"
Truckers", "
Diggers" and "
Wings" make up the
trilogy "
The Bromeliad" by the utterly wonderful
fantasy author Terry Pratchett. The novels were originally published in 1989 and 1990.
The novels describe the
epic quest of the
nomes, a species of 6 inch high human-shaped creatures who inhabit our world. Because the
nomes live and move 10 times faster than we do, they see us as
lumbering, slow-motion giants. At the beginning of the
trilogy, a small group of
nomes who previously lived in the wild, finds a larger group of nomes who live in a
department store and think that this store is the entire
universe. Their seasons have names such as
Spring Sale and
Christmas Fair, and they are divided in
clans such as the
Haberdasheri, the
Confectioneri and the
del Icatessen. As the story progresses, the
nomes find out more about their origin and true nature, guided by the
Thing, a small black cube which turns out to be a flight computer from the
starship which originally brought them to
Earth.
A
bromeliad is actually a flower that often contains a tiny
microcosm of
insects or small
frogs. These
frogs, much like the
nomes, are unaware of their place in the larger world. In addition to being a lovely
metaphor, the word
Bromeliad also ironically echoes the name of other
epics such as the
Iliad and, ahem,
the Belgariad.
Even though
Terry Pratchett is of course best known for his
Discworld novels, this
trilogy is an
excellent read and highly recommended to fans and non-fans alike.