I think that you, at age 39 (I guess since it was a year ago that you replied to my interview with Ray) will enjoy Ray's work. Perhaps you've read some already? Anyway: Thank you fr stopping by and for leaving a kind reply!
Magician was the first big boy fantasy book I ever read! I love the character developments, the story weave, and even felt sad when it ended... still encourage kids I meet today to give it a shot
Wish they'd make a cartoon mini series
Same here! First grown-up Fantasy I read. Ray and Robert Jordan. Love the story from A to Z! And, like you, I also encourage young people to read it! Thanks for visiting my channel and I hope you enjoyed the video with Ray. :)
Fantastic and inspirational. Classic Feist.
Yep! The only long interview with Ray that focuses on his life and what lead up to him becoming an author that exists.. Which is exactly what I wanted it to be. He has spoken so much about Pug, Arutha and Midkemia on panels etc so I wanted to get the other stuff. The fabric behind all his stories, :) He delivered.
Since finding "Magician" at 15 I've bought, read & loved his entire series so thank you for this interview with Feist. I'd love to see more books about Nakor, Jimmy the Hand, Miranda (pre-demonic incarnation), & a series about Mara and Kevin taking off after the 'Empire' trilogy ends plus Justin as Emperor (of Tsuranuanni), his family and the inevitable struggles to institute female mages and the 'Great Freedom' into the society!
You are most welcome! I'm happy to see this interview meet Ray's fans! :)
thank god for Ray, In a world of George RRs be a Raymond E Feist!
True that!
The man, the myth. Very insightful, thank you
You are most welcome! I'm glad you liked it!
What a great interview. Great fun author that got me into reading as a boy. Enjoyed his co-authored stuff as well. The "Daughter of the Empire" series is my girls favourite.
Nakor the Isilani = best Fantasy Character!
Feist has Elf's Ears pavilions!
Would you like an ORANGE?
@@Westly.3 Lol! The sack with a mini rift through to a warehouse and crates of oranges never got old. Nor, of course, did Nakor - although his demonic incarnation alongside Miranda's was a bit of a shock to put it mildly. It would be great to read more about Nakor and his various adventures before we encounter him in jail with Roo & company (selected via mind-reading for going after the serpents across the ocean).
So do I ;) Nakor is a crazy fun character and is perfect as a supporting character to the others! I am not sure I believe that he would fit as a main character though. I find him a bit same/same. A lot of fun but not very varied.
Was it Nakor who came back as a naked fella playing around in the mud? Or did Nakor befriend them?
@@peter-shauntyrell5613 I thought that was Macros but I don't know.. Not sure. 🙂
Splendid intro by one of my fav english writers: Steven Savile! The interview with Ray is one of a kind. I love it! Thank you for making it and or sharing it with us!
I found it fascinating hearing RF talk about his life, it helps me understand aspects of his world and characters better. This isn’t the first interview I’ve watched of his and sometimes I get the impression that he carries a lot of bitterness. It’s sad...
I didn't pick any of that but we see/feel different thing I suppose! :)
One of the best.
Agreed!
So loved this, thank you
I am very pleased and happy to learn that you enjoyed the interview! Thank you for telling me so! :)
The best! Great interview. I would love to have a chat with Nakor!
Thank you! It was a very nice - and long - chat I got to have with Ray and he talked about the stuff that exists between the books. :) The interesting stuff.
It would indeed be great to meet Feist. I'd love to read more of Nakor's life and various experiences before we first meet him in jail with Roo & others, about to be selected (via mind reading) to go overseas to find and destroy the serpents and their 'creches'. Nakor is one of my absolute favourite characters created by Feist, as well as Jimmy 'the Hand', Miranda, Mara, Kevin, Hokanu, and Justin whose work as Emperor which was left off at the end of "Mistress of the Empire" would be great to see in a series, particularly one explaining how cho-ja and female mages are introduced along with the loss of the 'Great Game' with its replacement by 'the Great Freedom' into a society that is still rather hidebound, patriarchal, and traditional.
I wish he came to more events states side. would love to meet him in person
When Covid-19 is under control we can hope his publisher sends him places. :)
Silverthorn! Best by far, subtle, limited, brief, romantic, coherent. Darkness at Sethanon is also great, but Silverthorn is the best of the lot IMHO
We all have our favorites! I just love the Riftwar stuff + The Empire trilogy. Faerietale is also supremely awesome!
@@magnusthearts Empire trilogy excellent too, brutal, lots of fun characters, especially the baddies. I wonder if you share two minor quibbles -- the cho-ja, could have been so much more interesting IMO, not threatening enough, a bit of a convenient plot connivance, especially the hive mind messaging thing (if I remember correctly, it's been a long time). Also the start of every chapter with "The *** ***ed". I know it is important, especially in a book with two authors to keep a coherent style, and it was probably a drafting and writing aide memoire to keep the style simple and transparent, but it grates after a while, and could have been edited out. Small beer though. Arakasi - great character, satisfying arc
really great interview!!!!
