From: Raymond E. Feist
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 

Because I changed publishers. Hearst Publishing (Morrow/Avon) wanted an entirely new series, starting with a new "1st book" and I couldn't write RotB as a 1st book. Just too dependent upon TKB. Additionally, it would have been the darkest book so far, as the "triumph" of the book was Calis and Bobby barely surviving to fight another day. There was an entire sub-plot about Nicky's evolution into an Admiral that, while interesting (to me), might have been too C.F. Forester or Patrick O'Brian for some folks. In toto, most of the important stuff gets covered in conversation explaining why things happened the way they did.