William H. Keith (born August 8, 1950) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

mainly contributing to

military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction and military fiction that depicts the use of science fiction technology, including spaceships and science fiction weapons, weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters ...

and

military fiction Military fiction is a subgenre of science fiction or alternate history, focusing on military activities, such as war, battles, combat, fighting; or military life. Classes of military fiction Types of military fiction include: * War novels, ...

and related

game design Game design is the process of creating and shaping the mechanics, systems, rules, and gameplay of a game. Game design processes apply to board games, card games, dice games, casino games, role-playing games, sports, Wargame (video games), war ga ...

, who writes also under several pen names, such as Ian Douglas, Robert Cain and H. Jay Riker. His newer original works are written under the name of Ian Douglas.

Early life

William H. Keith grew up with his brother J. Andrew Keith. William H. Keith served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

as a hospital corpsman from 1969 to 1972 during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

era.

Career

William H. Keith Jr. and his brother J. Andrew Keith noticed ads in '' Journal of the Travellers Aid Society'' which announced that

Game Designers' Workshop Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was a Board wargame, wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers. History Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973. ...

(GDW) was looking for authors;

Loren Wiseman Loren Keith Wiseman (March 7, 1951 – February 14, 2017) was an American wargame and role-playing game designer, game developer and editor. Career Game Designers' Workshop After graduating from Illinois State University, Loren Wiseman co-f ...

hired them to start freelancing for GDW in 1978 or 1979, and the three worked together on a lot of the early material for the '' Traveller'' universe. William Keith also contributed heavily to the graphical appearance of that era of ''Traveller'' releases. The Keith brothers began earning enough money that they were able to do freelance work full-time beginning around 1979. The Keith brothers began working for

FASA FASA Corporation was an American publisher of role-playing games, wargaming, wargames and board games between 1980 and 2001, after which they closed publishing operations for several years, becoming an IP holding company under the name FASA In ...

by the end of 1980, with William Keith contributing artwork for the magazine '' High Passage'' beginning in 1981. FASA began publishing adventures for ''Traveller'' beginning with '' Ordeal by Eshaar'' (1981) by the Keith brothers, who then wrote the "Sky Raiders" trilogy (1981-1982) for FASA. William Keith designed the role-playing game '' Behind Enemy Lines'' (1982), the first RPG set in the 1940s. FASA ended its support of ''Traveller'' in 1983, so the Keith brothers continued writing for ''Traveller'' with the new company

Gamelords Gamelords was an American game company that produced tabletop role-playing games and game supplements. History Kerry Lloyd founded the company, with three friends - Richard Meyer, Janet Trautvetter, and Michael Watkins in 1980. Gamelords was ...

, but continued to work for FASA on other projects. The Keith brothers authored seven ''Traveller'' supplements published by Gamelords, including ''

The Mountain Environment ''The Mountain Environment'' is a 1983 tabletop role-playing game supplement, written by J. Andrew Keith, with a cover by William H. Keith, for '' Traveller'' published by Gamelords. Contents ''The Mountain Environment'' is a book that detail ...

'' (1983), '' The Undersea Environment'' (1983), and '' The Desert Environment'' (1984), and adventures intended for the environments described in those rulebooks. The Keith brothers produced some material for the ''

Chivalry & Sorcery ''Chivalry & Sorcery'' is a fantasy role-playing game (FRP) first published in 1977 by Fantasy Games Unlimited. Created by Edward E. Simbalist and Wilf K. Backhaus in 1977, ''Chivalry & Sorcery'' (''C&S'') was an early competitor to ''Dungeons ...

'' line in 1984, and in 1985 they began working on other lines for

Fantasy Games Unlimited Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU) is a publishing house for tabletop and role-playing games. The company has no in-house design teams and relies on submitted material from outside talent. History Founded in the summer of 1975 in Jericho, New York b ...

including ''

Aftermath! ''Aftermath!'' was promoted with the line: ''“Is it the sunset of the Earth or the sunrise of a brave new world?”'' It is a role-playing game created by Paul Hume (game designer), Paul Hume and Robert N. Charrette, Robert Charette and publis ...

'', '' Daredevils'', '' Flashing Blades'', and '' Psi World''. The Keith brothers also designed '' Freedom Fighters'' (1986), one of the final role-playing games published by FGU. William Keith authored '' Delta Force: America Strikes Back!'' (1986), the first role-playing game from

Task Force Games Task Force Games was a game company started in 1979 by Allen Eldridge and Stephen V. Cole. TFG published many games, most notably including both '' Star Fleet Battles'' (currently published by the original designers, Amarillo Design Bureau) an ...

. William Keith wrote ''

Decision at Thunder Rift ''Decision at Thunder Rift'' is a novel by William H. Keith Jr. published in 1986. it is the first book of the ''Saga of the Gray Death Legion'', and the first novel ever to be published for BattleTech. It tells the story of the young Grayson D ...

'' (1986), the first novel published by FASA. William Keith authored a large ''MegaTraveller'' campaign set in the Gateway sector for ''The MegaTraveller Journal'' #4 (1993), the final publication of Digest Group Publications. William Keith became a professional artist and writer, working in the game industry with his brother Andrew, particularly for

and

before becoming a full-time author. Much of his early work, including the ''Warstrider'' series, the ''Freedom's Rangers'' series, the ''Cybernarc'' series, and the ''Invaders of Charon'' series, is currently

out of print An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a book that is ...

; 'Warstrider' will be re-released in 2014. He was also an early author for

BattleTech ''BattleTech'' is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark ...

, writing the saga of the Gray Death Legion. Keith also writes under various pseudonyms and "house names", including Ian Douglas and H. Jay Riker, and is a shadow author of several books "by" celebrities. He has written extensively in

Keith Laumer John Keith Laumer ( – ) was an American science fiction author. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he was an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the United States Foreign Service. His older brother March Laumer was ...

