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Dragonlance Universe
Tales of Uncle Trapspringer
The most famous and legendary kender of them all finally takes (or borrows) center stage!When Wanderlust overcomes young Trapspringer Fargo, his insatiable drive for adventure propels him along a route that only a kender could map. With curiosity as his only guide, he sets out across Ansalon and unknowingly crosses paths with a pair of corrupt gully dwarves and a misplaced evil fiend (Oops!). The result is not only the inevitable madness and mayhem, but also a chance for the diminutive Trapspringer to save all of Krynn from a catastrophie of Takhisian proportions.
313 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1997
5 people are currently reading
701 people want to read
About the author
Dixie Lee McKeone
19 books12 followersAfter spending thirteen years working as a civil engineer and surveyor, Dixie Lee McKeone (who has also published two romance novels under the pseudonym Jane Lovelace and Science Fiction as Lee McKeone) began writing romance, mystery, and science-fiction novels.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 31, 2022
Took a long time to find the time to finish it but I really liked it. An excellent origin for Uncle Trapspringer.
November 13, 2010
It was a kender-tastic tale. Pretty predictable, but humorous and full of vivid imagery, as the Dragonlance books always are. There are definitely sections, particularly the battle scenes, when you can almost hear dice rolling in the background. It was a fun book.
March 16, 2019
I absolutely love this book. It’s a great light read that I’ve been through at least 4 times. It’s got humor, action, and intrigue. I can’t recommend it enough.
November 9, 2024
Mild spoiler warnings
Firstly, I was warned about this book. The person who lent it to me told me I may hate it, just like they do. I read it mainly to get an idea of how to tell a story within a story. I hated the book! It was awful. I have never cheered on a villain so hard as I did with this fanfic like tale. It is clear the creators of the world of Kyrnn love the Kender race. They go out of their way to try to portray them as good natured, optimistic, and curious individuals.
They are annoying, toxically positive, and I hate they frame their nature of handling interesting possessions that aren’t theirs as quirky trait. It is not cute or endearing they are thieves. The book tries so hard to say they aren't, and be like people just accidently left things in our pouches. No the they take plenty of "interesting things" from people. I found Trap and Ripple to be obnoxious to the point I rallied behind the villain. Their outright refusal to see the fiend for it actual nature as evil especially as the book progresses was absolutely infuriating. The world lore tries to portray them as loveable kleptos that just can’t understand why people would be upset they took something off someone or out of their purse to look at it because it was interesting. They weren’t loveable, they just made me loath their very existence.
The books screwball way of trying to make the Kender not at fault for all the misfortunes is mind numbing. They literally are the reason for all the problems that group must overcome, because they can’t keep their mouths shut, and not just assume everyone in the freaking world is their friend. I will give them, a little credit when something says outright they want to kill them they actually get the hint. Suddenly that thing is mean, not nice, but most of the book they were warned about said creature not being friendly and refused to acknowledge and then get confused when warning is correct.
The story tries to play off their outright ignorance of reality to a point, you start asking yourself how is this race even surviving. How is there even a population considering their inability to actually perceive danger. The Gully Dwarves…are just lack luster and not just because they are constantly filthy dumpster divers. Just, I was unimpressed by them. The whole race seems like it wasn’t actually given true thought.
This book rots your brain. I can honestly say after reading this book. I don’t ever have an interest in the Dragon Lance universe, this one book made me never want to read any of the series, because I never want to read about the Kender again! I wish the fiend just ate the Kender, at the end. I would have found that ending satisfying.
Firstly, I was warned about this book. The person who lent it to me told me I may hate it, just like they do. I read it mainly to get an idea of how to tell a story within a story. I hated the book! It was awful. I have never cheered on a villain so hard as I did with this fanfic like tale. It is clear the creators of the world of Kyrnn love the Kender race. They go out of their way to try to portray them as good natured, optimistic, and curious individuals.
They are annoying, toxically positive, and I hate they frame their nature of handling interesting possessions that aren’t theirs as quirky trait. It is not cute or endearing they are thieves. The book tries so hard to say they aren't, and be like people just accidently left things in our pouches. No the they take plenty of "interesting things" from people. I found Trap and Ripple to be obnoxious to the point I rallied behind the villain. Their outright refusal to see the fiend for it actual nature as evil especially as the book progresses was absolutely infuriating. The world lore tries to portray them as loveable kleptos that just can’t understand why people would be upset they took something off someone or out of their purse to look at it because it was interesting. They weren’t loveable, they just made me loath their very existence.
The books screwball way of trying to make the Kender not at fault for all the misfortunes is mind numbing. They literally are the reason for all the problems that group must overcome, because they can’t keep their mouths shut, and not just assume everyone in the freaking world is their friend. I will give them, a little credit when something says outright they want to kill them they actually get the hint. Suddenly that thing is mean, not nice, but most of the book they were warned about said creature not being friendly and refused to acknowledge and then get confused when warning is correct.
The story tries to play off their outright ignorance of reality to a point, you start asking yourself how is this race even surviving. How is there even a population considering their inability to actually perceive danger. The Gully Dwarves…are just lack luster and not just because they are constantly filthy dumpster divers. Just, I was unimpressed by them. The whole race seems like it wasn’t actually given true thought.
