The Dwarves

OTHERS

Sinthoras and Caphalor, дlfar from the kingdom of Dsфn Balsur. Liъtasil, lord of Вlandur, kingdom of the elves. Bashkugg, Kragnarr, and Ushnotz, orcish princes of Toboribor. Sverd, gnome enslaved by Bislipur.

Acknowledgments When I finished the final volume of my Ulldart series, I decided to tackle a new project: dwarves. It was a nerve-racking prospect. Most readers have fixed ideas about how they like their dwarves to look and act; I didn't want to disappoint their expectations, but at the same time I needed to do something new.

And so I went ahead and created my dwarves. I invented clans and folks for them to belong to, and I gave them particular talents and traits. I was careful not to stray too far from the traditional dwarf, but I added bits here and there, and I gave my dwarves a chance to prove their mettle. I didn't want them to be extras or sidekicks, so I made them into proper protagonists who outshine the humans and elves. My dwarves are the valiant defenders of Girdlegard, true heroes who fight-and sometimes die-in the line of duty.

I sent Tungdil and his companions on a perilous mission, and it had me on the edge of my seat. These pages are chock-full of dwarven dedication, passion, determination, exuberance, war, and death. Writing them was great fun, and with any luck, reading them will be entertaining as well.

My particular thanks go to those who made this a better and more interesting book. Among the first to see the manuscript were Nicole Schuhmacher, Sonja Rьther, Meike Sewering, and Dr. Patrick Mьller. Their thoughtful comments and suggestions were immensely helpful, as always.

Many thanks to translator Sally-Ann Spencer, who taught the dwarves a new language.

I would also like to thank those who allowed me to send the dwarves on their very own adventure. It was time the little fellows had their big chance. extras meet the author MARKUS HEITZ was born in 1971 in Germany. He studied history, German language, and literature and won the German Fantasy Award in 2003 for his debut novel, Shadows Over Ulldart. His Dwarves series is a bestseller in Europe. Markus Heitz lives in Zweibrьcken. introducing If you enjoyed