RABE, Jean

PERSONAL: Female. Education: Graduated from Northern Illinois University. Hobbies and other interests: Studying World War I aviation, gardening, reading mysteries.

ADDRESSES: Home—WI. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Tor Forge, 175 5th Ave., New York, NY 10010.

CAREER: Writer. MechForce Quarterly, editor; TSR, Lake Geneva, WI, game designer, beginning 1987. Former journalist with newspapers in Illinois and Indiana.

WRITINGS:

Secret of the Djinn, TSR (Lake Geneva, WI), 1994.

Night of the Tiger, TSR (Lake Geneva, WI), 1995.

(Editor, with Martin H. Greenberg) Historical Hauntings (stories), DAW (New York, NY), 2001.

(Editor, with Martin H. Greenberg) Sol's Children (stories), DAW (New York, NY), 2002.

The Finest Creation, Tor (New York, NY), 2004.

The Finest Choice, Tor (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor to anthologies, including, The Players of Gilean: Tales from the World of Krynn, edited by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Wizards of the Coast (Renton, WA), 2003. Author of numerous articles, short stories, and novellas.

"DRAGONLANCE" NOVELS

The Dawning of a New Age, TSR (Lake Geneva, WI), 1996.

The Eve of the Maelstorm, TSR (Lake Geneva, WI), 1997.

(With Patrick McGilligan) The Day of the Tempest, TSR (Renton, WA), 1998.

The Silver Stair, TSR (Renton, WA), 1999.

Downfall, Wizards of the Coast (Renton, WA), 2000.

Betrayal, Wizards of the Coast (Renton, WA), 2001.

Redemption, Wizards of the Coast (Renton, WA), 2002.

The Lake of Death, Wizards of the Coast (Renton, WA), 2004.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Return to Quag Keep, with Andre Norton.

SIDELIGHTS: A former reporter, Jean Rabe eventually went to work at TSR, a West Coast-based game company and book publisher. Many of her fantasy novels are set in the imaginary worlds found in TSR products, especially the "DragonLance" universe. These books are part of a series that ties in with the popular role-playing games of the same name, and uses the characters gaming fans love. Regarding her experiences writing the tie-in novels, Rabe noted in an online interview for the DragonLance Nexus: "I like the world because it's epic and has such rich fantasy elements. There's a comfortable 'sameness' to it, while at the same time it is turbulent and changing. I hope I show it in my books by adding to the turbulence a bit."

Because her stories may impact on the shared "DragonLance" universe, and because other authors also contribute to the series, Rabe must work within the limitations of the concept. This can be more difficult than it appears. In her online interview Rabe shared one instance where poor communication led to problems with a plot twist. "I had permission to kill Goldmoon … my editor thought it was a great idea. I got it all cleared and … killed her. Then there were some changes in the DragonLance game group, and someone said 'What?! You can't kill Gold-moon! We have plans for her.'… I had her in effect resurrected in the next book…. When the world is not wholly your own, you have to make changes to accommodate others who use the world."

In addition to writing in a shared universe, Rabe has also penned original novels across a wide spectrum. The Finest Creation is a fantasy novel for young adults that depict a world where, upon realizing that human kind is imperfect, the Creators fashioned a race of moral, wise horses to watch over those favored humans in need of assistance. The first in a series, the novel tells of Gallant-Stallion, a young horse on the verge of becoming a shepherd charged with watching over the humans. When his mentor is killed before Gallant-Stallion learns who it is he must guard, the horse must determine his own best course of action. Sally Estes, in a review for Booklist, called the book an "unusual, multilayered story" and "a richly depicted coming-of-age tale." A contributor to Publishers Weekly wrote that Rabe's work is a "fun, galloping romp of a story."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 1, 2004, Sally Estes, review of The Finest Creation, p. 417.

Kliatt, November, 2002, Deirdre B. Root, review of Sol's Children, p. 27.

Library Journal, September 15, 2004, Jackie Cassada, review of The Finest Creation, p. 53.

Publishers Weekly, October 11, 2004, review of The Finest Creation, p. 61.

Science Fiction Chronicle, June, 2001, Don D'Ammassa, review of Historical Hauntings, p. 41.

ONLINE

DragonLance Nexus, http://www.dl3e.com/ (May 22, 2005), "Jean Rabe."

Jean Rabe Home Page, http://www.sff.net/people/jeanr (May 22, 2005).

RPG United Web site, http://www.rpgunited.com/ (May 3, 2005), "Jean Rabe."