Hey, Thank you for being kind and for taking time to leave a kind comment!
Wow, nice content!
So Feist was a ladies man back in his youth) I guess that’s the reason his characters aren’t as afraid of the opposite sex as some other fantasy counterparts.
Certainly as a reader of Feist one finds oneself speculating about how much of his own experiences and views influenced both the creation and behaviours of certain characters and their relationships, especially when dealing with both sexuality, and sexual and romantic encounters and experiences. For example, it's interesting to note how Feist portrays female characters before his marriage (in 1988 to author K. Starbuck), and how - during his marriage - he seems to portray certain relationships as very deep, intimate connections and most females in his books are fairly positively portrayed if not actually put on a bit of a pedestal - or at least idealised by a male character interested in them! Then, after his divorce (in 2002, from memory) which understandably seems to have been not only an emotionally difficult time for Feist but one with bitterness and which left him feeling quite bereft if not actually somewhat emotionally 'adrift' and lonely: Feist thanks some women for their regular company at this time, mentioning, in the preface to at least one book, that it helped keep him going and coping. Feist's writing of and about both female characters and relationships underwent a quite significant shift after his divorce. To use but one example, we see the introduction of a female who is physically very beautiful and sexually desired (by all the young males in training at an island owned by Pug), but she completely lacks any empathy, is rather psychopathic, and Miranda is the only teacher who can bring her into line. She is utilised by Miranda to help teach young males lessons in the realm of the 'heart vs. the head' and we see Talon (c.f. the trilogy involving "Talon") on Pug's island(s) being introduced to her, falling completely in both love and lust for her, only to experience genuine heartbreak, through being deliberately seduced by the heartless female then unceremoniously dumped - all at the instructions of Miranda and other teachers like Pug's son (who is a magician like Pug & Miranda). Through this exceedingly painful experience, Talon is forced to both grow up fast and to learn a critical lesson - particularly important for men of noble blood which is the role he is trained to assume for the 'Conclave of Shadows' - wherein he learns not to trust any physically attractive or sexually desirable women. He is taught to guard his heart so any sexual attraction or encounters don't lead him to let his emotions govern his decisions nor actions, and he learns to become fairly ruthless and cynical when it comes to dealing with women. Similar 'lessons' are taught to other important male characters in Feist's novels. Furthermore, we see the introduction of the 'Emerald Queen', one example of supposed female beauty hiding an ugly if not actually completely evil woman whose personality and soul ends up eventually subsumed by an actual demon. We also see a greater number of rather negative if not actually 'evil' female characters creep into Feist's novels than prior to Feist's marriage or during it. I remember noticing this correlation many years ago now, and wondering just which - and how much of - Feist's own (negative) experiences (with the obvious deterioration and ending of his real-life marriage) had influenced his novels' characters and relationships - and to what extent. Naturally, as an author evolves both in skill, experience, and world-building, their writing of characters tends to also change and, ideally, evolved becoming more multifaceted and three-dimensional. However, the aforementioned changes were much too striking and stood, at times, in such stark contrast to Feist's works prior to around 2000-2001 - and definitely by and after 2002, the official year of his divorce - to not have been directly influenced by Feist's personal relationship issues. Have any other readers of Feist's works noticed this correlation and wondered about it?
@@Adara007 wow very interesting observation. I think you are right!
Mayhap he was, and mayhap he wasn't. ;)
Love his books, and quite surprised to come here and find he looks like the General in every sci-fi film that wants to blow up the aliens immediately.
:) He has that General look about him, for sure. A very nice man too!
Thank you ....Midkemia is my fantasy home.
You are welcome! Midkemia is a wonderful place to call home!
49:38 the last scene in magician's end is a marvelous joke about the state of fantasy writing today, it is also very touching and definitely brought me to tears. but i'm not sure how seriously you took fantasy writing when you wrote it. seems like a mixed bag in the way, because you made fun of fantasy writing while at the same time making long time readers feel something about the world you had made, that it isn't really over.
That's right mate. Plenty of flavours of ice cream.
Chololate, licorice, lemon, strawberry, fudge.... And lots and lots more!
Aon and Eternity are great books by Greg :)
Greg who? :) I am not sure what to think.
@@magnusthearts Wow, blast from my Past, apologies, Greg Bear.
I can't remember the context of my post to be honest.
Why has there been no new Boardgame or RPG set in such a rich land like Midkemia?
Hi there! I assume no one has thought of making one.
Correction: There are two computer RPGs. "Betrayal at Krondor" and "Return to Krondor" plus some old-school RPGs. Google Midkemia roleplaing game. :)
42:05
He couldn't help himself. He had to narrate.
RAYMOND ESTILLE IN LAMARE FIEST?
Not sure what you mean. Can you clarify?
But to guess: Yes, this is Raymond E Feist, the author of the Rift War novels, the Empire Trilogy, and much much more. :)
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