Product Description

A fantastic new B format reissue of the first book in the fantasy trilogy, the Bromeliad

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18261 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 209 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The nomes are tiny little people who, up until now, lived happily beneath the floorboards of Arnold Bros (est 1905) department store. But their tiny, comfortable little world is shattered when they discover that the store is to be demolished and they have to find away of getting to The Outside--a mystical place they never really believed in until a small tribe of Outsiders, led by the intrepid Masklin, infiltrated Arnold Bros (est 1905). The only escape route is via one of the huge trucks that Humans use to deliver goods--but first the nomes all have to be educated by the Sationari, and to do that the bickering between departments simply has to stop.

The plot, the characters, and the sheer delicious irony of Pratchett's writing help to make this off- beat and absolutely hilarious fantasy adventure story into an absolute classic that has to be read to be believed. --Susan Harrison

From the Back Cover
'Outside! What's it like?' Masklin looked blank.
'Well, ' he said. 'It's sort of big -'

To the thousands of the tiny nomes who live under the floorboards of a large department store, there is no Outside. Things like Day and Night, Sun and Rain are just daft old legends.

Then a devastating piece of news shatters their existence: the Store - their whole world - is to be demolished. And it's up to Maskin, one of the last nomes to come into the Store, to mastermind an unbelievable escape plan that will take all the nomes into the dangers of the great Outside ...

The first title in the magnificent trilogy, The Bromeliad.

Shortlisted for the Smarties Prize

From the author of The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, winner of the 2001 Carnegie Medal.

'Brilliantly funny dialogue, high peaks of imagination' The Times

About the Author
Terry Pratchett:
Terry Pratchett is one of the most popular authors writing today. He lives behind a keyboard in Wiltshire and says he 'doesn't want to get a life, because it feels as though he's trying to lead three already'. He was appointed OBE in 1998. He is the author of the phenomenally successful Discworld series and his trilogy for young readers, The Bromeliad, is scheduled to be adapted into a spectacular animated movie. His first Discworld novel for children, THE AMAZING MAURICE AND HIS EDUCATED RODENTS, was awarded the 2001 Carnegie Medal.

Customer Reviews

Big problems for little people
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 them 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.

Read out loud fun for kids (and their parents)
This is a great book for kids.

I read this out loud to my 8 year old and, for the final truck scene, we were laughing out loud as the events unfolded.

As you would expect from a great writer, this children's book has all the elements of a good read - a coherent plot (if completely off the wall), proper well-developed characters and sharp witty writing.

If you are a parent looking for a "proper book" rather than a "children's book" for your child, I'd recommend this one - it's fun.

A great book by a fantastic author
Terry Pratchett's Truckers, from the Bromeliad trilogy, is the story of a relatively small and unheard-of species, nomes, who live in parallel with today's humans. The majority of nomes resided in what was known as the store, which was in fact a large department store; there were different departments in the store, and each department had a tightly-knit factions of nomes (for instance, the Haberdasheri) who, for the most part, remained in their own departments. Arnold Bros (est. 1905), the founder of the store, was idolized by the nomes who resided in the store; to them, he was the akin to our God.

Then there was another, smaller group of nomes, led by Masklin, who lived in the outdoors; the two groups crossed paths when Masklin decided that he disliked the cold winters, the wild hunting and the general difficulty to survive in the harsh conditions - so they hitched a lift on a truck, which, by complete coincidence, was destined for this store. This store was, apparently, the perfect dwelling; there was food at every turn, and everything a nome could possibly want was easily found. It was discovered that the Store was to be destroyed within a few weeks - and Masklin's seemingly impossible task was to evacuate every single nome from the doomed Store.

Although this is a book aimed primarily at children, it is nothing less than enjoyable for anyone of any age-group. It is fascinating to look down on a completely separate species from a human perspective, and to see them fascinated by ours; the few nomes with the privilege of being able to read saw signs in the department as "messages" from Arnold Bros (est. 1905). The species is thoroughly constructed and cross-referenced to such an extent that you might even believe that nomes actually exist!

Pratchett provides vivid descriptions of both the characters themselves and the surroundings throughout - but the best thing is that these descriptions are written from the point of view of a nome. This makes you feel au fait with the characters and their starkly different observations.

The genre of the book is fantasy, and has many comic elements to it, featuring hilarious power-struggles, heated arguments, and a wonderfully ironic generation gap adding to the humour of the book. It is well worth a read, regardless of the type of book which you prefer.