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Ο Εκριζωτής
O Τζακ και το κουτί του είναι χωμένοι κάτω από το κρεβάτι, μέσα στη σκόνη, τις αράχνες και τα άλλα απόβλητα παιχνίδια, υποχρεωμένοι να αντιμετωπίσουν την πικρή αλήθεια: Τα παιδιά μεγαλώνουν και παρατάνε κάποια παιχνίδια. Ο Τζακ πιστεύει πως αυτό είναι ό,τι χειρότερο μπορεί να συμβεί σε ένα παιχνίδι.
Όμως όταν ο Εκριζωτής, ένα κακόβουλο πνεύμα, αφήνεται ελεύθερος στον κόσμο του φανταστικού και ο Τζακ πρέπει να παίξει το ρόλο του υπερασπιστή του Τόμας, του ίδιου του παιδιού που τον είχε εγκαταλείψει, ανακαλύπτει πως υπάρχουν χειρότερα πράγματα που μπορεί να τύχουν σε ένα παιχνίδι -πολύ χειρότερα. Η απελπισία μεγαλώνει καθώς ο Τζακ είναι πεταμένος με τα άλλα παιχνίδια του Τόμας -τον Πίθηκο, τον Καρυοθραύστη και την αιθέρια κούκλα από πορσελάνη Άγγελο του Χιονιού- και παλεύουν να ξεφύγουν από τον απλό τους ρόλο σαν παιχνίδια για να σώσουν το αγόρι που αγαπούν.
Ο παγκοσμίου φήμης καλλιτέχνης μαύρης φαντασίας Μπρομ συνδυάζει ιδανικά τη δραματική εξιστόρηση με τις μοναδικές του καθηλωτικές εικόνες, καθιστώντας τον Εκριζωτή ένα έργο εκπληκτικής φαντασίας, έναν κόσμο όπου η παράδοση των παραμυθιών συγκρούεται με την αχρειότητα και τη διαστροφή, την αγάπη και τον ηρωισμό, τον πόνο και την αυτοθυσία. Μια φανταστική χώρα των σκιών όπου το “έζησα� αυτοί καλά κι εμείς καλύτερα� μπορεί να σου κοστίσει την ίδια σου την ψυχή.
Όμως όταν ο Εκριζωτής, ένα κακόβουλο πνεύμα, αφήνεται ελεύθερος στον κόσμο του φανταστικού και ο Τζακ πρέπει να παίξει το ρόλο του υπερασπιστή του Τόμας, του ίδιου του παιδιού που τον είχε εγκαταλείψει, ανακαλύπτει πως υπάρχουν χειρότερα πράγματα που μπορεί να τύχουν σε ένα παιχνίδι -πολύ χειρότερα. Η απελπισία μεγαλώνει καθώς ο Τζακ είναι πεταμένος με τα άλλα παιχνίδια του Τόμας -τον Πίθηκο, τον Καρυοθραύστη και την αιθέρια κούκλα από πορσελάνη Άγγελο του Χιονιού- και παλεύουν να ξεφύγουν από τον απλό τους ρόλο σαν παιχνίδια για να σώσουν το αγόρι που αγαπούν.
Ο παγκοσμίου φήμης καλλιτέχνης μαύρης φαντασίας Μπρομ συνδυάζει ιδανικά τη δραματική εξιστόρηση με τις μοναδικές του καθηλωτικές εικόνες, καθιστώντας τον Εκριζωτή ένα έργο εκπληκτικής φαντασίας, έναν κόσμο όπου η παράδοση των παραμυθιών συγκρούεται με την αχρειότητα και τη διαστροφή, την αγάπη και τον ηρωισμό, τον πόνο και την αυτοθυσία. Μια φανταστική χώρα των σκιών όπου το “έζησα� αυτοί καλά κι εμείς καλύτερα� μπορεί να σου κοστίσει την ίδια σου την ψυχή.
143 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2005
37 people are currently reading
5,051 people want to read
About the author
Brom
59books5,375followersBorn in the deep dark south in the mid-sixties. Brom, an army brat, spent his entire youth on the move and unabashedly blames living in such places as Japan, Hawaii, Germany, and Alabama for all his afflictions. From his earliest memories Brom, has been obsessed with the creation of the weird, the monstrous, and the beautiful.
