This site is no longer maintained.  For up-to-date information go to www.crydee.com.  Thanks.

THE FUTURE OF THE SITE

After thinking over things for a while (and delaying my decision - or just being lazy), I've decided to give away the REF Internet Resource Index (www.unc.edu/~smrussel/Feist_Resources.html).  I ran the site for several years, going from a link page to an active news site, throwing in some reviews, and also inheriting the FEISTFANS-L Members Listing (www.unc.edu/~smrussel/feistfanslist.html).  My second year in college has proven too time-consuming for me to update the sites everyday, and I let them lapse at the beginning of last semester.

Now, instead of seeing the two sites die, I would like to hand them off to someone who has more time and energy than I do.  So, I am requesting that interested people email me privately (smrussel@email.unc.edu) with the information I will list below.  Note that the two sites do not necessarily have to go to the same person.  I already know of certain people who I would prefer to inherit the sites, but I want to give everyone who's interested a chance.

In your email, please include the follow information:

1) Full Name
2) Age
3) Where you live
4) URL of your website(s)
5) Which site you want (or both)
6) Why you want it/them
7) Ideas you have for the future of the site

A couple notes: I really want to hand the site(s) to someone who has a good knowledge of HTML, particularly in terms of clean layout.  Furthermore, I want to give it/them to someone who will be dedicated to running the site(s).

Whoever I choose to receive the sites will get all the HTML and graphics, along with some information about what needs updating, and any help requested.

The deadline for responses is Sunday, February 18.

Magician Art Auction
10:40 am
John Bunting posted this very cool announcement to the list:

For the RICH collectors on the list, with money to burn. This is a once in a life time purchase

Starting bid at $1200 !

The original art for Magician Master by Kevin Johnson

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=432946363.

A completely unique, one-of-a-kind work of Fantasy Art is now available on EBAY for the first time. This is the ORIGINAL illustration for the Raymond E. Feist paperback version of "Magician:Master," volume 2 of the Riftwar Saga. It was used on the first four US editions of the paperback starting in 1986, by Bantam Spectra. (Bantam Spectra 0-553-25646-7 Apr '86 [Mar '86] Print 1 -Print 3, and Bantam Spectra 0-553-26761-2 1986 Print 8) For a picture of the covers of these editions please link to
http://www.crydee.com/feist/isbn/us/isbn_us_trs.html. The painting is by the well-known Scifi/Fantasy illustrator Kevin Eugene Johnson, and was created in 1985 and signed by the artist. Johnson has produced fantastically detailed cover art for over twenty years. Some of his other work has been covers for Harry Harrison, Robert Silverberg, Andre Norton, Robin Bailey, and Edgar Rice Burroughs reprints. Johnson also created the cover for Phillip Jose Farmer's "Gods of Riverworld" hardcover edition in 1983. For a list of Johnson's cover artwork since 1989 see Locus Index - http://www.locusmag.com/index/c53.html#A1753. This painting shows Pug on a beautiful blue background, and was used for both the front and back covers of the novel. It measures 32.25" x 24". It is painted on illustration board (like smooth masonite) , and is outstanding in detail (see picture closeups.) There are some imperfections on the edges of the work, primarily from paste up and photography handling, when framed these will no longer be visible. This is a work of art that will be treasured by both artists and fans alike.

Disclaimer. I have no vested interest in the sale.

Conclave Release Date
1:41 pm
Today Ray mentioned that the possible release date for the first book in the Conclave of Shadows series, Talon of the Silverhawk is Fall 2002.  Of course Tear of the Gods and at least two of the Tales of the Riftwar novels should be out before that.

Return to Krondor Soundtrack Review
9:21 pm
A very cool game music site, GameScore, has recently posted a review of Chuck Mitchell's Return to Krondor Soundtrack CD.  There is also a trivia contest, with two winners receiving an autographed copy of the disc.

Tear of the Gods Finished!
10:10 am
Good news from Ray:

Handed in today.

I'm going to take a small break, then start on Conclave of Shadows I: Talon of the Silver Hawk.

If I remember correctly, Ray's publisher is going to fast-track this novel (go without a big advertising blitz, etc.) so hopefully November is still the target date.