This book rots your brain. I can honestly say after reading this book. I don’t ever have an interest in the Dragon Lance universe, this one book made me never want to read any of the series, because I never want to read about the Kender again! I wish the fiend just ate the Kender, at the end. I would have found that ending satisfying.
didnotfinish
December 26, 2020I'm trying to get through my books at an accelerated pace, so I've been giving quick shots to some of the books I have that I'm not sure I care about, such as this one. I read about 50 pages of this, and while there was nothing wrong with it, there was really nothing that drew me in or made me want to keep reading. So, on to the dnf pile it goes.
February 20, 2025
The myth, the man, the legend.. Uncle Trapspringer is finally here!
It's a shame the book has so many typos though, you'd think the editors would have read it. That and once again, the chronological order site was way off
It's a shame the book has so many typos though, you'd think the editors would have read it. That and once again, the chronological order site was way off
September 2, 2019
I gave it a three because I remember enjoying it in my early teens but it hasn't aged well
April 13, 2020
Funny, but not uproarious. Some nice touches, and occasionally clever.
December 31, 2020
I never wondered about Uncle Trapspringer. And now I know why.
Spoiler - they win.
Spoiler - they win.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2022
I really enjoyed this one. Lighthearted tale into the lesser-explored races of the kender and the gully dwarf.
Anyone have any idea what the Merchesti actually looks like 😅?
Anyone have any idea what the Merchesti actually looks like 😅?
January 23, 2024
Just awful.
September 17, 2025
I always finish a non Weis and Hickman Dragonlance book feeling a bit disappointed, but this was still a nice enough read. It was enjoyable adventuring with the great Uncle Trapspringer.
January 22, 2015
This takes place in the Dragonlance realm. It is narrated by a kender who tells of an adventure of his Uncle Trapspringer. Even though the title says "Tales" it is one big adventure. Trapspringer in the usual kender fashion barges in on two wizards in the middle of a spell that creates portals. This causes the spell to go awry and a creature arrives that does not belong in this world and could destroy the world. They go on an adventure attempting to return the creature.
This is a stand alone novel and one does not need to know anything about Dragonlance. I did not care for this book. I did not care for any of the characters as their presentation came off as bland. I didn't mind the idea for the adventure but the telling of it was disjointed. There was a bunch of events that happened by circumstance and the flow of the story was off. The ending was anticlimactic as the characters were engaged in a battle and next thing you know it was all over without any explanation. This book had a feeling of fiction written by a fan instead of written by a professional.
My best advice is to skip this Dragonlance book as there are way better choices to read in this setting.
This is a stand alone novel and one does not need to know anything about Dragonlance. I did not care for this book. I did not care for any of the characters as their presentation came off as bland. I didn't mind the idea for the adventure but the telling of it was disjointed. There was a bunch of events that happened by circumstance and the flow of the story was off. The ending was anticlimactic as the characters were engaged in a battle and next thing you know it was all over without any explanation. This book had a feeling of fiction written by a fan instead of written by a professional.
My best advice is to skip this Dragonlance book as there are way better choices to read in this setting.
July 29, 2012
Very lighthearted fun where the major plot is alllowed to hum in the background like a distracting buzz in your ears....exactly the way a Kender would view it! What I admire most about this book is that the author was not afraid to explore characters that were not strict stereotypes. I was aleady wincing internally with expectation that Uncle Trapspringer would be a carbon copy of Tasslehof Burrfoot and was truly pleased to find him more of an adventurous and mature sort if devil-may-care Han Solo hero figure. It was also refreshing to meet a Kender with a touchy temper and a Gully Dwarf who was smarter than the average bugbear!
October 22, 2021
I feel like I’ve been reading this forever. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it much. Two kender and two gully dwarves interrupt wizards during a spell, causing one wizard to be transported to another plane. Together with the remaining apprentice, they all begin a quest to recover the lost wizard and return a creature to its home, the other plane of existence. The characters were fairly insufferable and made very poor choices throughout, and the story was repetitive and confusing. There are stories that made me really like kender and gully dwarves—but this was not one of those. However, my goal is to read all the DL novels so I couldn’t skip it.
April 21, 2014
While I enjoyed learning more about gully dwarves, red-robes, and kender the characters in this book were hella annoying. Everyone spent the majority of the being mad at each other and arguing and being extremely childish. If I had been traveling with them I would have knocked them upside the head and left them to their foolishness. The ending was also on the lame side, it was rushed and didn't really explain much about what happens with Halmarain once she reunites with Orander.
June 10, 2016
as I usually enjoy reading about the kender I had such high hopes for this book which was solely about kender but I was rather disappointed as it was not that much fun!! the tales where a bit repetitive and the two kender characters where not as much fun as the other kender we usually met in other previous books!!
July 15, 2011
Possibly the true story of the Uncle Trapspringer of kender lore, but possibly entirely made up. Either way, it's funny, or at least it was funny when I was 16 and devouring Dragonlance novels.
January 30, 2012
Awesome! I love Kinder. Beloved of the Gods for a reason!
February 11, 2012
Tass es sin duda mi personaje favorito de la Dragonlance!!
June 11, 2013
Sloppy work, not edited. And really I do think that when writing in a shared world it would be nice if the writer took enough interest in that shared world to spell its place names correctly.
March 1, 2014
Very funny story. I really loved this tale. I heartily recommend this one! =)
December 30, 2014
it has Kender, what more do I need to say!!!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews