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Bromeliad Trilogy #1
Truckers
'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.
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.
267 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
342 people are currently reading
6645 people want to read
About the author
Terry Pratchett
680 books46.2k followersSir Terence David John Pratchett was an English author, humorist, and satirist, best known for the Discworld series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983–2015, and for the apocalyptic comedy novel Good Omens (1990), which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 789 reviews
October 20, 2025
My wife bought this for Celyn and I read it to her.
There are plenty of good things to say about the book. It has a moderate supply of Terry Pratchett's trademark wit for starters. The nomes (gnomes if you like) are an interesting mix of clever and stupid, and the addition of a lost history and their origin in the stars gives a refreshing sci-fi twist to a fantasy-in-the-real-world story. I wonder why that appeals to me...
I'm not sure what age range this is aimed at, but it's published by Corgi Children's and I'm pretty sure my wife would have picked it up in the 11 year old (or less) section. A large part of the humour is too old for 11 year olds, I suspect. I doubt many 11 year olds today know what a haberdashery department is, or even perhaps an iron mongery or stationery department, so when these words are slightly altered and used as tribal names ... most will only hear the whooshing sound as it goes over their heads. So it goes with many of the jokes.
Even so, it's an inventive story with various challenges facing our nomes, not least the understanding of the human world. When the outside nomes meet the store nomes and try to convince them there really is an outside a subtle satire on world views plays out whilst other more concrete problems are overcome.
What was lacking for me, and why this fell shy of 4* was the characters. Pratchett normally delivers strong and interesting characters. Here though, perhaps overwhelmed by the world-building and all the opportunities for fun, Pratchett really doesn't do the job. The single nome we follow through the story does learn a lesson or two about leadership but there isn't any real emotional core or heart to the story. I never cared about the nomes. They could all have been eaten by badgers and I wouldn't have batted an eyelid.
This was quite an early effort by Sir Terry and he definitely improved with age. Even so, there's enough magic (of the literary kind) here to mean I don't count the money wasted.
I liked the book, 3*. I didn't *really* like it, 4*, or think it amazing 5*.
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There are plenty of good things to say about the book. It has a moderate supply of Terry Pratchett's trademark wit for starters. The nomes (gnomes if you like) are an interesting mix of clever and stupid, and the addition of a lost history and their origin in the stars gives a refreshing sci-fi twist to a fantasy-in-the-real-world story. I wonder why that appeals to me...
I'm not sure what age range this is aimed at, but it's published by Corgi Children's and I'm pretty sure my wife would have picked it up in the 11 year old (or less) section. A large part of the humour is too old for 11 year olds, I suspect. I doubt many 11 year olds today know what a haberdashery department is, or even perhaps an iron mongery or stationery department, so when these words are slightly altered and used as tribal names ... most will only hear the whooshing sound as it goes over their heads. So it goes with many of the jokes.
Even so, it's an inventive story with various challenges facing our nomes, not least the understanding of the human world. When the outside nomes meet the store nomes and try to convince them there really is an outside a subtle satire on world views plays out whilst other more concrete problems are overcome.
What was lacking for me, and why this fell shy of 4* was the characters. Pratchett normally delivers strong and interesting characters. Here though, perhaps overwhelmed by the world-building and all the opportunities for fun, Pratchett really doesn't do the job. The single nome we follow through the story does learn a lesson or two about leadership but there isn't any real emotional core or heart to the story. I never cared about the nomes. They could all have been eaten by badgers and I wouldn't have batted an eyelid.
This was quite an early effort by Sir Terry and he definitely improved with age. Even so, there's enough magic (of the literary kind) here to mean I don't count the money wasted.
I liked the book, 3*. I didn't *really* like it, 4*, or think it amazing 5*.
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Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
...
January 16, 2019
Every now and then I feel a touch of Pratchett withdrawal and have a look to see if there are any of his books I have not read yet. Fortunately he wrote loads so I can usually find something and in this case I have scored the first book in a trilogy!