's '' Bolo'' series, contributing several short stories to the Bolo anthologies, as well as three full-length books, ''Bolo Brigade'', ''Bolo Strike'', and ''Bolo Rising''. As Ian Douglas, he writes military science fiction: the ''Galactic Marines'' series (composed of the '' Heritage Trilogy'', the ''

Legacy Trilogy Legacy Trilogy is a series of military science fiction books written by Ian Douglas that focus on the United States Marine Corps. The trilogy is the sequel to the Heritage Trilogy and is followed by the Inheritance Trilogy. Where Douglas's pr ...

'', and the '' Inheritance Trilogy''), and the newer ''Star Carrier'' series. As H. Jay Riker he writes military fiction: a series about the

United States Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main func ...

progression from

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

through the

Desert Storm , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, and

Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

, and another series, ''The Silent Service'', about the United States submarine service. Other novels include '' Diplomatic Act'' with

Peter Jurasik Peter Jurasik ( ; born April 25, 1950) is an American actor known for his television roles as Londo Mollari in the 1990s science fiction series ''Babylon 5'' and Sid the Snitch on the 1980s series ''Hill Street Blues'' and its short-lived spin ...

, and ''Two of Minds'', nominated for a

Newbery Award The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

. He also continued

's Retief series with ''Retief's Peace''. His first non-fiction book, ''The Science of the Craft'', was published in 2005; it is about the link between witchcraft and science. Keith's recent work includes three books in

Stephen Coonts Stephen Coonts (born July 19, 1946) is an American spy thriller and suspense novelist. Early life, education, and military career Stephen Coonts grew up in Buckhannon, West Virginia, a small coal mining town. Following high school graduation, h ...

' ''Deep Black'' series; a police procedural/detective novel in the Android universe; and a new series about Navy Hospital Corpsmen in the future. Keith, a

Wicca Wicca (), also known as "The Craft", is a Modern paganism, modern pagan, syncretic, Earth religion, Earth-centred religion. Considered a new religious movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion, the path evolved from Western esote ...

n and a

Reiki Reiki is a pseudoscientific form of energy healing, a type of alternative medicine originating in Japan. Reiki practitioners use a technique called ''palm healing'' or ''hands-on healing'' through which, according to practitioners, a " unive ...

master, is also a member of Western Pennsylvania Mensa.

Bibliography

;Significant works Writing as William H. Keith Jr.:

series * ''Decision at Thunder Rift'' (1986) ; reprinted as , , , and * ''Mercenary's Star'' (1987) ; reprinted as and * ''The Price of Glory'' (1987) ; reprinted as , , and * ''Blood of Heroes'' (with J. Andrew Keith) (1993) * ''Tactics of Duty'' (1995) , reprinted as * ''Operation Excalibur'' (1996) , reprinted as Writing as Ian Douglas: Heritage Trilogy * '' Semper Mars'' (1998) * ''Luna Marine'' (1999) * ''Europa Strike'' (2000)

* ''Star Corps'' (2003) * ''Battlespace'' (2006) * ''Star Marines'' (2007) Inheritance Trilogy * ''Star Strike'' (2008) * ''Galactic Corps'' (2008) * ''Semper Human'' (2009) Star Corpsman Series * ''Bloodstar'' (2012) * ''Abyss Deep'' (2013) Star Carrier series # ''Earth Strike'' (2010) # ''Center of Gravity'' (2011) # ''Singularity'' (2012) # ''Deep Space'' (2013) # ''Dark Matter'' (2014) # ''Deep Time'' (2015) # ''Dark Mind'' (4-25-2017) # ''Bright Light'' (11-27-2018) # ''Stargods'' (11-26-2020) Andromedan Dark * ''Altered Starscape'' (2016) * ''Darkness Falling'' (2017) Solar Warden * ''Alien Secrets'' (2020) * ''Alien Hostiles'' (2021) * ''Alien Agendas'' (2023) Writing as Robert Cain: Cybernarc series * ''Cybernarc'' (1991) * ''Gold Dragon'' (1991) * ''Island Kill'' (1992) * ''Capo's Revenge'' (1992) * ''Shark Bait'' (1992) * ''End Game'' (1993) Writing as H. Jay Riker *SEALS The Warrior Breed series: ** ''Silver Star (1993)'' ** ''Purple Heart (1994)'' ** ''Bronze Star (1995)'' ** ''Navy Cross (1996)'' ** ''Medal of Honor (1997)'' ** ''Marks of Valor (1998)'' ** ''In Harm's Way (1999)'' ** ''Duty's Call (2000)'' ** ''Casualties of War (2003)'' ** ''Enduring Freedom (2005)'' ** ''Iraqi Freedom (2007)'' *Silent Service Series: ** ''Grayback Class'' (2000) ** ''Los Angeles Class'' (2001) ** ''Seawolf Class'' (2002) ** ''Virginia Class'' (2004) ** ''Ohio Class'' (2006)

References

External links

Author's Homepage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, William H. Jr. 1950 births Living people 20th-century American male artists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male artists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers American conceptual artists American contemporary artists 20th-century American historians American illustrators American male essayists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male short story writers American military personnel of the Vietnam War American multimedia artists American occult writers American science fiction writers American speculative fiction writers American video game designers American Wiccans Artists from Pennsylvania Artists from Pittsburgh American board game designers Mensans Military science fiction writers Novelists from Pennsylvania Place of birth missing (living people) Reiki practitioners American role-playing game artists American role-playing designers American science fiction critics United States Navy corpsmen Wiccan novelists Wiccan writers Writers from Pittsburgh