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Bromeliad Trilogy #3
Wings
From the pen of Sir Terry Pratchett, beloved and bestselling author of the Discworld fantasy series comes a comic and insightful trilogy about a race of four-inch-high heroes trying to make sense of a human-size world. 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 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. Praise for the Bromeliad “Witty, funny, wise, and altogether delightful.”— Locus Magazine Meet more of Sir Terry Pratchett’s tiny-but-fierce heroes in the Discworld novel The Wee Free Men !
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Terry Pratchett
535 books44.6k 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 344 reviews
May 7, 2024
What I really like about Pratchett's books is that it's absolutely ok to read them out of order. This is the last novel of a trilogy and still it was interesting.
Like in his more famous series Pratchett uses fantastic setting - this time aliens - to make an ironic, cute and hilarious story and to make fun of humans, "weird" habits and societal norms.
Like in his more famous series Pratchett uses fantastic setting - this time aliens - to make an ironic, cute and hilarious story and to make fun of humans, "weird" habits and societal norms.
February 1, 2019
The last book in the Bromeliad Trilogy and it was Pratchett at his magical best! Masklin the nome is tasked with travelling from England to America, finding where the space shuttle is about to depart and getting The Thing (you have to read the books for an explanation) on board it. Remember that Masklin is about four inches tall.
Off course Pratchett had to take the nomes into Space. That is where all of his best work occurs and Wings fits that description. It is funny, it is clever and it is satisfying to see these little people taking on the impossible and succeeding. There is a lot of social comment but Pratchett does it so well with little side comments and a lot of fun.
Such an entertaining read and highly recommended for anyone who shares Sir Terry's sense of humour!
Off course Pratchett had to take the nomes into Space. That is where all of his best work occurs and Wings fits that description. It is funny, it is clever and it is satisfying to see these little people taking on the impossible and succeeding. There is a lot of social comment but Pratchett does it so well with little side comments and a lot of fun.
Such an entertaining read and highly recommended for anyone who shares Sir Terry's sense of humour!
May 2, 2016
“I think,” said Masklin, “that maybe they’re intelligent enough to be lonely.”
Wings was definitely my favorite book of the series, but looking at the trilogy as a whole, it is more than amazing. I loved the world and the characters Pratchett created. And even though I've been reading this series for about a week or so, it was quite emotional to say goodbye to these amazing characters. This is definitely one of those series that I will definitely go back to and re-read, even more than once.
Wings was definitely my favorite book of the series, but looking at the trilogy as a whole, it is more than amazing. I loved the world and the characters Pratchett created. And even though I've been reading this series for about a week or so, it was quite emotional to say goodbye to these amazing characters. This is definitely one of those series that I will definitely go back to and re-read, even more than once.
June 26, 2019
Simply wonderful. Thanks, Terry; we miss you.
April 9, 2022
I enjoyed this light-hearted fun read. Terry Pratchett naturally inserts nuggets of wisdom along the way in a story that involves [g]nomes going to Florida, pronounced 'Flor-id-ee-ah.' Excellent narration by Stephen Briggs.
Quotes that caught my ears while I walked causing me to pause my stride and bookmark my place to come back to later:
“Hotels, a place where traveling humans are parked at night."
"Once you know things you are a different person. You can't help it."
"Unlike most shoes, it had a name on it. It was a Crucial Street Drifter with Real Rubber Soul, Pat'd. The sock above it looked as though it could be a Hi-style Odorprufe [odor proof], made of Guaranteed 85% Polyputheketlon [Polly put the kettle on], the most expensive sock in the world. Masklin looked farther up. Beyond the great sweep of blue trouser and the distant clouds of sweater was a beard. It was Grandson Richard, 39."
"So, that's the head human, is it? Is it some sort of extra wise one, or something?" "I don't think so, the other humans around it are trying to explain what a planet is." something?"
"For some reason humans needed things that weren't true. They never really thought gnomes existed he thought, but they wanted to believe that we did."