Truckers: The First Book of the Nomes is a fun book about a colony of Nomes who live under the floorboards of a huge department store, until the store is demolished and the story unfolds. It is not quite as good as the Discworld books, maybe because it is directed at a younger audience and although the typical Pratchett humour is there it is not quite as clever.
Still a very enjoyable read and I cannot wait to see what the Nomes do next.
Truckers: The First Book of the Nomes is a fun book about a colony of Nomes who live under the floorboards of a huge department store, until the store is demolished and the story unfolds. It is not quite as good as the Discworld books, maybe because it is directed at a younger audience and although the typical Pratchett humour is there it is not quite as clever.
Still a very enjoyable read and I cannot wait to see what the Nomes do next.
October 29, 2022
The first of The Bromeliad Trilogy leading to Diggers and Wings.
After Terry Pratchett died I read an obituary that stated when Pratchett reached heaven he was welcomed by Jonathan Swift who told him that he (Swift) wished he'd written Truckers.
The book is inventive, witty, and so clever. I found myself rooting for the gnomes and hoping they'd succeed despite all the obstacles in their path. With hindsight, you only realise how good this book is when you see other 'comedic' novels being churned out that pale into comparison with Truckers.
I'm going to have to read this again, very soon.
After Terry Pratchett died I read an obituary that stated when Pratchett reached heaven he was welcomed by Jonathan Swift who told him that he (Swift) wished he'd written Truckers.
The book is inventive, witty, and so clever. I found myself rooting for the gnomes and hoping they'd succeed despite all the obstacles in their path. With hindsight, you only realise how good this book is when you see other 'comedic' novels being churned out that pale into comparison with Truckers.
I'm going to have to read this again, very soon.
July 19, 2020
It only took me a few pages to realise that I'd already knew the story to the first in the Bromeliad trilogy.
There was a stop-motion animation series that I'd watched as a kid, seeing 4inch nomes inhabit a department store is pretty memorable!
With each page brought back both vivid memories of the show and a bygone way of shopping.
I still remember visiting old department stores. Just as the nomes believed there was literally everything under one roof.
That meant they didnt believe there was an outside, that was until another group of nomes arrive at the store.
Prachett likes tackling the topic of religion and again its brilliantly handled here.
For the nomes that have a short life span, the creation myth has them believe that Arnold Bros (est. 1905) has always been there home. So a group of outsiders challenging the ideas really rocks the stores residents.
Predominantly written as a children's book in the late eighties, this fun adventure can be enjoyed by all ages.
The store itself is due for demolition, can the new arrivals convince those nomes who for generations believed the store was there sole existence have their viewpoint changed?
Witty observations alongside funny snippets from The Book of Nome, it's a true nostalgic classic.
There was a stop-motion animation series that I'd watched as a kid, seeing 4inch nomes inhabit a department store is pretty memorable!
With each page brought back both vivid memories of the show and a bygone way of shopping.
I still remember visiting old department stores. Just as the nomes believed there was literally everything under one roof.
That meant they didnt believe there was an outside, that was until another group of nomes arrive at the store.
Prachett likes tackling the topic of religion and again its brilliantly handled here.
For the nomes that have a short life span, the creation myth has them believe that Arnold Bros (est. 1905) has always been there home. So a group of outsiders challenging the ideas really rocks the stores residents.
Predominantly written as a children's book in the late eighties, this fun adventure can be enjoyed by all ages.
The store itself is due for demolition, can the new arrivals convince those nomes who for generations believed the store was there sole existence have their viewpoint changed?
Witty observations alongside funny snippets from The Book of Nome, it's a true nostalgic classic.
May 13, 2016
Very, very funny. Surprised to see on Amazon that this book is listed as ages 8 - 10. I first read it in my mid twenties, and enjoyed equally well now in my late forties. You can't put an age limit on humour!
January 18, 2018
I have been O Deeing on psycho serial killers of late and was in need of something completely different. Went looking and when I came across Terry Pratchett, I had a light globe moment, haven't read any Sir Terry for about twenty years. Went looking in my box of many thing and found Truckers an audio edition.
