Customer Reviews

TRUCKERS (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Bromeliad Trilogy)

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Truckers is the first book of the Bromeliad trilogy (followed by Diggers and Wings).

Masklin and his family are the last ten nomes of their warren, devastated by cold, predators and hunger. Desperately, they set out on a last chance journey and climb up on one of the lorries of the humans.

What they'll soon discover is that this lorry has lead them to the Store of Arnold Bros (est. 1905), the home of thousands of other little nomes who, having never left the Store, think of the Outside as of nothing more than just another fairy tale. The coming of Masklin will be a great upheaval in their quiet lives. And as they learn that the Store is to be demolished, they make plans for their escape.

Although Truckers was originally written for a young audience, it's an enthralling adventure but also a story about understanding other people's ways and helping each other, and no doubt grown-ups will love it too. Because Terry Pratchett's unique sense of humour is lurking round every corner, especially when nomes try to interpret our human world... and what's more to make sense of it!

Terry Pratchett's Bromeliad trilogy is a mix of childlike fantasy and offbeat SF. While the opening book, "Truckers" lags in places and takes quite some time to really get moving, it's imaginative and very funny. Certainly it's a good place to start off with Pratchett's fiction.

Masklin and the other nomes are tiny people who scavenge on the streets, and now there are only a handful of them left. In an act of desperation, they climb into a lorry and ride to... The Store. Also known as Arnold Bros (est. 1905), where a complex civilization of nomes (about two thousand) live in semi-peace and prosperity. They either are dazzled by the idea of "Outside," or insist that the whole world is in Arnold Bros (est. 1905).

Seemingly, everything is fine for Masklin and his friends, especially when the mysterious Thing (a black box that is a spaceship's flight computer) comes to life and tells them more about their history. But suddenly their world is disrupted by the news of "All Things Must Go -- Final Sales." Now the nomes must escape the Store and find yet another place to live.

Tiny people living in a department store? Who are from another planet? That is something that could have bombed easily and hideously. But it doesn't, at least not in "Truckers." Clever plot elements like the sign-based religion (they take "everything under one roof" seriously!) and the department-based clans (Stationari, Corsetri) keep this unlikely plot afloat.

While "Truckers" is a self-contained story in itself, it has plenty of loose threads (mostly involving the Thing and the origins of the nomes) at the end, for the second and third books of the trilogy. The writing has Pratchett's usual sparseness and wit; the only problem is that it takes forever for the nomes to do anything. At least it's a fun slow ride. The wacky truck drive near the end is one of the best parts of the book.

Masklin and his nome band (especially the indefatigable, vaguely frightening Granny) serve as a good window into the nome civilization, since they're learning about it too. The better-off nomes are a bit snottier but eager to explore the Outside. But the Thing steals the show; despite being just a computer, it has a better idea than the nomes what is going on.

"Truckers" will delight fans of Pratchett, but you don't need to be a fan already to enjoy this story. While the plot takes awhile to go anywhere, the quirky characters and wonderful worldbuilding make it worthwhile.

Another race also inhabits this Earth, a race four inches tall that lives and moves very quickly, and they are called "nomes." Masklin, the leader of a dwindling band of nomes, decides that a better life must be found, so they stowaway aboard a truck, and find themselves taken to a huge department store. This department store, Arnold Bros. (est. 1905), is populated by thousands of nomes, something the humans above then never suspect. To Masklin and his band this place looks like heaven, but what is the meaning of the signs that read, "Final Sale: Everything Must Go?"

This book is a laugh-riot. Terry Pratchett succeeds is making the Nomes so different, and yet so human. This book is the first of a trilogy; with the other two entitled Diggers and Wings.

This is the first book in a great fantasy adventure series for kids (and adults). Nomes live 10 times faster than humans, which is why no-one notices them, and they are getting squeezed out of their home by human development. They go forth to try and find somewhere for themselves, but this is very tricky when you're only a couple of inches high.

The books are very thin, which is good for reluctant readers - not so daunting to start reading, and then exciting enough to keep them going. I would also recommend it to anyone going through Harry Potter withdrawals.

Rather than purchase the three books individually (which you *will* want to do if you buy the first one!) you would be better off trying to get "The Bromeliad" which is a hardcover collection of the trilogy - actually cheaper and set to stand up to lots of re-reading.