At age twenty, Brom began working full-time as a commercial illustrator in Atlanta, Georgia. Three years later he entered the field of fantastic art he’d loved his whole life, making his mark developing and illustrating for TSR’s best selling role-playing worlds.
He has since gone on to lend his distinctive vision to all facets of the creative industries, from novels and games, to comics and film, receiving numerous awards such as the Spectrum Fantastic Art Grand Master award and the Chesley Lifetime Achievement award. He is also a national best-selling author of a series of award-winning illustrated horror novels: Slewfoot, Lost Gods, Krampus the Yule Lord, The Child Thief, The Plucker, and The Devil’s Rose. Brom is currently kept in a dank cellar somewhere just outside of Savannah.
At age twenty, Brom began working full-time as a commercial illustrator in Atlanta, Georgia. Three years later he entered the field of fantastic art he’d loved his whole life, making his mark developing and illustrating for TSR’s best selling role-playing worlds.
He has since gone on to lend his distinctive vision to all facets of the creative industries, from novels and games, to comics and film, receiving numerous awards such as the Spectrum Fantastic Art Grand Master award and the Chesley Lifetime Achievement award. He is also a national best-selling author of a series of award-winning illustrated horror novels: Slewfoot, Lost Gods, Krampus the Yule Lord, The Child Thief, The Plucker, and The Devil’s Rose. Brom is currently kept in a dank cellar somewhere just outside of Savannah.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews
February 10, 2021
I loved the arts. This is my first time reading Brom's books. I saw the author's art on Twitter and wondered if I am the only who never read a single book by Brom. I found the book on my cousin's shelf and I thought it's time I delve into grim dark tales. To say honestly it has amazing paintings. I liked the story, but I also thought I needed more.
November 21, 2009
The thing about Brom is that you always *want* to love his books, because they look so pretty and dark. They have such pretty, dark covers; such pretty, dark illustrations; hell, even when there's no actual "picture" on a page, the background is probably still dark and pretty. Brom also has a way of coming up with fairly cool ideas and images; in this case, the concept of a demented version of Toy Story, in which the toys of a child's bedroom--in particular, our hero Jack, of Jack in the Box--must battle for their lives against a wicked spirit who intends to kill them in order to possess their child. It's a cool enough concept.
The problem is, Brom can't write for beans, and "The Plucker" is no exception.
"The Plucker" plays out like a Hollywood CGI animated movie, down to the last cliche. The story isn't just formulaic; it literally takes the exact structure of countless animated action/adventure "family" films. You have all the usual roles taken care of: the main reluctant hero; the villain who is sadistic, but too much of a wisecracking eccentric to be taken entirely seriously; the love interest, the Snow Angel, who of course ends up in great peril and must be saved; her ex who she can't really stand but still provides a thorn in our hero's side (how many times have we seen THAT before?); and of course a couple of "helper" friends, one of whom must be the sole "minority" character in an otherwise hoplessly-white story and is probably semi-racist due to their extreme minority-ness. (In animated movies, this is that one character voiced by Queen Latiffa or Chris Rock or someone else who can make some CGI animal seem as stereotypically "black" as possible.) In this case, these characters are a silent Monkey plushie and a kindly housemaid named Maybell who, due to the fact that she is African American and thus simply *must* have an ancestor who knew about voodoo, knows about the Plucker as an evil African spirit, and helps out Jack with various voodoo spells. Verrrry racially sensitive, Brom.
"The Plucker" is also strange because it seems at first to be a children's book, yet it's not 100% appropriate for children. It's written in a cheesy, immature fashion; there's a ton of stupid juvinille humor that I can't imagine anyone over the age of 10 would find funny; and there are constant, cartoonish references to beaten characters "seeing stars" (honestly, Brom, aren't there other ways to describe a character's pain and confusion in battle?). It's all so very childish that an adult reader can't help but feel they are reading something that is below them.
Then the titular villain starts dropping F-bombs. Not long after that there start being a few twisted, mildly violent images; one even shows the snow angel crucified, one of her breasts exposed. Yet even throughout all of this, "The Plucker" is simply not well written enough to be taken entirely seriously or to come across as appropriate for adults. Seriously, there were times when this was even more poorly written than a Darren Shan book--an author who also injects arguably-explicit material (mostly tons of blood and gore) into material that is otherwise too childisly written to appeal to most people who are past puberty.