What a joy. So funny I laughed out load. I like listening to audio books when my dog is taking me for a walk. Picture, if you will, a man well past his prime being dragged along by a 6 kgs dog laughing his head off. The look of consternation on passers by had to be seen to be believed. To make matters worse, by way of explanation, I'd point to my ears and say " Sir Terry". Mothers pulled children to to their sides saying " promise me that you will have me put down before I end up like that"
Terry Pratchett has the ability to turn very ordinary thing upside down and make them extra-ordinary. Things that were just there and taken for granted suddenly need closer attention.
Whilst this is supposed to be a kids book I believe that it is really an adult book disguised as a kids book. For a kids book there's a lot of finger pointing at organised religion, politics and female emancipation, or lack there of.
That a part, this was, once again, a joy to read.
Will the thing rescue them? To be continued.
The narration is by Stephen Briggs and is beyond good.
Recommended for grown up kids of all ages. 5 stars.
What a joy. So funny I laughed out load. I like listening to audio books when my dog is taking me for a walk. Picture, if you will, a man well past his prime being dragged along by a 6 kgs dog laughing his head off. The look of consternation on passers by had to be seen to be believed. To make matters worse, by way of explanation, I'd point to my ears and say " Sir Terry". Mothers pulled children to to their sides saying " promise me that you will have me put down before I end up like that"
Terry Pratchett has the ability to turn very ordinary thing upside down and make them extra-ordinary. Things that were just there and taken for granted suddenly need closer attention.
Whilst this is supposed to be a kids book I believe that it is really an adult book disguised as a kids book. For a kids book there's a lot of finger pointing at organised religion, politics and female emancipation, or lack there of.
That a part, this was, once again, a joy to read.
Will the thing rescue them? To be continued.
The narration is by Stephen Briggs and is beyond good.
Recommended for grown up kids of all ages. 5 stars.
May 23, 2021
Terry Pratchett just is the best to read for laughs, for education, for starting a conversation. I've read this book to my sons (11 and 13 yrs) and while we laughed a lot (the truck stealing scene was one of the best laughing-out-loud-having-tears-in-my-eyes-giggling-like-an-idiot scene for my 13 yrs and myself - the 11 year old thought we were weird ...) we involuntarily found ourselves in conversations about the four-sides model of communication and some philosophical basic ideas for leadership. The way Pratchett always incorporates serious topics into his crazy writing is wonderfully vivid and tangible with his examples. The best way for younger readers to approach mature themes.
February 2, 2022
I liked it well enough and it was good to have a new (to me) Terry Pratchett novel to discover, with Stephen Briggs as narrator. However, it's not a patch on Discworld. I think it is aimed at the younger set and doesn't have the sardonic wit and cleverness I have grown accustomed to expect from Pratchett. I 'own' this digital version, as I bought it through Google Play. Alas, the audio version wasn't available via my local public library.
October 25, 2025
An okay story by Sir Terry Pratchett in a mini world.
June 3, 2016
The librarian at our local library has amazing taste in books. When she hands me a stack every time I go to the library I know I will like every single one. She is such a motivation for me to read often.
This book is the first in a series of three books and was recommended to me by her and she said, "You are going to love these." She was absolutely right. While reading the whole time I kept thinking I want to write books like these. Forget the huge daunting novel. How about a short, quirky, hilarious, and fun short series for older kids? I think I can do that.
The book is about a bunch of gnomes. They are very literal and live in the walls of a store. They've been around since humans have even though they never show themselves to humans. A group of gnomes shakes things up when they arrive from the outside (a place no one thought existed). The inside gnomes worship the store maker as their God and they try to follow all the signs in the store like "everything must go." The outside gnomes try to be patient with the inside gnomes funny ways and whimpy attitudes. The characters are wonderfully intricate and the plots are almost silly yet still intriguing. I read all three books in a week.
I hope that someday my kids will read these stories and get as many laughs as I did. Thank you Terry Pratchett. You are so witty and I love your relaxed writing style.
This book is the first in a series of three books and was recommended to me by her and she said, "You are going to love these." She was absolutely right. While reading the whole time I kept thinking I want to write books like these. Forget the huge daunting novel. How about a short, quirky, hilarious, and fun short series for older kids? I think I can do that.