Terry Pratchett (Author of the Discworld series) is a really good author about Gnomes and other worlds, Truckers is the first story to Pratchett's Gnome trilogy. Maskerlin, a gnome who is among a family of outside Gnomes, journeys to the floor boards of a hugh supermarket, which is a inside colony full of gnomes who have never been outside before. Maskerlin and the gnomes recieve Soul destroying news from the gnomes device called The thing, which can communicate with electricity that the Supermarket is going to be closed. Maskerlin must plan a escape to the outside world before the humans destroy the whole supermarket. (Truckers is followed by Diggers And Wings)

Do read this book and the two following (Diggers Wings) if you want to learn a few things about humans, and human society. Gullivers journeys are now mostly seen as childrens literature, the same applies to this series. It's ok for children, but I think, grown ups should take more out of it.

Buy the complete The Bromeliad Trilogy: Truckers, Diggers, and Wings as one item, you won't regret it, instead of simply book one.

'Truckers' is about a colony of four-inch tall fast living (g)Nomes infesting a department store. It follows Masklin, who leads the remnants of his nome tribe in from the Outside, and Masklin ends up in a leadership role when the store is scheduled for demolition. It's up to him to mastermind a plan which will move all the gnomes from the store into the great Outside, though most nomes don't believe in silly fables like 'Night', 'Sun', and 'Rain'.

It's written with Pratchett's typical wit, and should be considered a YA book. Plus, there's The Thing (no spoilers here). Enjoyable for all ages.

Now it has taken long enough. Masklin, a four-inch-tall nome, has enough of dragging big rats and other garbage to his home. Not that he doesn't like doing these chores. It's just that he's the only one left performing them. Apart from Grimma, a young female nome, and a few older folks all others have died or disappeared. It's time to go on a quest for other tribes. But the big question is: how will they travel. Luckily they are living close by a truckers rest stop, so hitchhiking should not be a big problem. Then Masklin discovers that there are other worlds out there...

Terry Pratchett, mostly known for his Discworld series, does not always write stories about flat worlds. Sometimes he diverts and creates some little treasures of humorous fairytales without linking them to his bestselling series. The Bromeliad Trilogy is one of those excellent, but lesser known stories. It all starts with Truckers, the first book of the trilogy. Again Pratchett shows how fluently he creates fantastic characters that will be remembered and sets scenes for some wonderful adventures. Although not as full of jokes as is typical for the Discworld series, the dosage of humor versus action is much more balanced. For me is was actually the first time that I needed to continue reading, not because of the jokes, but because of the action-packed narrative. I can't wait to start reading Diggers, the second book of this trilogy.

Truly a classic -- a must read for anyone studying young adult/ children's literature as well as parents who'll love the deeper philosophical edge ... and, of course, kids themselves. Have at it.
(Dig into the whole series ...)Pratchett is one of the greats.

-- Julianna Baggott (aka N.E. Bode) --
www.juliannabaggott.com
www.theanybodies.com

This is the first book in Terry Pratchett's Bromeliad Trilogy, and it gets the series started well. It is about a group of nomes who live in a department store--but they have lived there so long that they have forgotten there is a world outside. The only problem is that the store will be demolished in 21 days. It's up to a group of just 8 outside nomes to convince thousands of stubborn people to leave a place they think is the entire universe, then hijack a truck and leave. This book has a perfect blend of humor, mystery, and plot, but the in my opinion the greatest element is the characters. The seemingly emotionless yet somehow smug spaceship computer known only as the Thing provides a touch of science in a world whose inhabitants don't even know what the word "thousand" means. Dorcas del Icatessen, the mad scientist of the nomes, who has complete control over the store elevator system. Angalo de Haberdasheri, who is fanatic about the possibility of life outside the store and has a pet rat named Bobo, and finally Grannie Morkie, the annoyingly apocalyptic nome elder. The final scene, in which hundreds of nomes wielding levers, pullies, and wires manages to hijack a truck and drive it on a chaotic romp through the city, might be one of the cleverest and funniest scenes in the history of fiction. One of the greatest quotes: "Give me a big enough lever, and a firm enough place to stand, and I could move the Store." The next two books in the trilogy are even greater, and do a good job of developing the already marvelous characters.