I'd say then that the only real audience for this book can be younger teens, tweens, etc. who hear the word "fuck" at school every day (even if their parents still tell them not to say it) and have already secretly started watching porn, and have seen enough gory movies (or read enough Darren Shan books) to be quite desensitized to sex and violence. Or just people who can't tell the difference between a well-written book and a poorly-written book. (Here's the test: do you think "Twilight" is well written? If you answered "Yes," then you fall into this category.)
If nothing else, the pictures are pretty, and that's got to count for something. Right? Right?
(On a side note, I must admit that I'm curious about Brom's "The Child Thief," which relies less on pictures; but after stumbling through "The Plucker" and "The Devil's Rose," I'm not convinced it's worth it to try it out--especially given that everything Brom writes tends to be given five stars by the masses, regardless of how formulaic the story is or how clumsy or cheesy the prose is, just because the pictures are pretty and the concepts interesting. I guess that's to be expected these days.)
The problem is, Brom can't write for beans, and "The Plucker" is no exception.
"The Plucker" plays out like a Hollywood CGI animated movie, down to the last cliche. The story isn't just formulaic; it literally takes the exact structure of countless animated action/adventure "family" films. You have all the usual roles taken care of: the main reluctant hero; the villain who is sadistic, but too much of a wisecracking eccentric to be taken entirely seriously; the love interest, the Snow Angel, who of course ends up in great peril and must be saved; her ex who she can't really stand but still provides a thorn in our hero's side (how many times have we seen THAT before?); and of course a couple of "helper" friends, one of whom must be the sole "minority" character in an otherwise hoplessly-white story and is probably semi-racist due to their extreme minority-ness. (In animated movies, this is that one character voiced by Queen Latiffa or Chris Rock or someone else who can make some CGI animal seem as stereotypically "black" as possible.) In this case, these characters are a silent Monkey plushie and a kindly housemaid named Maybell who, due to the fact that she is African American and thus simply *must* have an ancestor who knew about voodoo, knows about the Plucker as an evil African spirit, and helps out Jack with various voodoo spells. Verrrry racially sensitive, Brom.
"The Plucker" is also strange because it seems at first to be a children's book, yet it's not 100% appropriate for children. It's written in a cheesy, immature fashion; there's a ton of stupid juvinille humor that I can't imagine anyone over the age of 10 would find funny; and there are constant, cartoonish references to beaten characters "seeing stars" (honestly, Brom, aren't there other ways to describe a character's pain and confusion in battle?). It's all so very childish that an adult reader can't help but feel they are reading something that is below them.
Then the titular villain starts dropping F-bombs. Not long after that there start being a few twisted, mildly violent images; one even shows the snow angel crucified, one of her breasts exposed. Yet even throughout all of this, "The Plucker" is simply not well written enough to be taken entirely seriously or to come across as appropriate for adults. Seriously, there were times when this was even more poorly written than a Darren Shan book--an author who also injects arguably-explicit material (mostly tons of blood and gore) into material that is otherwise too childisly written to appeal to most people who are past puberty.
I'd say then that the only real audience for this book can be younger teens, tweens, etc. who hear the word "fuck" at school every day (even if their parents still tell them not to say it) and have already secretly started watching porn, and have seen enough gory movies (or read enough Darren Shan books) to be quite desensitized to sex and violence. Or just people who can't tell the difference between a well-written book and a poorly-written book. (Here's the test: do you think "Twilight" is well written? If you answered "Yes," then you fall into this category.)
If nothing else, the pictures are pretty, and that's got to count for something. Right? Right?
(On a side note, I must admit that I'm curious about Brom's "The Child Thief," which relies less on pictures; but after stumbling through "The Plucker" and "The Devil's Rose," I'm not convinced it's worth it to try it out--especially given that everything Brom writes tends to be given five stars by the masses, regardless of how formulaic the story is or how clumsy or cheesy the prose is, just because the pictures are pretty and the concepts interesting. I guess that's to be expected these days.)
