Jeon Minhee (born October 22, 1975) is a South Korean fantasy novelist whose works form the literary foundation of the ArcheAge universe. She is described as "the novelist who's had the most Korean novels sold in Japan," and her 28 published volumes have been translated into Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and Taiwanese editions.
Career
Jeon graduated from Konkuk University with a degree in Politics and Diplomacy. She began serializing her first work, The Stone of Days, on the SF/Fantasy Fiction Bulletin Board of Nownuri (an early Korean internet platform) in 1998. Her career spans three major fictional worlds:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Arund Chronicles | Her first world, featuring The Stone of Days and Tower of the Sun |
Children of the Rune | Her second world, featuring Winterer, Demonic, and Blooded. This series was adapted into the PC game TalesWeaver (2003) by Softmax/Nexon. It was named one of the most-read books by Japanese teenagers in 2006 by Yahoo Japan. |
ArcheAge Chronicles | Her third world, featuring The Fir and the Hawk and The Heirs (Parts 1 and 2, with Part 2 pending publication) |
Connection to the game
XLGAMES approached Jeon to use her third fictional world (originally called "Project X") as the setting for the ArcheAge MMORPG. The novel series is set roughly 2,000 years before the game's events and details the Library Expedition, the twelve heroes, the schism between the Nuian and Hariharan tribes, and the origins of the gods. According to development notes, "the main story implemented in the current game is only about 1/20 of the initial concept."
Influence on the game world
Jeon's novels establish the deep lore that underpins everything in the ArcheAge universe: the creation mythology of Thiol, the tragedy of the Library Expedition, the ascension of mortals into gods like Nui and Kyrios, and the political divisions between Nuia and Haranya. The novels are available on KakaoPage, Naver Series, Lydie, and OneStory.