The Plucker: An Illustrated Novel by Brom [Hardcover]

Gerald Brom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005

World-renowned dark fantasy artist Brom in this illustrated novel intimately combines his dramatic storytelling with his uniquely arresting images, to create a work of striking imagination, a world where fairy-tale tradition collides with vileness and depravity, love and heroism, suffering and sacrifice. A shadowy land of make-believe where Jack and his box are stuck beneath the bed with the dust, spiders, and other castaway toys, forced to face a bitter truth: children grow up and toys are left behind. Jack believes this is the worst that can happen to a toy.

But when the Plucker, a malevolent spirit, is set loose upon the world of make-believe and Jack is thrust into the unlikely role of defending Thomas, the very child who abandoned him, he finds out there is worse that can befall a toy-far worse. As desperation mounts, Jack is thrown together with Thomas's other toys-Monkey, the Nutcracker, and the ethereally beautiful porcelain doll Snow Angel-as they struggle to rise above their simple roles as playthings in an effort to save the boy they love.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up–If the Velveteen Rabbit had a satanic bent, it would have much in common with the Plucker, the spirit doll that young Thomass father brings him from Africa in 1942. In Broms fevered imagination, the love and imaginative play with which children imbue their toys–their gusto, as he terms it–can be sucked out and turned to evil purposes, destroying the soul of the child and enlivening creatures too horrible to contemplate. It is up to Thomass old Jack-in-the-box to prevent the boy from such vitiation. Aided by the herbal and hoodoo wisdom of Mabelle, Thomass stalwart old nurse, and a few other plucky cast-off toys, Jack challenges the monstrous Foulthings spawned by the Plucker and vanquishes its malevolence. Broms descriptive powers are revealed equally in his prose and his illustrations. The paintings are so detailed and so layered that they yield their secrets further the more closely they are examined. Poring over them is an exercise in fascinated revulsion. Almost every page–from the opening, What the hell? to the resolution–contains abominations calculated to stir up nightmares. Despite its bittersweet, triumphant ending [...] this book will stir discomfort everywhere it goes. Brom is surely aware of this, as he is photographed on the dust jacket, poised to consume an eviscerated teddy bear with an oversize fork and spoon. Not everyone will be amused, and not everyone should be exposed to this macabre tour de force.–Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. The story of sentient childhood toys abandoned when a child grows up takes on a ghastly, gothic slant in this oversize, illustrated volume. The main character is Jack, a spring toy that takes on an evil imp, loosed from the head of an African spirit doll, which has designs on a child. Illustrated with darkly washed images of broken dolls, bound snow angels, and the devilish Plucker, this is a horror novella likely to appeal to those with little sentimentality for things of childhood and who enjoy the chilly anxiety that comes with the possibility of powerful things that go bump in the night. The beautiful production values here outdo both the literary quality and the depth of the images. Some readers will find the whole too creepy; others will be fascinated. Francisca Goldsmith
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810957922
• ISBN-13: 978-0810957923
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 10 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scary Fairy Tale Penned by Painter, November 10, 2005

By 

Stephen Bard (Seattle, Wa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Plucker: An Illustrated Novel by Brom (Hardcover)

This is a rare example of an artist who can write as well as they paint. The Plucker is a 160 page large-format hardcover, lavishly illustrated with over 100 Brom paintings, published by Abrams (the big art book publisher). The book is a delightfully politically-incorrect and convoluted "children's book" of the sort that children really do need to evoke the kind of nightmares that fire their imaginations (instead of the sweet simplistic pap they are usually fed). Where would Gary Larson be today if it weren't for reading "Mr Bear Squash-You-All-Flat" as a child?! The jacket blurb for The Plucker says: "a world where fairy-tale tradition collides with vileness and depravity, love and heroism, suffering and sacrifice. A shadowy land of make-believe where happily ever after can cost you your very soul." (Sleep tight, kiddies!)

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope, Heebie-Jeebies, Heroes and Horror, November 14, 2005

By 

Carla Beckwith (Nunda, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Plucker: An Illustrated Novel by Brom (Hardcover)

The first few days of owning this book I simply absorbed and enjoyed the amazing illustrations. Finally I turned my sights to the text...being pulled from one page to the next and the next, cover to cover in one sitting. The story was exciting...full of hope, heebie-jeebies, heroes and horror. Brom did a great job crafting this tale, with both his images and his words. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to those who aren't overly sensative to the dark nooks and crannies of make-believe. The only fluff to this story is that which has been torn out of the soft bellies of once-loved stuffed animals.

The illustrations are masterful and show the true genius that is Brom. The story was an amazing first for Brom who has made it evident his talents are vast and ever-growing. Only one question...when is he going to hook up with Tim Burton and get this on the screen!?!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prose Follows Paintings, September 20, 2005

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Plucker: An Illustrated Novel by Brom (Hardcover)

Visually the book is stunning, over a hundred full color paintings by Brom at the top of his game. If you enjoy Brom's paintings you'll love his prose - his sense of the macabre and the romantic, tinged with his dark sense of humor carry through into the story, making the Plucker a page turner. Very edgy stuff. Highly recommended!