The book is about a bunch of gnomes. They are very literal and live in the walls of a store. They've been around since humans have even though they never show themselves to humans. A group of gnomes shakes things up when they arrive from the outside (a place no one thought existed). The inside gnomes worship the store maker as their God and they try to follow all the signs in the store like "everything must go." The outside gnomes try to be patient with the inside gnomes funny ways and whimpy attitudes. The characters are wonderfully intricate and the plots are almost silly yet still intriguing. I read all three books in a week.
I hope that someday my kids will read these stories and get as many laughs as I did. Thank you Terry Pratchett. You are so witty and I love your relaxed writing style.
October 2, 2019
„Масклин” е яко гъбаркане с консуматорското общество, но има алюзии и към ключови моменти от човешката история и какви ли не други препратки, специалитет на Пратчет. Преди всичко, книгата ни помага да се съпоставим с едни дребни геройчета и да си спомним, че и ние самите не сме кой знае колко едри на фона на глобалната картинка, нищо, че живеем със самочувствието на владетели на света си. Всъщност никой не знае кога някой „отвън” ще промени представите ни за всичко, което (си мислим, че) познаваме. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
December 10, 2007
I really liked this one! It was an exciting, thoughtful, and, I thought, intelligent story of the four inch high nomes and their struggle to find somewhere safe to live. It was interesting to read about how they find ways to use the much bigger, human-sized objects, and the adventures they have are surprisingly gripping and dramatic.
I am looking forward to the rest of the series!
I am looking forward to the rest of the series!
September 8, 2019
Μια φυλή μικροσκοπικών πλασμάτων των οποίων οι ζωές είναι σε επιτάχυνση, καλούνται να αντιμετωπίζουν μια απίστευτη καταστροφή. Το Μαγαζί, (όπου θεός είναι ο Αφοι Άρνολντ -έτος ιδρύσεως 1905-) πρόκειται να κατεδαφιστεί και πρέπει να φύγουν. Αλλά να πάνε πού, αφού δεν πιστεύουν ότι υπάρχει το Έξω;
October 21, 2025
Много забавна ми е трилогията за Номите, чел съм я няколко пъти и винаги с голямо удоволствие!
Масклин и другарите му имат да решават много сериозни проблеми, а усмивката не слиза от лицата на читателите!
Въобще, трите книжки са чудесно четиво за малки и големи. Препоръчвам ги!
Масклин и другарите му имат да решават много сериозни проблеми, а усмивката не слиза от лицата на читателите!
Въобще, трите книжки са чудесно четиво за малки и големи. Препоръчвам ги!
March 19, 2016
Review to come, because post-match euphoria.
September 17, 2020
Pa ja nemam reči! Nemoguće je ne nasmejati se čitajući Pračetove knjige. 😂
Iscrpljeni noumi (mala bića, za koje vreme protiče mnogo brže nego za ljude) od spolja, kreću u potragu za novim domom i tako stižu u Arnold Bros (osn. 1905) radnju, a tamo pronalaze i druge noume, koji veruju da je radnja čitav svet i da spoljni svet ne postoji. Šta će se desiti kada se pojavi opasnost da se čitav njihov ceo svet, odnosno Arnold bros (osn. 1905) radnja sruši?
Noume ćete brzo zavoleti, a njihova nagađanja o nepoznatim stvarima i svetu, kao i njihovi razgovori će vas slatko nasmejati. Oduševiće vas njihove aktivnosti, zanimanja, i neverovatna avantura o kojoj ni ne sanjanju da će im se desiti. 😁
Iscrpljeni noumi (mala bića, za koje vreme protiče mnogo brže nego za ljude) od spolja, kreću u potragu za novim domom i tako stižu u Arnold Bros (osn. 1905) radnju, a tamo pronalaze i druge noume, koji veruju da je radnja čitav svet i da spoljni svet ne postoji. Šta će se desiti kada se pojavi opasnost da se čitav njihov ceo svet, odnosno Arnold bros (osn. 1905) radnja sruši?