Quotes that caught my ears while I walked causing me to pause my stride and bookmark my place to come back to later:
“Hotels, a place where traveling humans are parked at night."
"Once you know things you are a different person. You can't help it."
"Unlike most shoes, it had a name on it. It was a Crucial Street Drifter with Real Rubber Soul, Pat'd. The sock above it looked as though it could be a Hi-style Odorprufe [odor proof], made of Guaranteed 85% Polyputheketlon [Polly put the kettle on], the most expensive sock in the world. Masklin looked farther up. Beyond the great sweep of blue trouser and the distant clouds of sweater was a beard. It was Grandson Richard, 39."
"So, that's the head human, is it? Is it some sort of extra wise one, or something?" "I don't think so, the other humans around it are trying to explain what a planet is." something?"
"For some reason humans needed things that weren't true. They never really thought gnomes existed he thought, but they wanted to believe that we did."
October 1, 2018
Third and last book in the Bromeliad Series.
Whilst this was very entertaining is was, in my mind, the weakest of the three books.
Nobody I can think of can take the mundane and ordinary, turn it on its head and make it extraordinary, except for Terry Pratchett that is.
When ‘thing’ tells the Nomes that they have just broken the sound barrier, Masklin wants to know who responsible for breaking it. That’s just one of many quirky comments and that’s what makes these books so special.
When Masklin discovers that the grandson of “Arnold Bros Est 1905” is travelling to Florida to launch a satellite into space Masklin makes plans to take ‘thing’ to Florida. ‘Thing’ is convinced that it can call the nomes spaceship to come and take the nomes home.
What follows is quirky, fun filled tale of Nomes vs. man.
Highly
Whilst this was very entertaining is was, in my mind, the weakest of the three books.
Nobody I can think of can take the mundane and ordinary, turn it on its head and make it extraordinary, except for Terry Pratchett that is.
When ‘thing’ tells the Nomes that they have just broken the sound barrier, Masklin wants to know who responsible for breaking it. That’s just one of many quirky comments and that’s what makes these books so special.
When Masklin discovers that the grandson of “Arnold Bros Est 1905” is travelling to Florida to launch a satellite into space Masklin makes plans to take ‘thing’ to Florida. ‘Thing’ is convinced that it can call the nomes spaceship to come and take the nomes home.
What follows is quirky, fun filled tale of Nomes vs. man.
Highly
June 7, 2021
Such a lovely trilogy! Perfect for young readers. I read it aloud with my boys and we loved the usual Pratchett combination of intelligent, witty writing and underlying serious topics.
October 10, 2013
And so the adventure ends - and although I don't think any ending really would feel right for the intrepid band it does however make sense and for those who want closure it certainly gives than. This book to me loses some of the serious tones Diggers had and goes back to the rip roaring adventures of truckers - I think it works better for it though I am sure there are plenty out there who would disagree with me - but who cares. Its fun, its fast and in many places frivolous but most of all its entertaining. I have met many readers over the years who love or hate the work of Terry Pratchett - hey each to their own - but if you enjoy his work I think this is of his better non-disc world series (the second are the Johnny and... series - speaking of which hmm i may give them a go next)
September 25, 2022
This was the last book in the Bromediad Trilogy, and it brings the nomes’ journey of self discovery to a close. Chock full of quirky humor and witty insights into human nature, this delivered much of the classic Pritchett charm. While I think Diggers might still remain my favorite in the trilogy, this was a strong finish to the series — though I long to hear more on how the nomes might fare in space (a true story of a series well done when you pine for another chapter). Our family enjoyed this series as a family bedtime read-aloud, and it was our first foray into Terry Pratchett; we’re looking forward to continuing that fun by diving into Discworld now.
October 28, 2018
This was a great conclusion to the series. After Diggers being so similar to Truckers, Wings took us too new heights, both literally and figuratively. Our nomes make huge leaps of faith and travel, changing, evolving, gaining understanding. Pratchett gets more sublime, as our nomes meet other nomes, geese, humans, frogs, and a space ship. Loved it.
December 15, 2007
Just as good as the first two books!