Books in French
10:07 am
Sylvain Guehl announced the publishing order for the next few books to be translated:

I've seen that, now that ADAS's been translated, the next books to appear in french will be in that order :

The Empire Trilogy ("La trilogie de l'Empire" : Fille de L'Empire, Pair de l'Empire, Maîtresse de l'Empire)

Prince of the Blood (Prince de Sang)

The King's Buccanneer (Le bucanier du Roy)

Which means no french Riftwar Legacy until then (I believe the Serpentwar will come first)

More on Return to Krondor
4:30 pm
Desslock's RPG News has more coverage of the Return to Krondor sales ranking scandal.  A letter from John Gordos, a former PyroTechnix employee, seeks to confirm RtK's high sales ranking the past few weeks.  However, John gives a bit of a diss to Ray in this statement:

I think RtK was in a similar boat, just like the original BaK. Feist isn't as popular as he thinks he is, and people have to exhaust their RPG "wish list" to find the title. Once they do, they generally have fun with it. The 10 dollar price certainly helps, too.

Desslock counters by stating that he did like RtK, but continues his criticism of PC Data's ranking system.  Check Desslock's site for more information.

Tales of the Riftwar Status
2:15 pm
This string of posts from Ray details the status, and planned length, of the Tales novels, which are co-authored:

They are coauthored novels.  Three, so far.  I'm 6 Chapters into Honored Enemy, a book with Bill Forstchen, and Joel Rosenberg is working on Chapter 5 of Murder in La Mut.

Doubtful that he could make heads or tales of three books at once (two Tales novels and Tear of the Gods)?

It's usually one book at a time, but I've done multiple projects before.  While working with Janny on the Empire series I finished the 1st draft of Faerie Tale and the final draft of Prince of the Blood.

It's not confusing.  Being a writer is what I do.

And how does co-authoring work?

The guys do first drafts and I do rewrites, and we talk on the phone about what's what.

And finally, about the length of the new books, compared with the Empire series:

Probably in the 300 page range rather than the big monsters like Servant and Mistress.  Daughter, though, was a smaller book.

Krondor Series Update
2:13 pm
Ray posted this about the future of the Krondor series of books, more or less confirming that it will be more than just a trilogy:

As I finish Tear of the Gods (in by next weekend), I'm considering what to do with this series, either with or without a game contract.

I think there are two, or even three, more books that would work in the James vs. Sidi saga.

Desslock Questions Return to Krondor Sales
2:27 pm
Desslock posted this today:

Of course, the reason I tried to include sales statistics from a local retailer, www.mediascape.ca, was because PC Data's accounting system sometimes results in some misleading results. Perhaps there's never been a more obvious example of the misleading nature of PC Data's results than the lists of the top selling games for the past couple of weeks. "Surging" to the bottom of the list is none other than Pyrotechnix's 1998 adventure/RPG hybrid, Return to Krondor. When that game was initially released, it didn't even make the top 10 list of best sellers for a single week, and it was enough of a commercial bomb that it ultimately contributed to the dissolution of Pyrotechnix's development team. Even taking into account bargain bin pricing, there's no rational explanation for Return to Krondor's sales resurgence (after all, the game has been available for discount pricing for well over a year now), unless PC Data is incorporating some weird bundling arrangement or similar distribution transaction that doesn't involve purchasers actually choosing to purchase the game. Myst continued to be on PC Data's list for years as a result of similar machinations. It's really a bit embarrassing to PC Data.

Another Week on the Chart
4:00 pm
Return to Krondor is still number 10 on the sales chart. Here's the info.

Return to Krondor Returns!
11:04 pm
Flavius let the mailing list know that Return to Krondor is number 10 on the current PC Data game sale's chart! This is no doubt due to recent bargain pricing. More information and the complete list can be found here.

RtK Fan Site Located
9:20 pm
The RtK Fan Site mentioned below will soon be relocated to the ever-growing Hall of Worlds website (the files were given to Ben Kennedy). It hasn't been posted yet, but keep your eyes open. The same information is already online at The Master's RtK Pages.

Chat Site
9:17 pm
There is a new Feist-oriented chat room site, located at http://feistsite.homestead.com/. Not much to look at, and no other chatters, but if you are bored...

News Archive
(approximately 200k each)

8/26/98 - 2/24/99

2/25/99 - 10/17/99

10/18/99 -

This site has been visited times since 08/17/99

Use all links on this site at your own risk. Thank you for viewing the REF Internet Resource Index. I hope you found the information here interesting. Copyright © 1999 Steve Russell. All rights reserved.