Midkemia was originally created as an alternative to the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, by Feist and friends studying at the University of California San Diego.

[8] Feist acknowledges that the Tekumel setting from M. A. R. Barker's Empire of the Petal Throne was the source for much of the planet Kelewan.

As a result, much of the background of Kelewan – the Tsurani Empire, the lack of metals and horses, the Cho'ja, the pantheons of 20 major and 20 minor gods – comes from Tekumel.

[13] Feist began a new series, first projected as two books, then as a new trilogy, with the first title released in the UK and US in August 2024.

[13] Feist's only novel fully outside the Riftwar universe was Faerie Tale, a fantasy story set in modern New York state.