September 30, 2020
Cela trilogija je divna, a završna knjiga je pun pogodak!
January 4, 2022
Cijela triologija je bas blesava i slatkasta i divna. Tipican Terry. Kroz sprdnju na bilo sta vas nauci nesto o zivotu ili vas bar malo ucini boljim ljudima :)
June 20, 2021
This officially marks the last Terry Pratchett book I will ever get to read for the first time. As usual, there are no words for the depth and breadth of goodness and smartness of this book and this series. So much happy and such good thinkingness.
March 31, 2021
I want series and series of books with different Nome groups around the Globe. It would be truly spectacular.
August 1, 2021
Трилогия за номите е завършена! Третият и последен роман от знаменитата Бромелиада на култовия Тери Пратчет се сдоби с чисто ново издание от „Сиела”. След като напуснаха универсалния магазин с неговия подреден социален ред и обуздаха вездесъщия Джекуб, сега миниатюрните ни любимци имат нова цел, по-амбициозна и по-важна от всичко, което са предприемали до момента. Масклин и компания трябва да покорят последната граница. Космосът ги очаква! Днес книжните ни криле са „Крилете на Масклин”. Прочетете ревюто на „Книжни Криле”: https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...
August 22, 2013
Wings brings the Bromeliad trilogy to a higher level
The task at hand for Masklin is very clear: find the Ship that will get the nomes away from Earth. But it should have been explained with a bit more detail. For starters: where is that Ship located? The Thing says that it is hidden somewhere in space, but that completely ignores that space turns out to be bigger than everything. At least Masklin has found out that there is a way to get into space. It's to be found in Florida. Now it is only a matter of getting in that big white bird, with the strange name of Concorde. At least that is the start of a plan.
With Wings Terry Pratchett concludes his Bromeliad Trilogy. This book tells the story of Masklin's quest for The Ship and plays in parallel to the second book Diggers. The story really gets going now. The action is hilarious and the contact with the Humans gives the book an added edge. Not only is this episode funnier that the previous two, but it also has an extra layer of depth. The analogy with the Bromeliad frogs becomes clear and shows us a nice piece of moral fairytale.
Wings clearly brings the trilogy to a higher lever and you can take that literally.
The task at hand for Masklin is very clear: find the Ship that will get the nomes away from Earth. But it should have been explained with a bit more detail. For starters: where is that Ship located? The Thing says that it is hidden somewhere in space, but that completely ignores that space turns out to be bigger than everything. At least Masklin has found out that there is a way to get into space. It's to be found in Florida. Now it is only a matter of getting in that big white bird, with the strange name of Concorde. At least that is the start of a plan.
With Wings Terry Pratchett concludes his Bromeliad Trilogy. This book tells the story of Masklin's quest for The Ship and plays in parallel to the second book Diggers. The story really gets going now. The action is hilarious and the contact with the Humans gives the book an added edge. Not only is this episode funnier that the previous two, but it also has an extra layer of depth. The analogy with the Bromeliad frogs becomes clear and shows us a nice piece of moral fairytale.
Wings clearly brings the trilogy to a higher lever and you can take that literally.
February 21, 2019
It was a satisfying conclusion for me, and I’ll miss the tiny crew....honestly I want to hang out with this group a bit longer and see where they go next.
December 10, 2022
Lovely end to the trilogy, delved a lot more into the emotional side rather than focusing on funny
November 18, 2019
La tercera y última parte de esta saga de
"El éxodo de los gnomos"
es quizá la más divertida y emocionante de las tres, siendo todas en general bastante entretenidas y entrañables.
La verdad es que son muy amenas de leer y con un tono para todos los públicos a la vez que gracioso y reflexivo. Me ha parecido muy bien escrita, bien estructurada y con varios recursos literarios por parte del autor muy bien traídos. Además, los juegos de palabras y chistes en ese sentido son bastante ingeniosos y el traductor Hernán Sabaté Vargas hace buena referencia a ellos en sus notas.
