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

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

mainly contributing to

military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that features the use of science fiction technology, mainly weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters who are members of a military organization involved in military a ...

and

military fiction Military fiction is a genre of fiction, focusing on military activities, such as war, battles, combat, fighting; or military life. Classes of military fiction Types of military fiction include: * War novels, including written military fiction * ...

and related

game design Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in ...

, 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 maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as a

hospital corpsman A hospital corpsman (HM r corpsman is an enlisted medical specialist of the United States Navy, who may also serve in a U.S. Marine Corps unit. The corresponding rating within the United States Coast Guard is health services technician (HS ...

from 1969 to 1972 during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

era.

Career

William H. Keith Jr. and his brother J. Andrew Keith had seen ads in ''

Journal of the Travellers Aid Society ''Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society'' is a role-playing game magazine devoted to Traveller (rpg), Traveller, commonly abbreviated JTAS. History In 1979 Loren K. Wiseman created a magazine to support ''Traveller (role-playing game), Travel ...

'' that stated that

Game Designers' Workshop Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was a 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. The founding m ...

(GDW) was seeking 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 ...

brought them on to begin freelancing for GDW in 1978 or 1979, and together the three of them set up a lot of the early tone for the '' Traveller'' universe. William Keith also helped to define the graphical vision of that era of ''Traveller'' books. The Keith brothers were making enough money that they were able to freelance full-time starting around 1979. The Keith brothers began working for

FASA Fasa ( fa, فسا, Fasā, also Romanized as Fassa) is a city and capital of Fasa County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 110,825, in 33,379 families. Fasa is the fourth most populous city of the province. The city date ...

by the end of 1980, with William Keith providing art for the magazine ''High Passage'' beginning in 1981. FASA began getting into publishing adventures for ''Traveller'' beginning with '' Ordeal by Eshaar'' (1981) by the Keith brothers, who then wrote FASA's "Sky Raiders" trilogy (1981-1982). William Keith designed the role-playing game '' Behind Enemy Lines'' (1982), the first RPG set in the 1940s. When FASA ended its support of ''Traveller'', the Keith brothers moved their ''Traveller'' writing to a new company called

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 working for FASA in other capacities. The Keith brothers wrote seven supplements for 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. ''The Mountain Environment'' is a book that details using mou ...

'' (1983), ''

The Undersea Environment ''The Undersea Environment'' is a 1983 role-playing game supplement, written by J. Andrew Keith for '' Traveller'', and published by Gamelords. ''The Undersea Environment'' is a book that details alien oceans, including factors such as pressure, ...

'' (1983), and ''

The Desert Environment ''The Desert Environment'' was written by J. Andrew Keith and William H. Keith Jr. for Game Designers Workshop's ''Traveller'' role-playing game, and published under license by Gamelords in 1984. The book provides ''Traveller'' gamemasters with i ...

'' (1984). The Keith brothers did some work on the '' Chivalry & Sorcery'' line in 1984, and in 1985 they expanded into

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 ...

's other lines including ''

Aftermath! ''Aftermath!'' ("Sunset on humanity, or dawn of a brave new world?") is a role-playing game created by Paul Hume and Robert Charette and published in 1981 by Fantasy Games Unlimited. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which the characte ...

'', '' Daredevils'', '' Flashing Blades'', and ''

Psi World ''Psi World'' is a role-playing game published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1984. Description ''Psi World'' is a science-fiction system set approximately in the 21st century and featuring the widespread use of psionic powers. Psionic characters ...

''. The Keith brothers also designed '' Freedom Fighters'' (1986), one of the last 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) a ...

. In 1986, FASA began publishing fiction, starting with William Keith's ''Decision at Thunder Rift'' (1986).

Digest Group Publications Digest Group Publications was an American game company that produced role-playing games and game supplements. History Editors Gary L. Thomas and Joe D. Fugate, Sr. founded Digest Group Publications (DGP) in 1986 as a business that they ran par ...

' final publication, ''The MegaTraveller Journal'' #4 (1993), featured a huge campaign for ''MegaTraveller'' set in the Gateway sector, authored by William Keith. 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; '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 tradema ...

, 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 pre ...

'', 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 progression from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

through the

Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, and

Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

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

Diplomatic Act ''Diplomatic Act'' is a comedy science fiction novel written by Peter Jurasik and William H. Keith, Jr., published in August 1998. The novel focuses on Richard Faraday, an actor who plays an extraterrestrial diplomat on a science fiction televisi ...

'' 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' ''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 () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and w ...

n and a

Reiki is a Japanese form of energy healing, a type of alternative medicine. Reiki practitioners use a technique called ''palm healing'' or ''hands-on healing'' through which a " universal energy" is said to be transferred through the palms of the ...

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) 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 American game designers 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 artists American speculative fiction critics American speculative fiction writers American video game designers American Wiccans Artists from Pennsylvania Artists from Pittsburgh Board game designers Mensans Military science fiction writers Novelists from Pennsylvania Place of birth missing (living people) Reiki practitioners Role-playing game artists Role-playing game designers Science fiction critics Science fiction fans United States Navy corpsmen Wiccan novelists Wiccan writers Writers from Pittsburgh