Noume ćete brzo zavoleti, a njihova nagađanja o nepoznatim stvarima i svetu, kao i njihovi razgovori će vas slatko nasmejati. Oduševiće vas njihove aktivnosti, zanimanja, i neverovatna avantura o kojoj ni ne sanjanju da će im se desiti. 😁
April 6, 2020
A small band of nomes (think: gnomes) leaves the Outside and travels in the back of a truck to the Store where they discover a huge city of nomes. For generations, the Store nomes have lived inside, divided up into contentious departmental groups. The nomes learn that the Store is to be destroyed in twenty-one days. To escape, the nomes must do the impossible: the nomes must learn how to work together to drive a huge eighteen-wheeler to a safe location.
A silly delight of a book, filled with the usual Terry Pratchett nonsense.
Some random quotes:
“The important thing about being a leader is not being right or wrong but being certain. Of course, it helps to be right as well, the Abbot conceded.”
“I don’t know enough words, he thought. Some things you can’t think unless you know the right words.”
“It was always a good idea, he said, to be good at something other people couldn’t or didn’t want to do.”
"Nomes had always lived in corners of the world, and suddenly there weren't too many corners anymore. The numbers started going down. A lot of this was due to natural causes, and when you're four inches high, natural causes can be anything with teeth and speed and hunger."
'"What's up with him?" asked Masklin.
"He's having to think," she said. "That always worries people."'
"According to Gurder, the big pink humans that stood in Fashions, and Kiddies Klothes, and Young Living, and never moved at all, were those who had incurred Arnold Bros (est. 1905)'s displeasure. They had been turned into horrible pink stuff, and some said they could even be taken apart. But certain Klothian philosophers said no, they were particularly good humans, who had been allowed to stay in the store forever, and not made to disappear at Closing Time. Religion was very hard to understand."
A silly delight of a book, filled with the usual Terry Pratchett nonsense.
Some random quotes:
“The important thing about being a leader is not being right or wrong but being certain. Of course, it helps to be right as well, the Abbot conceded.”
“I don’t know enough words, he thought. Some things you can’t think unless you know the right words.”
“It was always a good idea, he said, to be good at something other people couldn’t or didn’t want to do.”
"Nomes had always lived in corners of the world, and suddenly there weren't too many corners anymore. The numbers started going down. A lot of this was due to natural causes, and when you're four inches high, natural causes can be anything with teeth and speed and hunger."
'"What's up with him?" asked Masklin.
"He's having to think," she said. "That always worries people."'
"According to Gurder, the big pink humans that stood in Fashions, and Kiddies Klothes, and Young Living, and never moved at all, were those who had incurred Arnold Bros (est. 1905)'s displeasure. They had been turned into horrible pink stuff, and some said they could even be taken apart. But certain Klothian philosophers said no, they were particularly good humans, who had been allowed to stay in the store forever, and not made to disappear at Closing Time. Religion was very hard to understand."
February 10, 2019
El Tío Terry escribió para niños dentro y fuera del Mundodisco. Fuera de él tenemos esta trilogía, la de los Nomos, como un representante destacadísimo.
Mi principal duda/preocupación con este libro era ver qué tanto del humor y las bromas usuales se perdían o modificaban al redicirse la edad de la audiencia. Y sobretodo, si el libro era capaz de hacerme reír igual.
Bueno, hacerme reír exactamente igual, no. Sólo di una carcajada una vez, y eso sí, varias risitas salpicadas. Al cambiar de audiencia obviamente Pratchett quitó las bromas más picantes y la mayoría (aunque no todas) de las referencias culturales que dan risa. Lo que no se pierde son los temas eternos de la obra del autor: el pacifismo, la preocupación con el poder, los derechos de la mujer y por supuesto su casi voltariana irreligiosidad. Lo que sí es que me dio la impresión de que estos temas están mucho más sutiles aquí que en Ankh-Morpork, Lancre u Omnia.