La historia que aquí se cuenta transcurre casi en paralelo a lo acontecido en el anterior libro, Cavadores, teniendo un par de giros muy interesantes que, sin ser muy sorprendentes, dan un final a la saga que satisface al lector.
Echaré de menos a personajes como Masklin, Cosa, Grimma, el Abad... Qué grandes reflexiones inocentes y a la vez tan profundas salen desde su inocencia y sinceridad. Este libro es como mirarnos a través de un espejo para retratar nuestra sociedad y pensamiento evolutivo. Qué buenos ratos me ha hecho pasar.
Dos apuntes:
1. Cosa es, hoy en día, perfectamente identificable como un trasunto de inteligencia artificial con internet, bastante adelantada a su tiempo y totalmente reconocible hoy en día, pero que en los noventa no lo sería tanto.
2. Qué recuerdos me ha traído esta saga de la grandísima minicampaña autojugable de rol de Albert Estrada Zambrano, publicada por Nosolorol: El secreto de los Nimblekins. Si os gusta los juegos de rol y os ha encantado esta saga de gnomos y su mensaje, no podéis perderos la experiencia de jugarla. El trasfondo es mucho más descarnado y cruel, pero sin separarse de la inocencia con la que los nimblekins contemplan el mundo que les rodea.
La verdad es que son muy amenas de leer y con un tono para todos los públicos a la vez que gracioso y reflexivo. Me ha parecido muy bien escrita, bien estructurada y con varios recursos literarios por parte del autor muy bien traídos. Además, los juegos de palabras y chistes en ese sentido son bastante ingeniosos y el traductor Hernán Sabaté Vargas hace buena referencia a ellos en sus notas.
La historia que aquí se cuenta transcurre casi en paralelo a lo acontecido en el anterior libro, Cavadores, teniendo un par de giros muy interesantes que, sin ser muy sorprendentes, dan un final a la saga que satisface al lector.
Echaré de menos a personajes como Masklin, Cosa, Grimma, el Abad... Qué grandes reflexiones inocentes y a la vez tan profundas salen desde su inocencia y sinceridad. Este libro es como mirarnos a través de un espejo para retratar nuestra sociedad y pensamiento evolutivo. Qué buenos ratos me ha hecho pasar.
Dos apuntes:
1. Cosa es, hoy en día, perfectamente identificable como un trasunto de inteligencia artificial con internet, bastante adelantada a su tiempo y totalmente reconocible hoy en día, pero que en los noventa no lo sería tanto.
2. Qué recuerdos me ha traído esta saga de la grandísima minicampaña autojugable de rol de Albert Estrada Zambrano, publicada por Nosolorol: El secreto de los Nimblekins. Si os gusta los juegos de rol y os ha encantado esta saga de gnomos y su mensaje, no podéis perderos la experiencia de jugarla. El trasfondo es mucho más descarnado y cruel, pero sin separarse de la inocencia con la que los nimblekins contemplan el mundo que les rodea.
July 15, 2015
Oh where to begin. Hilarious, intelligent, thought provoking, a good end to a good story. In story I loved this.
There wasn't a moment in reading this where I wasn't completely enthralled. In fact I was actually sad to get to the end because I didn't want it to end.
A surprise favourite character was the Thing. For a device that started out as just something the outside nomes believed brought them luck it had so much personality. It was witty, clever, sarcastic and just like Pratchett's other creation, The Luggage, could actually give off different emotions while being silent and having no face to express itself with.
What I truly loved was seeing Pratchett use the things we became accustomed to seeing in his work by the time we reached Wings, footnotes, descriptive dialogue and comments on how and why people behave how they do.
I could gush for hours about this trilogy. Easily some of Pratchett's best work which is saying something considering his acclaimed body of work.
This is a series I can see myself returning to time and time again. I can't recommend all three highly enough.
There wasn't a moment in reading this where I wasn't completely enthralled. In fact I was actually sad to get to the end because I didn't want it to end.
