The Bromeliad Trilogy: Truckers, Diggers, and Wings

Book Description

In a world whose seasons are defined by Christmas sales and Spring Fashions, hundreds of tiny nomes live in the corners and crannies of a human-run department store. They have made their homes beneath the floorboards for generations and no longer remember -- or even believe in -- life beyond the Store walls.

Until the day a small band of nomes arrives at the Store from the Outside. Led by a young nome named Masklin, the Outsiders carry a mysterious black box (called the Thing), and they deliver devastating news: In twenty-one days, the Store will be destroyed.

Now all the nomes must learn to work together, and they must learn to think -- and to think BIG.

Part satire, part parable, and part adventure story par excellence, master storyteller Terry Pratchett's engaging trilogy traces the nomes' flight and search for safety, a search that leads them to discover their own astonishing origins and takes them beyond their wildest dreams.

Customer Reviews:

A children's book for adults.......2007-05-15

These stories have everything. Humor, imagination, satire, an exciting plot, plucky characters, adn philosophical musings. Pratchett gently makes fun of religion and pomposity, making you laugh all the way.

As good as Discworld.......2007-05-12

I say this with a caveat. Some discworld novels just are not for kids. Also, I had no idea what these books were about when I bought this anthology so if it seems strange for a 34 year old to burst out laughing at a children's novel, just forgive me.

The fact that Terry Pratchett was the author was the reason I bought this and by the second page I was in love all over again. It was like finding a new discworld, this "store." Some of the absurdities that we adults take for granted in our crass commercialized world get a good seeing to from a child's point of view.

Pratchett's wit once again has bowled me over and I would recommend this to any child or adult that I know.

Great Terry Pratchett!.......2007-03-26

This book is a great read. Very interesting writing and yet simple enough my 3rd grader could read it too!
I highly recommend it to those that love sci-fantasy with a lot of humor.

Inventive, endearing, great read-aloud. .......2006-09-26

When we finished "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" I read this trilogy to my 11 year old daughter. What fun! The plot is lively, the characters are endearing and Pratchett gets his point about religion across with precise use of analogy. The story drags in places, but never for long. The witty dialogue and thought provoking ideas more than make up for it. I enjoyed it at least as much as my daughter did, if not more.

Oh my Gosh!.......2006-02-09

My teacher who has over 3,000 books in her classroom reccomended this book. And I also like Terry Pratchett. bUT THIS WAS A FLAT OUT DISSAPOINTMENT. I quit after the 1st 30 pages. He was very slow in his writings. And he overloads a tad on his British sense of humor.
If you like it thats great. But it was very dull and boring for me. No offense to all 14 or some 4 or 5 star reviews. But I do reccomend Only You Can Save Mankind ( Terry Pratchet). It it's a great book about a computer game with connections to aliens. I also reccomend any book by Cornelia Funke. Inkheart and The Theif Lord are my personal favorites. And 2 of my most favorite series are A Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter. Reading Rocks. Get off the computer and read a book!

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Good Book
Wonderful book if you know Latin!
Bromeliads for the Contemporary Garden
Bromeliads !
Bromeliads for the Comtemporary Garden

Bromeliads for the Contemporary Garden
Andrew Steens
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ornamental Plants | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0881926043

Book Description

Bromeliads include several thousand species and a bewildering number of hybrids and cultivars. Remarkable for the diversity of their striking foliage and distinctive forms, many also produce brilliant inflorescences in glowing colors. They are highly desirable, low-maintenance indoor plants, and in subtropical and tropical areas they can be grown successfully outdoors. Bromeliads for the Contemporary Garden is a book for beginners, enthusiasts, and connoisseurs alike. Descriptions and cultivation information for hundreds of species and cultivars, from Aechmea to Vriesia, along with an impressive range of photographs, will inspire gardeners and collectors.

Customer Reviews:

Good Book.......2007-10-10

Its a good book for folks who want to plant bromeliads in their garden. It has an Australian slant to it, but the information can be used world-wide. Worth the read.

Wonderful book if you know Latin!.......2007-07-22

This is a great book for people who want to grow bromeliads at home. It has lots of information and lots of good photos. The only drawback is that the index is by Latin names and if you don't know the correct name you have to flip through the whole book and hope you find a photo.

Bromeliads for the Contemporary Garden.......2007-02-07

.Very informative.
.Excellent pictorial display
.It would be one those books that you're proud to own.

Bromeliads !.......2007-01-14

This is an excellent hard cover 197 page book, jam packed with information on various species,cultivars & hybrids.It also includes general info on cultivation,watering,feeding,potting mixes,propagation,seed raising,pests etc.The information is very easy to absorb & understand.There are many beautiful colour pictures too.The book is suitable for both beginner bromeliad enthusiasts & those already passionate collectors!

Bromeliads for the Comtemporary Garden.......2005-09-14

Filled with excellent color photos of plants in gardens as well as close, detail shots of fantastic bromeliads. Excellent section on care and problem solving. Good basic overview of this intriguing tropical species. Clear descriptions of plants and their needs, written for the gardener. Some images are so voluptuous they border on plant pornography; they ignite a desire to grow these tender beauties.

Average customer rating:

Bromeliads (A Cultural Handbook)

Manufacturer: The Bromeliad Society, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: B000BQYB6M

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Bromeliads: The Colorful House Plants
Jack Kramer
Manufacturer: D. Van Nostrand
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B0000CMNKO

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Bromeliads (Wisley)
Bill Wall
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0304321974

The Bromeliad Trilogy: Diggers (The Bromeliad Trilogy)

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The Bromeliad Trilogy
Return of the nomes

The Bromeliad Trilogy: Diggers (The Bromeliad Trilogy)
Terry Pratchett
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 006009494X
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Book Description

The nomes are ready for their
Bright New Dawn!

But the trouble with Bright New Dawns is that they're usually followed by cloudy days. With scattered showers. Life Outside the Store is much colder than the four-inch-tall nomes expected. And there aren't any walls . . . it's all very unsettling.

Still, the nomes are finally adjusting to their new home at the abandoned quarry, when a Sign arrives announcing the quarry is to be reopened. The humans are coming to mess things up (as usual), but this time the nomes might just fight back -- if they can find a way to rouse the mysterious Dragon in the Hill.

Customer Reviews:

The Bromeliad Trilogy.......2007-05-23

Having come late to Terry Pratchett's writing and his wonderful sense of humor, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed all three of the Bromeliad books. The insights into human nature clothed in truly funny just plain stupid thoughts and actions by the nomes resonated with me on a primal level. I'm one of those who sees something funny when nobody else does, and only see poignant or tragic many times others' sides are splitting. What a story of triumph of the little fellow! Now I can't wait to read the rest of Terry's books!

Return of the nomes.......2004-05-02

Terry Pratchett's lovable nomes return in "Diggers," the second book of the Bromeliad trilogy. It's an improvement on the first book "Truckers," with a steadier pace and a new twist on this tiny-aliens-among-us plotline. It gets a bit silly at times, but doesn't wear out its welcome.

When last seen, the peculiar, lovable nomes had managed to drive a truck away from the Arnold Bros. store, and had set up a new home in an abandoned quarry. Masklin and his little band are doing fine, although many of the more pampered nomes are having to get used to the idea of farming and living in a place with no heating and too much open space.

Then everything changes. A human brings a paper to the quarry, and the nomes learn that the quarry is going to be reopened -- and the nomes risk discovery unless they can find a new place to live. When Masklin ventures off to the mysterious Florida, to find the descendent of Arnold Bros., a fanatic called Nisodemus takes the opportunity to rally the nomes in rebellion. Just then, Dorcas (a sort of nome technogeek) reveals the Cat (a bulldozer), which might help them against the humans.

Terry Pratchett seems to have found more solid footing in "Diggers." The book feels a lot steadier and surer, now that he's established the groundwork. He weaves in a little subtle social commentary (particularly on religious fanatics); it's not as subtle as it could be, but it isn't too annoying.

"Diggers" is also faster-moving than "Truckers." His sense of quirky humor (like the idea of Florida being made of orange juice) is present constantly, but he doesn't do it in a mean-spirited way. You laugh with the innocent nomes, not at them. Probably the biggest problem is that "Diggers" ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, with the line "I'd very much like to know what Masklin has been doing these past few weeks."

Masklin and the Thing aren't present for most of the story; they show up again in the third book, "Wings." So most of the focus is on Grimma, the girl Masklin wants to marry, and Dorcas the nome technogeek. Their characters are well-drawn, and their struggles to deal with the fanatical nome is tense and well-plotted.

While it's not his best work, Terry Pratchett is in good form in the second book of the Bromeliad trilogy. "Diggers" is a good return for the nomes, and a fun fantasy read.

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Bromeliads: A Descriptive Listing of the Various Genera and the Species Most Often Found in Cultivation
Victoria Padilla
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Bromeliads for the Contemporary Garden

Bromeliads (A Cultural Handbook)

The Book of Bromeliads and Hawaiian Tropical Flowers (Library of Congress# 00-104739)

ASIN: 0517500450
Release Date: 1988-12-12

Average customer rating:

Can I get an editor?

A breathtakingly beautiful book

The Book of Bromeliads and Hawaiian Tropical Flowers (Library of Congress# 00-104739)
Florence Parkhurst
Manufacturer: Mutual Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Bromeliads for the Contemporary Garden

Bromeliads: A Descriptive Listing of the Various Genera and the Species Most Often Found in Cultivation

ASIN: 1566473268

Customer Reviews:

Can I get an editor?.......2005-08-21

Yes, the pictures in this book were breath taking, and yes, the piece was extremely well photographed. But as an editor myself, I was appalled at the poor quality of the text. It is obvious that Mutual Pub Co put very little, if any, funds and effort into editing this book. Did they think we weren't going to read the text? That we were just going to look at the pictures? When I buy a book about plants that claims that it will tell me about plants, I expect the book to be decently edited. I do not expect glaring grammatical errors (eg, confusing "than" and "then") and I do not expect a sales pitch in the middle of the book for canned pineapples. I returned this book to Amazon after I bought it. I'm going to go out and find a book that is actually readable AND has great pictures.

A breathtakingly beautiful book.......2001-02-21

The Book Of Bromeliads And Hawaiian Tropical Flowers is a breathtakingly beautiful book and a complete compendium on gorgeous Hawaiian blooms that include Aechmeas, Billbergias, Cryptanthus, Guzmanias, Neoregelias, Vrieseas, Tillandsias, as well as other Bromeliad families. There are informative chapters on commercial, collector and hybrid Bromeliads, the growing and care of Bromeliads, diseases and pests of Bromeliads, cut flowers and live floral arrangements, landscaping and interiorscaping, orchids and other tropicals, as well as products and services for gardeners and horticulturalists with regard to growing bromeliads. This catalog of superbly photographed flowers is a simple joy to page through, with a glossary and "user friendly" index enhancing its value for personal, academic, and community library gardening and horticulture reference collections.

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The Book of Nomes
Solid conclusion
Hilarious WINGS
Not only very funny, but very intelligent as well.
Great book

Wings (The Bromeliad Trilogy, Book 3)
Terry Pratchett
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060094958
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Book Description

Somewhere out there, the ship is waiting to take them home . . .

Here's what Masklin has to do: Find Grandson Richard Arnold (a human!). Get from England to Florida (possibly steal jet plane for this purpose, as that can't be harder than stealing the truck). Find a way to the "launch" of a "communications satellite" (whatever those are). Then get the Thing into the sky so that it can call the Ship to take the nomes back to where they came from.

It's an impossible plan. But he doesn't know that, so he tries to do it anyway. Because everyone back at the quarry is depending on him -- and because the future of nomekind may be at stake . . .

Customer Reviews:

The Book of Nomes.......2004-10-26

DON'T READ THIS BOOK INTILL YOU READ THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE BROEIMLEAD TRILOGY. This book is about when Masklin (a nome) trys to find this one ship that while supposedly send the nomes to a different planet. This ship is faster than light. The one thing that leads them their is a thing. This thing is like a box with lots of electric inside, and only if this thing is by something that is powered by electric it works. Now in this book Masklin, Gurder, Angalo, and the thing go out to find the ship. At the beginning they fly on a airplane to Florida. When they get their they find more nomes (which they never knew that there was any other nomes). Now they have get the ship to them somehow. Read this wing of a book to find if they find the ship.

Solid conclusion.......2004-05-12

The Bromeliad trilogy soars to a grand finale with "Wings," the companion volume to "Truckers" and "Diggers." This tale runs parallel to the second book of the series, and brimming over with Terry Pratchett's usual wit and satire... and a mild dose of insanity.

Now that humans are returning to the quarry where the tiny nomes live, the nomes must somehow find a new place to live -- and fast. So Masklin is following the instructions of the Thing (a computer who is smarter than all the other characters put together) and going on a secret mission with Angalo and the Abbot to Florida.

