Kender, Gully Dwarves, and Gnomes
Encyclopedia
Kender, Gully Dwarves, and Gnomes is an anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of fantasy stories published by TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
in 1987. It was published under the Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
brand name and is set in that brand's fictional world of Krynn
Krynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
. It is the eighth Dragonlance novel to be published, and the second book in the "Dragonlance Tales" series, all three books of which are anthologies of stories set in the Dragonlance milieu. The other two books in this series are The Magic of Krynn
The Magic of Krynn
The Magic of Krynn is a NY Times bestseller fantasy novel released in April 1987. It is a collection of short stories written about the various characters set in the Dragonlance campaign series...
and Love and War
Love and War (Dragonlance)
Love and War is an anthology of fantasy stories published by TSR, Inc. in 1987. It was published under the Dragonlance brand name and is set in that brand's fictional world of Krynn. It is the ninth Dragonlance novel to be published, and the third book in the "Dragonlance Tales" series, all...
. Unlike the Dragonlance novels published up until that point, the Tales books do not exclusively follow one group of characters, but instead range across the entire scope of the setting.
Plot introduction
The book is a compilation of 10 short stories from various authors taking place in the fictional world of KrynnKrynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
:
- "Snowsong" by Nancy Varian Berberick. This tale tells the story of an early adventure of the Companions. Tanis Half-Elven and Sturm Brightblade are caught in a blizzard and their only hope of being rescued lies in the kenderKenderKender are a type of fantasy race first developed for the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game published by TSR Inc. in 1984. The first kender character was created by Harold Johnson as a playable character in a series of role-playing adventures...
, Tasslehoff BurrfootTasslehoff BurrfootTasslehoff Burrfoot is a fictional character of the kender race from the Dragonlance series of novels, written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. He was born in Kendermore. His parents are unknown and he has few known relatives. He has a sister, and also claims to have an Uncle Trapspringer...
. - "The Wizard's Spectacles" by Morris Simon.
- "The Storyteller" by Barbara Siegel and Scott Siegel.
- "A Shaggy Dog's Tail" by Danny Peary. This story tells the tale of an abusive soldier's hunt for escaped prisoners, and his encounter along the way with a solicitous witch.
- "Lord Toede's Disastrous Hunt" by Harold Bakst. This is the story of the (first) demise and death of the Dragon Highlord, Fewmaster Toede.
- "Definitions of Honor" by Richard A. KnaakRichard A. KnaakRichard A. Knaak is the author of Dragonlance novels, Dragonrealm, six novels for Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo series, and nine works in the Warcraft universe...
. This is a tale of a young Knight of Solamnia, Torbin, who rides to the rescue of a village against a minotaurMinotaurIn Greek mythology, the Minotaur , as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull"...
. - "Hearth Cat and Winter Wren" by Nancy Varian Berberick. This is another tale of an early adventure of the Companions. A young Raistlin MajereRaistlin MajereRaistlin Majere is a fictional character from the Dragonlance series of books created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Raistlin played an extensive role in the two main series of books, particularly in Dragonlance: Legends in which he was both primary protagonist and antagonist...
uses his magic to help his friends against an evil wizard. - "'Wanna Bet?'" by Margaret WeisMargaret WeisMargaret Edith Weis is a fantasy novelist who, along with Tracy Hickman, is one of the original creators of the Dragonlance game world and has written numerous novels and short stories set in fantastic worlds.-Early life:Margaret Weis was born in 1948 in Independence, Missouri, and later attended...
and Tracy HickmanTracy HickmanTracy Raye Hickman is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work on Dragonlance as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR...
. This is the tale of Caramon MajereCaramon MajereCaramon Majere is a fictional character from the Dragonlance books. He is depicted as a fighter and is one of the main characters in Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's first Dragonlance trilogy, The Chronicles...
's three sons: Palin, Tanin, and Sturm Majere who accidentally find themselves in an adventure to recover the Graygem of Gargath after losing a bet with a mysterious dwarf named Dougan Redhammer. This tale is also reprinted in the novel, The Second GenerationThe Second GenerationThe Second Generation is a collection of five novellas in the fantasy genre by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. It is part of the Dragonlance series.-Plot introduction:...
. - "Into the Heart of the Story" by Michael Williams. A gnome, Virum, tells his version of authorship of the songs involved about the heroes of the War of the LanceWar of the LanceThe War of the Lance is a fictional war in the Dragonlance setting, created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.-Publication history:The War of the Lance is the prime conflict in the Dragonlance saga....
. - "Dagger-Flight" by Nick O'Donohoe. A tale told from the viewpoint of a dagger involved in the novel, Dragons of Autumn TwilightDragons of Autumn TwilightDragons of Autumn Twilight is a fantasy novel by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, based on a series of Dungeons & Dragons game modules...
.