June 24, 2018
Το συγκεκριμένο εικονογραφημένο βιβλίο σκοτεινής φαντασίας το είχα σταμπαρισμένο εδώ και καιρό, αλλά η κάπως "τσιμπημένη" τιμή του με απέτρεπε από το να το αγοράσω. Όμως το πέτυχα στο φετινό Comicdom Con έναντι μόλις επτάμισι ευρώ, οπότε δεν το σκέφτηκα λεπτό παραπάνω, το αγόρασα. Η όλη εικονογράφηση είναι πραγματικά φοβερή, σκοτεινή και ιδιαίτερη, ανατριχιαστική αλλά συνάμα γεμάτη απόκοσμη ομορφιά. Η ιστορία αυτή καθαυτή δεν είναι τίποτα το φοβερό και το τρομερό, αλλά προσωπικά μου κράτησε το ενδιαφέρον από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος, με τις διάφορες σκηνές δράσης, την όλη σκοτεινή ατμόσφαιρα και τις κάθε είδους παραξενιές της. Η γραφή καλούτσικη και ευκολοδιάβαστη, αλλά μάλλον συνηθισμένη, σίγουρα δεν φτάνει το επίπεδο ποιότητας της εικονογράφησης. Γενικά είναι ένα ωραίο βιβλίο, που αξίζει να το αγοράσει κανείς μόνο και μόνο για τα υπέροχα σχέδια. Επίσης, η έκδοση της Jemma Press είναι σίγουρα πολύ όμορφη.
November 7, 2015
2 1/2 stars. I absolutely loved Brom's and I've been so excited to get my hands on his other illustrated novels. Dark, twisted fairy tales are kinda my thing.
But, though this book is full of gorgeous artwork, I found the story lacking. Especially when compared to his Peter Pan retelling. I liked it enough and it was suitably dark, though there are literally no characters really worth caring about (in my opinion, anyway). Maybe because the principal characters are toys(?)
In something like a dark version of Toy Story, this book is about what happens when Thomas's father brings home an African doll that is possessed by evil spirits. These evil spirits want Thomas's soul and the only ones who can save him are his toys - namely, Jack (aka Jack-in-a-box). It's definitely an adult story and contains both curse words and violence, but it never quite reached the darkness I expected from the author.
The arc of the story, and the characters themselves, were all too simplistic. Despite being 25% of the length of , it dragged in parts.
But, though this book is full of gorgeous artwork, I found the story lacking. Especially when compared to his Peter Pan retelling. I liked it enough and it was suitably dark, though there are literally no characters really worth caring about (in my opinion, anyway). Maybe because the principal characters are toys(?)
In something like a dark version of Toy Story, this book is about what happens when Thomas's father brings home an African doll that is possessed by evil spirits. These evil spirits want Thomas's soul and the only ones who can save him are his toys - namely, Jack (aka Jack-in-a-box). It's definitely an adult story and contains both curse words and violence, but it never quite reached the darkness I expected from the author.
The arc of the story, and the characters themselves, were all too simplistic. Despite being 25% of the length of , it dragged in parts.
December 30, 2010
This is an illustrated novel by Brom. Brom both tells the story and illustrates it. His artwork is both extremely creepy and hauntingly beautiful.
This is the story of Jack, a Jack in the Box toy who belongs to Thomas. Jack is a forgotten toy and has been dwelling in the Underbed. When Thomas's father brings the boy a new toy, Thomas's soul as well as all of the toys are in grave danger. It is left to Jack and Thomas's nanny Mirabel to defeat the evil being and save Thomas.
This book pulls no punches where visciousness and gore comes in. The Plucker is evil incarnate, granted he is torturing toys, but the torture scenes are no less disturbing for the lack of blood. It is a well-written story; a morbid twist on the timeless tale of what happens to the toys when they are forgotten. Think Toy Story meets Stephen King. The artwork is beautiful.
I really enjoyed the book. I was going to sit down and read it with my son but decided to read it on my own first. I am glad I did. While there is no blood, so to speak, there is a lot of torture and toy disembermant. The Plucker has a fowl mouth and swears something awful; we're talking real swearing here. This is a scary book, I am 30 and I thought it was scary. I can't imagine what my boy would have thought. I disagree with the editorial review that says this is Grade 5 and up for reading level; I agree more with the review that says Grade 9 and up. This is some pretty adult stuff and one of the pictures, while artistic, does have some disturbing toy nudity :-) Definitely not a children's fairy tale; this story emits darkness that is more typical of your original Grimm Brothers fairy tales.
