Rating: 
Summary: Just discovered
Review: Terry Pratchett's early trilogy for young readers, originally published separately as "Truckers," "Diggers," and "Wings," is here reproduced in a single volume. The series features the Nomes, small creatures no more than a few inches high. In "Truckers," a small clan of nomes abandons their harsh outdoor life to move into an aging department store (Arnold Bros. Est. 1905). There they discover an entire metropolis of other nomes-complete with a bizarre class structure and an eccentric religion worshiping the Arnold Bros. as deities-who believe the department store to be the entire universe and deny the existence of the Outside, from which our clan came.All the nomes must abandon the Store when it is slated for demolition; "Truckers," contains the story of their escape. The second volume, "Diggers", describes their attempt to carve out a life in an abandoned quarry. In the third volume, "Wings," we discover that the nomes' ancestors once lived in outer space, as their leader ventures to Florida's NASA Space Center to learn how to return his people to their origins. "Truckers" is as funny as anything Pratchett has ever written; the send-up of religion, supporting the theme of believing in what can't be seen, combines with slapstick farce. (At one point the six-inch-high nomes successfully train themselves to drive a human-size truck only to forget to open the garage door before exiting the garage.) "Diggers" is somewhat witty, whereas "Wings" is a lesser effort. This third volume spends most of its time apart from the various characters that make the nome community entertaining reading. Still, as always, worth the read!
Rating: 
Summary: Best, better, good
Review: Terry Pratchett's early trilogy for young readers, originally published separately as "Truckers," "Diggers," and "Wings," is here reproduced in a single volume. The series features the Nomes, small creatures no more than a few inches high. In "Truckers," a small clan of nomes abandons their harsh outdoor life to move into an aging department store (Arnold Bros. Est. 1905). There they discover an entire metropolis of other nomes-complete with a bizarre class structure and an eccentric religion worshiping the Arnold Bros. as deities-who believe the department store to be the entire universe and deny the existence of the Outside, from which our clan came. All the nomes must abandon the Store when it is slated for demolition; "Truckers," contains the story of their escape. The second volume, "Diggers", describes their attempt to carve out a life in an abandoned quarry. In the third volume, "Wings," we discover that the nomes' ancestors once lived in outer space, as their leader ventures to Florida's NASA Space Center to learn how to return his people to their origins. "Truckers" is as funny as anything Pratchett has ever written; the send-up of religion, supporting the theme of believing in what can't be seen, combines with slapstick farce. (At one point the six-inch-high nomes successfully train themselves to drive a human-size truck only to forget to open the garage door before exiting the garage.) "Diggers" is somewhat witty, whereas "Wings" is a lesser effort. This third volume spends most of its time apart from the various characters that make the nome community entertaining reading. Still, as always, worth the read!
Rating: 
Summary: Arnold Bros (est. 1905) will provide
Review: The Bromeliad Trilogy incorporates the three small novels about the "nomes" that Pratchett wrote in 1989 and 1990 - Truckers, Diggers, and Wings. They are not Discworld books, but are set in the real world, in England. There are no added frills, just the three original books reprinted in one volume.
The nomes are tiny humanoid creatures who move and talk much faster than humans. In Truckers, most of them live under the floorboards of a department store, but we are first introduced to the hero of the story, a young nome named Masklin, who leads his rag-tag band of (mostly elderly) rural nomes on a journey (by hitching a ride on a truck) to escape the hardships of living out in the countryside. Masklin and his nomes end up in the department store, where they encounter the more "civilised" nomes living there. The store nomes think that the Store is the entire universe, created for their benefit by their god, Arnold Bros (est. 1905). The only problem is, the store is about to be demolished in 21 days, and getting the store nomes to accept this and to understand that they must leave the store is no easy task, since most of them are convinced that nothing exists Outside and that, in any case, Arnold Bros (est. 1905) will provide. Does this way of thinking sound suspiciously familiar...?
In Diggers, the nomes try to adapt to life in their new home, in an abandoned quarry (after their spectacular escape from the store at the end of Truckers). But soon enough, the quarry is reopened by the humans, and the nomes find themselves in great danger for a second time. Meanwhile, Masklin, together with two other nomes, Gurder (a priest) and Angalo (a scientist), have gone off to look at an airfield, and the days pass without the trio returning. The quarry nomes get into a lot of trouble, attracting attention from the humans, and finally making an attempt to flee again. In the very last moment, they are saved in a rather spectacular way when Masklin, Gurder, and Angalo return. The adventures that the three wayward heroes had during their long absence are recounted in Wings.
The Bromeliad Trilogy is in its entirety a wonderful commentary on the close-mindedness of religious dogma, and the inability of the religious mind to see the real world and accept reality. As such, these books are very good. But they also suffer from the same flaws as most of Pratchett's early books, that they are too brief and hurried. But they are well worth reading, and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and exciting stories of nomes and humans
Review: The Nomes are dying out. Foxes, trucks, and cold have wittled their numbers down to a small group of mostly older nomes. Hunter Masklin isn't the nome leader, but he is the only nome with a plan, and his plan is to get them on a truck and take them to wherever the humans keep their food and warmth. What he finds is a store--a store full of nomes who think the store is the universe and that Arnold Bros. (est. 1905) created this universe specifically for them. The store nomes don't have any use for outsiders--they simply don't fit in their theology, but the nome 'thing' that Masklin brought suddenly comes to life. It's an artificial intelligence autopilot that is a part of the ship that originally brought them to Earth and it's learned that the store is about to be demolished. Instead of a couple of dozen nomes, Masklin finds himself responsible for thousands. Nomes are about as smart as humans which, unfortunately, means that they jump to a lot of false conclusions. But Masklin knows he needs to get the entire group out of the store before it's too late--and they can't do it on foot. The result is a progressive technology escalation as the nomes try to establish a new home for themselves. Author Terry Pratchett leaves his much-loved Discworld to set a fantasy on human-dominated Earth. Like Swift's Gulliver's Travels (often referred to by the nomes), Pratchett uses the device of small and large people to poke fun at many human preconceptions. Fortunately, Pratchett is a terrific author, which means that he can make philosophical statements in the context of an exciting story that will keep you laughing out loud. Masklin, Grimma, Angalo, and especially Gurder are well developed and sympathetic characters. These 1989/1990 works by Pratchett lack a bit of the depth that some of his latest novels deliver, but that doesn't keep THE BROMELIAD TRILOGY from being a fun and enjoyable read. If you're a Pratchett fan (like myself), you owe this one to yourself.
Rating:
Summary: The Bromeliad Trilogy
Review: Wonderful for both adults and young readers! It's not Discworld, but it's a delightful world to read about! I think fans of one will love the other.
I'm glad to see this is now available as a trilogy - I had a difficult time finding all 3 books when I read it. Pratchett is a MOST favorite author - he always has delightful wit and a pinch of satire, yet with interesting plot twists and memorable characters.
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