Where to Start with Raymond E. Feist
Raymond E. Feist built one of fantasy’s most enduring fictional universes across more than thirty novels spanning several decades. The Riftwar Cycle begins with a simple premise, an orphan boy apprenticed to a magician on the world of Midkemia, and expands into something extraordinary: a conflict between two fully realized worlds connected by interdimensional rifts. Feist’s original novel Magician, first published in 1982, was among the earliest epic fantasies to combine traditional Tolkienian worldbuilding with influences from East Asian culture, creating the Tsurani Empire of Kelewan as a counterpoint to the more familiar medieval European setting of Midkemia. The result was a story that felt genuinely cross-cultural rather than simply exotic. Feist writes with a focus on character growth, political intrigue, and the long consequences of war. His best work traces how individuals change over years and decades, showing how power transforms the people who wield it.
Start here
Magician
Raymond E. Feist · 681 pages · 1982 · Easy
Themes: coming of age, war, cultural clash, magic, identity
The single best starting point for Raymond E. Feist. Magician follows Pug, an orphan kitchen boy apprenticed to a court magician on the world of Midkemia, whose life is upended when alien invaders from another world, the Tsurani, open a rift between dimensions and launch a devastating war.
Why Start Here
Magician is where the entire Riftwar Cycle begins, and it remains Feist’s finest work. The novel was originally published in the US as two volumes (Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master), but the complete single-volume edition is the version Feist intended and the one to read. It follows Pug from childhood through adulthood, across two worlds, and through a transformation from uncertain apprentice to one of the most powerful magicians in existence.
What makes Magician special is the way Feist uses the Riftwar, a conflict between Midkemia and the Tsurani world of Kelewan, to explore cultural difference. The Tsurani are not simple villains. Their society, based on honor, political maneuvering, and rigid social hierarchy, is drawn with genuine respect and complexity. Pug’s years as a slave on Kelewan are among the most compelling sections of any fantasy novel, showing how immersion in another culture can change a person fundamentally.
What to Expect
A classic coming-of-age epic that spans years and two worlds. The first half follows Pug’s apprenticeship and the outbreak of the Riftwar on Midkemia. The second half takes him to Kelewan, where he must survive and grow in a culture entirely unlike his own. Clear prose, accessible storytelling, and a magic system that grows more interesting as Pug’s power develops. Around 681 pages in the complete edition. An excellent entry point for readers new to epic fantasy.
Alternatives
Raymond E. Feist · 352 pages · 1985 · Easy
The second book in the Riftwar Saga shifts from war to a desperate quest. When a poisoned bolt strikes Princess Anita on what should be a day of celebration, Arutha must journey into dangerous territory to find the only cure: a rare plant called Silverthorn, guarded by dark forces.
Why Start Here
Do not start here. Begin with Magician. Silverthorn is a tighter, faster-paced book that works as a bridge between the epic scope of Magician and the climactic events of A Darkness at Sethanon. It showcases Feist’s ability to write compelling adventure on a smaller scale while introducing threats that will grow in importance across the broader Riftwar Cycle.
What to Expect
A quest narrative with a tighter focus than Magician. Arutha and his companions face assassins, dark elves, and ancient evil in a race against time. Around 352 pages, making it significantly shorter and faster than the first book. The tone is darker, and the stakes are personal rather than geopolitical.