Series · fantasy

The Bromeliad Trilogy

The Bromeliad Trilogy series by Terry Pratchett has 3 known books (3 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Truckers (1989).

Books
3 known books (3 novels)
Published
3
First published
1989
Status
completed
Shelved under
Start here: Truckers (1989) — then read straight through in publication order.

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
  1. Book 1:

    Truckers

    Novel
    Truckers (1989) opens The Bromeliad Trilogy at 288 pages, the longest of the three books, as the tiny Nomes' department-store home faces demolition and they stage an escape aboard a stolen truck. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Truckers
  2. Book 2:

    Diggers

    Novel
    The shortest of the trilogy at 152 pages, Diggers (1990) follows the Nomes as they try to build a new life in a working quarry, one of two sequels Terry Pratchett published within about eighteen months of Truckers to complete a single continuous story. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Diggers
  3. Book 3:

    Wings

    Novel
    Wings closes the trilogy in 1990 at 215 pages, revealing the Nomes' extraterrestrial origins and their plan to return to space -- the payoff of Pratchett's philosophical undercurrents about faith and how a small society decides what's true about a world too big to fully perceive. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wings

Key facts about The Bromeliad Trilogy series

Our list has 3 books in The Bromeliad Trilogy series. Since all 3 are out now, you can read the whole list today.

Start with Truckers, since it opens the publication order in 1989. Diggers is book 2, from 1990. Wings is book 3, from 1990.

The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.

The books came out between 1989 and 1990, while their length runs from 152 to 288 pages. That is a run of 1 year.

Terry Pratchett has 58 books on our list. Additionally, they write Discworld, The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy and The Long Earth. We shelve the books under fantasy.


About The Bromeliad Trilogy

Also known as the Nome Trilogy, this children's fantasy series follows the Nomes -- a race of tiny people, only a few inches tall, who have lived hidden inside a department store for a decade believing it to be the entire universe. Truckers (1989) begins when the store's imminent demolition forces the Nomes to make contact with the small band of 'Outside' Nomes who have survived in the wild, and to stage a desperate, resourceful escape aboard a stolen truck. It's Pratchett at his most inventive with scale, imagining human infrastructure entirely from a few-inches-tall perspective.

Diggers and Wings follow the Nomes as they try to build a new life in a working quarry and then discover, to the shock of the whole community, that their ancestors came from outer space -- setting up a plan to return there. As with much of Pratchett's early work, the trilogy balances broad comedy with real philosophical undercurrents about faith, technology, and how a small society decides what's true about a world too big for it to fully perceive.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Bromeliad Trilogy?

Three: Truckers (1989), Diggers (1990), and Wings (1990).

What order should I read the Bromeliad Trilogy in?

Publication order: Truckers, Diggers, Wings. It's one continuous story.

Is the Bromeliad Trilogy the same as the Nome Trilogy?

Yes -- it's known by both names; Bromeliad Trilogy is the more common British title, Nome Trilogy the more common alternate/US description.

Is the Bromeliad Trilogy connected to Discworld?

No -- it's a separate setting about tiny people called Nomes living hidden among humans, unrelated to Discworld.

Is the Bromeliad Trilogy suitable for children?

Yes -- it was written and marketed for younger readers, similar in register to Pratchett's other children's fiction like the Johnny Maxwell trilogy and The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents.


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