A surprise favourite character was the Thing. For a device that started out as just something the outside nomes believed brought them luck it had so much personality. It was witty, clever, sarcastic and just like Pratchett's other creation, The Luggage, could actually give off different emotions while being silent and having no face to express itself with.
What I truly loved was seeing Pratchett use the things we became accustomed to seeing in his work by the time we reached Wings, footnotes, descriptive dialogue and comments on how and why people behave how they do.
I could gush for hours about this trilogy. Easily some of Pratchett's best work which is saying something considering his acclaimed body of work.
This is a series I can see myself returning to time and time again. I can't recommend all three highly enough.
July 17, 2016
There is a flower, so the story goes, at the top of a tree, that is so huge that it collects rainwater like a pond. And there is a species of frogs so tiny that for them, that flower is their entire world. So goes the concluding book of the Bromeliad trilogy. My favourite out of the series, this elevates the nomes trilogy to more than just a children's series. There is growth and maturity in the characters, one which is easily glossed over by the humour, but leaves the reader with a new perspective on this race of tiny beings, who are far more compassionate and perceptive then how they began.
October 2, 2015
A nice conclusion to this trilogy. We find Masklin & company travelling on a plane and discovering more than they ever knew about humans and themselves in the process. They travel to Florida, travel on geese, & stumble upon more than they expected.
Thing was hilarious in this book. Quite sarcastic but understandably so. This book was funny an endearing. The innocence of the nomes mixed with the description of the humans reactions are pretty accurate.
Thing was hilarious in this book. Quite sarcastic but understandably so. This book was funny an endearing. The innocence of the nomes mixed with the description of the humans reactions are pretty accurate.
April 11, 2017
A brilliant sequel to the trilogy. Chock full of humour, which is really just stating the obvious about humans. I particularly love their reaction to finding Nomes, and how they chase the space ship. Even more laughable that Masklin thinks humans are lonely.
It would have been great to have had more of these, about how they gather the Nomes from all areas of the Earth. But alas, without Terry Pratchett here anymore, there's not a chance.
A really satisfying read.
It would have been great to have had more of these, about how they gather the Nomes from all areas of the Earth. But alas, without Terry Pratchett here anymore, there's not a chance.
A really satisfying read.
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January 8, 2016
[Quick, short review from memory before I re-read and review fully:
Oh. Surprised at the lower rating for this one. Again, with a book from a series it's hard to judge what I can and can't remember from the specific book. General plotlines throughout but singularly nothing. The lower rating is intriguing, however. Only 3?]
Oh. Surprised at the lower rating for this one. Again, with a book from a series it's hard to judge what I can and can't remember from the specific book. General plotlines throughout but singularly nothing. The lower rating is intriguing, however. Only 3?]
July 28, 2013
A story about gnomes looking for a home is actually a comment on how small our life can be without us really knowing. Pratchett argues for an exploration of your world, and even how it can be necessary to leave it.
March 9, 2016
A New Favorite Author
When Terry Pratchett died earlier this year, I had wondered what I was missing...there was A LOT of love thrown his way. Now I know. This is good, good stuff. I wish I'd found it sooner.
When Terry Pratchett died earlier this year, I had wondered what I was missing...there was A LOT of love thrown his way. Now I know. This is good, good stuff. I wish I'd found it sooner.
October 5, 2020
“Science explains what is happening around us the whole time. So does religion, but science is better because it comes up with more understandale excuses when it’s wrong.”
September 8, 2023
better than #2- sorry, grimma, masklin is VASTLY more interesting. nice conclusion to the trilogy!! kind of preferred nation? but again wish i had found this earlier
August 5, 2024
It saddens me that this isn't the first book that appears when searching 'Wings' on Goodreads. This was undoubtedly my favourite volume in the trilogy. Although it so often seems like a silly and fun adventure, which of course it is, there is so much here about what it means to believe in something, humility, and the importance of community and being understood. I did cry at the end.
(The caveat to this is that it was read to me, with voices and everything, and that inevitably made it special.)
(The caveat to this is that it was read to me, with voices and everything, and that inevitably made it special.)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 344 reviews