De cualquier forma el estilo pratchettiano es eterno y este libro me causó lo mismo que todos los que he leído de él: puedo pensar en una broma de alguno de los libros o agarrar un pasaje random y por lo menos una sonrisa me llevo.
Mi principal duda/preocupación con este libro era ver qué tanto del humor y las bromas usuales se perdían o modificaban al redicirse la edad de la audiencia. Y sobretodo, si el libro era capaz de hacerme reír igual.
Bueno, hacerme reír exactamente igual, no. Sólo di una carcajada una vez, y eso sí, varias risitas salpicadas. Al cambiar de audiencia obviamente Pratchett quitó las bromas más picantes y la mayoría (aunque no todas) de las referencias culturales que dan risa. Lo que no se pierde son los temas eternos de la obra del autor: el pacifismo, la preocupación con el poder, los derechos de la mujer y por supuesto su casi voltariana irreligiosidad. Lo que sí es que me dio la impresión de que estos temas están mucho más sutiles aquí que en Ankh-Morpork, Lancre u Omnia.
De cualquier forma el estilo pratchettiano es eterno y este libro me causó lo mismo que todos los que he leído de él: puedo pensar en una broma de alguno de los libros o agarrar un pasaje random y por lo menos una sonrisa me llevo.
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May 1, 2017
[Quick, short review from memory before I re-read and review fully:
Memories are fairly vague, though the plot is almost there. I recall I enjoyed it, though I don't remember specifics. No characters spring to mind but setting is viable. Some happenings. Good writing. Elsewise vague.]
Memories are fairly vague, though the plot is almost there. I recall I enjoyed it, though I don't remember specifics. No characters spring to mind but setting is viable. Some happenings. Good writing. Elsewise vague.]
December 28, 2022
What a fun story! The nomes are a funny little folk. I feel like this book is a little more geared to a younger audience (as opposed to most of Terry Pratchetts books), but it's definitely entertaining for adults as well. A nice quick read, on to part two!
October 31, 2017
While this book started off kind of slowly, it does eventually pick up and get pretty darn interesting. The story begins with the last of the nomes making a desperate play to try and leave their lives behind because they're in danger of going extinct. The lack of nomes doesn't leave them with enough "manpower" to hunt or keep predators away. They end up at a department store and discover that thousands of nomes live there.
At that point the plotting picks up and the story becomes a satire of blindly following religion in the face of opposing proof, a satire of politics, and a fish out of water story. There are lots of cute jokes around what the nomes have interpreted about human culture since they're unable to understand humans. If you remember Disney's The Little Mermaid - think about the way Scuttle describes the human artifacts to Ariel.
The book eventually drops its plot twist: .
I didn't find it as funny or well-plotted as his Discworld books, but it was only his second attempt at a YA book. And Nation was awesome, if not comical at all.
Give it a shot if you're a Pratchett completionist. I think it eventually redeems itself, but I wouldn't recommend that you go out of your way to read it.
At that point the plotting picks up and the story becomes a satire of blindly following religion in the face of opposing proof, a satire of politics, and a fish out of water story. There are lots of cute jokes around what the nomes have interpreted about human culture since they're unable to understand humans. If you remember Disney's The Little Mermaid - think about the way Scuttle describes the human artifacts to Ariel.
The book eventually drops its plot twist: .
I didn't find it as funny or well-plotted as his Discworld books, but it was only his second attempt at a YA book. And Nation was awesome, if not comical at all.
Give it a shot if you're a Pratchett completionist. I think it eventually redeems itself, but I wouldn't recommend that you go out of your way to read it.
July 13, 2018
Mi era capitato in passato di sentire il nome di Terry Pratchett senza mai però preoccuparmi di
approfondire la conoscenza in alcun modo, quando ho iniziato questo "Il piccolo popolo dei grandi magazzini" non avevo alcuna idea di quello che stavo per leggere ed ho scoperto che:
1) È un libro per bambini/ragazzi
2) Terry Pratchett è un mestierante che sa quello che fa
3) C'è un punto di vista divertente ed una certa fantasia tutto sommato gustosa
4) Funzionerebbe meglio come film Disney/Pixar che come romanzo grazie ad una serie di meccanismi di scrittura, di equivoci, di tormentoni molto cinematografici.
