Kender, Gully Dwarves And Gnomes

Nancy Varian Berberick,Margaret Weis,Tracy Hickman,Morris Simon,Barbara Siegel,Scott Siegel,Danny Peary,Suzanne Rafer,Richard A. Knaak
Foreword

"Tas? Tasslehoff Burrfoot!" we shout sternly, peering down the road. "Come back with our magical time-traveling device, you doorknob of a kender!"

"I'll come out," shouts Tas, "if you tell me some more stories!"

"Promise?" we ask, peering behind bushes and into ravines.

"Oh, yes. I promise!" says Tas cheerfully. "Just let me get comfortable." There is a tremendous sound of rustling and tree-branch cracking. Then, "All right, I'm ready. Go ahead. I love stories, you know. Did I ever tell you about the time I saved Sturm's life — "

Tas goes on to tell us the first story in this new anthology set in the world of Krynn. "Snowsong," by Nancy Varian Berberick, relates an early adventure of the companions. Sturm and Tanis, lost in a blizzard, have only one hope of being rescued — Tasslehoff Burrfoot!

"The Wizard's Spectacles," by Morris Simon, is a "whatif" story. Tas always SAID he found the Glasses of Arcanist in the dwarven kingdom. But what if…

A storyteller tells his tales not wisely but too well in "The Storyteller," by Barbara Siegel and Scott Siegel.

"There's a lesson you could learn from that!" we yell to Tas, but he ignores us and goes on to relate "A Shaggy Dog's Tail," by Danny Peary. It is a kender favorite, undoubtedly passed down from generation to generation although Tas, of course, swears that he knew EVERYONE involved PERSONALLY!

Next, we hear the TRUE story of the demise of Lord Toede in "Lord Toede's Disastrous Hunt," by Harold Bakst.

The minotaur race is the subject of "Definitions of Honor," by Rick Knaak. A young knight of Solamnia rides to the rescue of a village, only to discover that his enemy threatens more than his life.

"Hearth Cat and Winter Wren," by Nancy Varian Berberick, tells another of the Companions' early adventures in which a young Raistlin uses his ingenuity to fight a powerful, evil wizard.

"All right, Tas!" we call. "Will you come out now? We really MUST be going!"

"Those were truly wonderful stories," yells the kender shrilly from his hiding place. "But I want to hear more about Palin and his brothers. You remember. You told me the story last time about how Raistlin gave Palin his magic staff. What happens next?"

Settling ourselves down on a sun-warmed, comfortable boulder, we relate "Wanna Bet?", Palin's very first adventure as a young mage. And certainly NOT the type of heroic quest the brothers expected!

Still sitting on the boulder, we are somewhat startled to be suddenly confronted by a gnome, who thrusts a manuscript at us. "Here, you! Tell the TRUE story about the so-called Heroes of the Lance!" the gnome snarls and runs off. We are truly delighted to present for your enjoyment, therefore, "Into the Heart of the Story," a "treatise" by Michael Williams.

"Now, Tas!" we call threateningly.

"Just one more?" he pleads.

"All right, but this is the last!" we add severely. "DaggerFlight," by Nick O'Donohoe, is a retelling of the beginning of DRAGONS OF AUTUMN TWILIGHT as seen from a weird and deadly viewpoint — that of a sentient dagger!

"Tas, come out now!" we shout. "You promised."

Silence.

"Tas?"

No answer.

Looking at each other, we smile, shrug, and continue on our way through Krynn. So much for kender promises!