After they sneak aboard the Concorde, freak out the stewardess and hijack the plane, the nomes learn that none other than Richard Arnold (grandson of Arnold Bros, founder of The Store) is on board. Now they must somehow send the Thing into space, so it can contact the spaceship and whisk the nomes away. Easy? No way.

Technically, anybody who has read the end of "Diggers" will know exactly what will happen in "Wings." But like flying on the Concorde, it's the ride that's half the thrill. "Wings" is a little tighter and funnier than its predecessors, partly because it has a much smaller cast -- the small bickering trio, plus the Thing. It doesn't get much better than that.

The nomes are fun protagonists, partly because they're so likably naive about the world in general. If they were left alone, they would probably produce a cute little civilization, and their naivete produces plenty of entertaining humor (Concerning the sound barrier: "All right, own up. Who broke it?"). Pratchett manages to make us laugh with the nomes, not at that.

The long-suffering Masklin has a new slew of problems the moment he leaves, ranging from the Thing refusing to talk to him to Angalo razzing the stewardesses. Atheistic Angalo and the abbot just avoid biting out each other's throat. But it's the Thing's dry, superior guidance that really steals the show.

Pratchett brings his Bromeliad trilogy to a close full of action, suspense, and frogs. A witty and wild ride on the Concorde, and not one to be missed.

Hilarious WINGS.......2003-03-26

My Dad has been reading Terry Pratchett books and he thought I'd like this one. He was right! You should read this book , because it is very funny and exciting. The book is about three nomes that got stuck on Earth and need to take a space shuttle home. The nomes get a lot of useful help from Thing, a machine. But too bad when Thing runs out of "pow" (power)!
I don't have the first two books from this trilogy but I am getting them next!

Not only very funny, but very intelligent as well........2001-05-10

Wings is the third and final volume of the Bromeliad (following Truckers and Diggers).

Masklin, Gurder and Angalo have just left the quarry and are heading to the airport in hope to go to Florida, where they can put the Thing on a space shuttle so that it can call the Ship. Following Grandson Richard, 39, they board the Concorde.

What somewhat surprised me with Wings is that it's not only the conclusion to a tremendous adventure: the story really gets a level deeper, as the relationship between the nomes and the Thing develops. And don't worry, you still get those hilarious puns such as the one about frogs who have "such a tiny life cycle it still had trainer wheels on it"!

The Bromeliad trilogy is a gripping story, extremely funny and easy to read, but it's also a story about how the world around you can always amaze you if you only look a bit further than just at your direct neighbourhood. I highly recommend it to both children and grown-ups alike!

Great book.......2001-02-06

I've read all three books in the Bromeliad series and found them very interesting, touching, and funny (and I've heard the audio version of Diggers and feel the narrator did a great job). Just to let people who haven't read any of these books know, the first (Kirkus) reviewer spelled two of the characters names wrong...making me wonder if he really read or listened to any of these books before giving his review.

The Bromeliad Trilogy: Truckers (The Bromeliad Trilogy)

Average customer rating:

"Truckers" away
A fun romp!
A Fabulous and Hillarious Adventure
Big problems for little people.
readable and re-readable

The Bromeliad Trilogy: Truckers (The Bromeliad Trilogy)
Terry Pratchett
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060094966
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Book Description

They're four inches tall
in a human-sized world.

Under the floorboards of the Store is a world of four-inch-tall nomes that humans never see. It is commonly known among these nomes that Arnold Bros. created the Store for them to live in, and he declared: "Everything Under One Roof." Therefore there can be no such thing as Outside. It just makes sense.

That is, until the day a group of nomes arrives on a truck, claiming to be from Outside, talking about Day and Night and Snow and other crazy legends. And they soon uncover devastating news: The Store is about to be demolished. It's up to Masklin, one of the Outside nomes, to devise a daring escape plan that will forever change the nomes' vision of the world. . . .

Customer Reviews:

"Truckers" away.......2004-04-19

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.

A fun romp!.......2001-07-27

These books (Truckers, Diggers, and Wings) are a fun romp! Well thought out, well told, with a liberal dose of humor. If you have read any of Terry Pratchett's "Disc World" books, you'll love this light hearted series....

A Fabulous and Hillarious Adventure.......2001-05-02

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!

Big problems for little people........2000-10-14

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.

readable and re-readable.......2000-09-20

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.

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The nomes are ready for their Bright New Dawn!

They're four inches tall in a human-sized world.

The nomes are ready for their
Bright New Dawn!

They're four inches tall
in a human-sized world.