5) Decisamente non è la letteratura che fa per me.... Mea culpa (come dicono i cattolici)
6) È il mio ultimo Pratchett.
Se avete dai 5 ai 13 anni potreste passare qualche bella ora con questo romanzetto, altrimenti a mio modestissimo parere meglio leggere altro.
Voto:6
approfondire la conoscenza in alcun modo, quando ho iniziato questo "Il piccolo popolo dei grandi magazzini" non avevo alcuna idea di quello che stavo per leggere ed ho scoperto che:
1) È un libro per bambini/ragazzi
2) Terry Pratchett è un mestierante che sa quello che fa
3) C'è un punto di vista divertente ed una certa fantasia tutto sommato gustosa
4) Funzionerebbe meglio come film Disney/Pixar che come romanzo grazie ad una serie di meccanismi di scrittura, di equivoci, di tormentoni molto cinematografici.
5) Decisamente non è la letteratura che fa per me.... Mea culpa (come dicono i cattolici)
6) È il mio ultimo Pratchett.
Se avete dai 5 ai 13 anni potreste passare qualche bella ora con questo romanzetto, altrimenti a mio modestissimo parere meglio leggere altro.
Voto:6
July 7, 2016
Libro en el que unos gnomos que viven en nuestro mundo - aunque no los vemos debido a la relatividad del tiempo- se ven forzados a abandonar su hogar y descubrir cosas nuevas como la electricidad o algo tan simple como el mundo.
La prosa no es muy refinada al contrario que otros libros del autor aunque si tenemos en cuenta que se publicó cuando los dos primeros libros de mundodisco ya nos podemos hacer una idea de que todavía no estaba afinada. Se trata de un autor con el que me cuesta muchísimo ser crítico.
La prosa no es muy refinada al contrario que otros libros del autor aunque si tenemos en cuenta que se publicó cuando los dos primeros libros de mundodisco ya nos podemos hacer una idea de que todavía no estaba afinada. Se trata de un autor con el que me cuesta muchísimo ser crítico.
September 16, 2018
Was good, but I lost interest at some points.
October 8, 2018
A fun and light hearted story about the Nomes who live among us.
March 26, 2024
3.5✨
Quite funny actually, I liked how they insulted humans and just the fact that they was little gnomes was so cute
Quite funny actually, I liked how they insulted humans and just the fact that they was little gnomes was so cute
October 8, 2022
Ne znam zašto mi ne sjeda Pratchettovo pisanje. Dosta davno sam pročitao Boju magije i tad sam mislio kako mi nije smiješna kao na primjer neka knjiga Asprina ili Adamsa. Istog sam mišljenja i godinama kasnije. Vozači su knjiga za djecu i mlade i s tim nemam problem. Imam problem što mi se Vozači ne bi svidjeli ni da sam dijete. Ili mlad. A prestar sam da čitam nastavke nečega na što ću samo gubiti vrijeme. Jer kao i mali gnomovi, nisam dugovječan.
July 31, 2021
The Great Discworld Re-Read Part 3. A self-indulgent series of reflections and reviews.
An intellectual children's novel. Trucker tells a genuinely fun fantasy story in a unique setting but is also a very subversive book in the best possible way. It's a book about the joys of education and personal development. It makes reading a superpower and, through comedy, lets the reader challenge the meaning of words, beliefs, social constructs. It invites the audience to question everything and find the tools to elevate themselves to a better life. It's openly dismissive of gender stereotypes and bullying leaders who force empty rhetoric on others. And it does all this while being just endlessly witty. This is a brilliant book, a sweet book, a book about the important of education and self-reliance, and the responsibility of the educated to help those around them. Wonderful stuff.
