''Kender, Gully Dwarves, and Gnomes'' is an

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

of fantasy stories published by

TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had been ...

in 1987. It was published under the

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 fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived ''Dragonlance'' while driving in t ...

brand name and is set in that brand's fictional world of

Krynn ''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 fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived ''Dragonlance'' while driving in t ...

. 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'' is a ''New York 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. This novel is the first of a trilogy ...

'' and '' Love and War''. 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

: # "Snowsong" by Nancy Varian Berberick. This tale tells the story of an early adventure of the Companions.

Tanis Half-Elven Tanis Half-Elven is a fictional half-elven character in the Dragonlance series of books, which were published by TSR, and are now published by Wizards of the Coast. He is first introduced in the book '' Dragons of Autumn Twilight'' by Margaret ...

and Sturm Brightblade are caught in a blizzard and their only hope of being rescued lies in the kender,

Tasslehoff Burrfoot Tasslehoff Burrfoot (often called Tas) is a fictional character of the Kender (fantasy), kender race from the Dragonlance series of novels, written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. He was born in Kendermore (Krynn), Kendermore. His parents are ...

. # "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. Knaak Richard A. Knaak (born May 28, 1961 in Chicago) is the author of ''Dragonlance'' novels, '' Dragonrealm'', six novels for Blizzard Entertainment's '' Diablo'' series, and ten works in the Warcraft universe. He has also written five non-series f ...

. This is a tale of a young

Knight of Solamnia This is a list of characters in the ''Dragonlance'' series of fantasy novels and related fantasy role-playing game materials. It includes accounts of their early lives in the series. Characters Alhana Starbreeze Alhana Starbreeze, Silvanesti El ...

, Torbin, who rides to the rescue of a village against a

minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "pa ...

. # "Hearth Cat and Winter Wren" by Nancy Varian Berberick. This is another tale of an early adventure of the Companions. A young

Raistlin Majere Raistlin 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 ...

uses his magic to help his friends against an evil wizard. # "'Wanna Bet?'" by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. This is the tale of

Caramon Majere Caramon Majere (326 AC - 38 SC) 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 ''Dragonlance Chronicles''. C ...

'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 Generation ''The 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 This book is in fact five novellas by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Th ...

''. # "Into the Heart of the Story" by Michael Williams. A

gnome A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...

, Virum, tells his version of authorship of the songs involved about the heroes of the War of the Lance. # "Dagger-Flight" by Nick O'Donohoe. A tale told from the viewpoint of a dagger involved in the novel, ''

Dragons of Autumn Twilight ''Dragons of Autumn Twilight'' is a 1984 fantasy novel by American writers Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, based on a series of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') game modules. It was the first ''Dragonlance'' novel, and first in the Chronicle ...

''.

Reception

''Kender, Gully Dwarves, and Gnomes'' reached 15 on the New York Times bestseller list on September 13, 1987.

References

1987 American novels American fantasy novels Dragonlance novels Dwarves in popular culture {{dragonlance-stub