Keeper of the Keys

Janny Wurts Janny Wurst began her writing career while still in high school, when she wrote several novels which she never published. After graduation and a self-financed trip to Europe, Wurts knew that she wanted to create something spectacular but needed life experiences to add a flavor of reality to it. While still in college, she conceived the idea for "The Wars of Light and Shadow." But she was also drawn to painting, and first achieved success as a commercial illustrator for major New York publishing houses, with the intention of using her skill to create covers for her own books.

After years of working as an illustrator, Wurts sold her first novel, "Sorcerer's Legacy," in 1982. It was followed by the "Cycle of Fire" coming of age trilogy: "Stormwarden" in 1984, "Keeper of the Keys" in 1986 and "Shadowfane" in 1988. Raymond E. Feist, a fellow fantasy author, asked Wurts to co-author a series set on the Tsurani world that he had created. The resulting Empire trilogy of "Daughter of the Empire," published in 1987, "Servant of the Empire" in 1990 and "Mistress of the Empire" in 1992, was an international bestseller which placed Wurts in the spotlight and named her a true fantasy writer.

The project for which she is best known is the "Wars of Light and Shadow" series, of which new stories are still being written.

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