My childhood copy, which I retrieved from a basement somewhere, had this great quote from Harlan Ellison as the only words on the back cover -
"Terry Pratchett is more than a magician. He is the kindest, most fascinating teacher you ever had. He tells a story of the nomes, the 'little people' who have always lived in the baseboards of a large department store, and in this story we see ourselves: how high is up, where does the horizon lie, how do we know everything we've always believed to be true? A delicious, rewarding, wry and antic fable with a river of important philosophy surging beneath its surface. Buy this book for a smart kid, and open the sky as wide as the heavens."
That old softie, how absolutely right he is. I must have been eleven when I read this and I remember it being a little challenging but vivid and eye-opening. Whole sections felt wonderfully familiar and the entire climax I recalled as if I read it just a couple years ago. It's a book that inspires a fascination with language and the willingness to challenge dubious information. It's funny that Harlan Ellison, a name I of course didn't recognize, would have this quote on here. I actually gasped when I turned the book around and saw his name, someone who, in my 20s, was another obsession. I loved this book is what I'm saying. It hides some really great messages in a hilarious fable, what else can you ask for?
I am splitting up the trilogy, partially because The Bromeliad is a little longer and denser than I remember (and for some bizarre reason I recall almost nothing of the sequels), and because I didn't realize this was released so far into the Discworld series, he's already published 6-7 Discworld books (5 books in 1989?!). So Colour of Magic is next, onward and up we go!
An intellectual children's novel. Trucker tells a genuinely fun fantasy story in a unique setting but is also a very subversive book in the best possible way. It's a book about the joys of education and personal development. It makes reading a superpower and, through comedy, lets the reader challenge the meaning of words, beliefs, social constructs. It invites the audience to question everything and find the tools to elevate themselves to a better life. It's openly dismissive of gender stereotypes and bullying leaders who force empty rhetoric on others. And it does all this while being just endlessly witty. This is a brilliant book, a sweet book, a book about the important of education and self-reliance, and the responsibility of the educated to help those around them. Wonderful stuff.
My childhood copy, which I retrieved from a basement somewhere, had this great quote from Harlan Ellison as the only words on the back cover -
"Terry Pratchett is more than a magician. He is the kindest, most fascinating teacher you ever had. He tells a story of the nomes, the 'little people' who have always lived in the baseboards of a large department store, and in this story we see ourselves: how high is up, where does the horizon lie, how do we know everything we've always believed to be true? A delicious, rewarding, wry and antic fable with a river of important philosophy surging beneath its surface. Buy this book for a smart kid, and open the sky as wide as the heavens."
That old softie, how absolutely right he is. I must have been eleven when I read this and I remember it being a little challenging but vivid and eye-opening. Whole sections felt wonderfully familiar and the entire climax I recalled as if I read it just a couple years ago. It's a book that inspires a fascination with language and the willingness to challenge dubious information. It's funny that Harlan Ellison, a name I of course didn't recognize, would have this quote on here. I actually gasped when I turned the book around and saw his name, someone who, in my 20s, was another obsession. I loved this book is what I'm saying. It hides some really great messages in a hilarious fable, what else can you ask for?
I am splitting up the trilogy, partially because The Bromeliad is a little longer and denser than I remember (and for some bizarre reason I recall almost nothing of the sequels), and because I didn't realize this was released so far into the Discworld series, he's already published 6-7 Discworld books (5 books in 1989?!). So Colour of Magic is next, onward and up we go!
April 24, 2016
If you ask 10 nomes to push four will pull and two will say pardon.
Reading this book was pure fun. Technically, this was my first Pratchett's book. I've read Good Omens, but he co-wrote that with Neil Gaiman. And after reading Good Omens I knew that Pratchett's books are going to be fun to read, and I was completely right. But also, while this book had lots of humor, it still had some meaningful things hidden in that humor. And I'm so glad that I have second part of this series, because I'm going to start reading it immediately.
Reading this book was pure fun. Technically, this was my first Pratchett's book. I've read Good Omens, but he co-wrote that with Neil Gaiman. And after reading Good Omens I knew that Pratchett's books are going to be fun to read, and I was completely right. But also, while this book had lots of humor, it still had some meaningful things hidden in that humor. And I'm so glad that I have second part of this series, because I'm going to start reading it immediately.
March 13, 2021
Brilliant.
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