The book sends a good message and ends in a very hopeful way. As I mentioned I was impressed with both the artwork and the story; I am excited to see and read more work by Brom.
This is the story of Jack, a Jack in the Box toy who belongs to Thomas. Jack is a forgotten toy and has been dwelling in the Underbed. When Thomas's father brings the boy a new toy, Thomas's soul as well as all of the toys are in grave danger. It is left to Jack and Thomas's nanny Mirabel to defeat the evil being and save Thomas.
This book pulls no punches where visciousness and gore comes in. The Plucker is evil incarnate, granted he is torturing toys, but the torture scenes are no less disturbing for the lack of blood. It is a well-written story; a morbid twist on the timeless tale of what happens to the toys when they are forgotten. Think Toy Story meets Stephen King. The artwork is beautiful.
I really enjoyed the book. I was going to sit down and read it with my son but decided to read it on my own first. I am glad I did. While there is no blood, so to speak, there is a lot of torture and toy disembermant. The Plucker has a fowl mouth and swears something awful; we're talking real swearing here. This is a scary book, I am 30 and I thought it was scary. I can't imagine what my boy would have thought. I disagree with the editorial review that says this is Grade 5 and up for reading level; I agree more with the review that says Grade 9 and up. This is some pretty adult stuff and one of the pictures, while artistic, does have some disturbing toy nudity :-) Definitely not a children's fairy tale; this story emits darkness that is more typical of your original Grimm Brothers fairy tales.
The book sends a good message and ends in a very hopeful way. As I mentioned I was impressed with both the artwork and the story; I am excited to see and read more work by Brom.
April 4, 2012
I absolutely loved this book. A few years ago I read The Child Thief and fell in love with his twist on the Peter Pan story and also the fact that he had his own illustrations of the characters throughout the book. This story is about toys who get mauled by bad spirits gunning after the toys' owner's soul. Starting out I thought it was a little too similar to the movie Toy Story because when the child gets bored with a toy, he pushes it under the bed (as opposed to going on the top shelf, but it's the same idea), but that quickly changed as the story progressed.
I really loved the fact that this was basically a children's book for adults. I would definitely not let the younger ages read this one as there is a lot of swear words, and particularly if the young ones are sensitive to horror themes (as I was at a younger age, this would've terrified me) because toys are getting mauled and tortured, and the fact that there actually IS a monster under the bed.
The story was very unique, unlike anything I've read, and it was great that Brom tied in some actual folklore on the ancient culture of Gullah. I read another review where someone criticized the fact that Brom used an African-American woman as the hoodoo preistess that saves the boy because it's stereotypical and that's a reason to dislike the book, but I think that person is missing the fact that this story is based in 1942, and that the generation before her was probably taken from Africa, where the Gullah culture came from. Her Aunt practiced the belief, and at that point in time, it really wouldn't make sense for any other race to practice hoodoo. I felt a strong urge to point that out.
Anyway, this is a great, quick read and has great illustrations. I continue to be a huge Brom fan!
I really loved the fact that this was basically a children's book for adults. I would definitely not let the younger ages read this one as there is a lot of swear words, and particularly if the young ones are sensitive to horror themes (as I was at a younger age, this would've terrified me) because toys are getting mauled and tortured, and the fact that there actually IS a monster under the bed.
The story was very unique, unlike anything I've read, and it was great that Brom tied in some actual folklore on the ancient culture of Gullah. I read another review where someone criticized the fact that Brom used an African-American woman as the hoodoo preistess that saves the boy because it's stereotypical and that's a reason to dislike the book, but I think that person is missing the fact that this story is based in 1942, and that the generation before her was probably taken from Africa, where the Gullah culture came from. Her Aunt practiced the belief, and at that point in time, it really wouldn't make sense for any other race to practice hoodoo. I felt a strong urge to point that out.
Anyway, this is a great, quick read and has great illustrations. I continue to be a huge Brom fan!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2021
An adult dark toy story with awesome illustrations! Really enjoyed this one.
November 29, 2019
This was actually unique and refreshing! But of course Brom never really disappoints.
Jack-in-the-Box, or just Jack, is Thomas� toy who is tossed in the Underbed. He is left there and forgotten by Thomas and some of the other toys. Jack’s days seem to be numbered until an evil spirit arrives, known as the Plucker, ready to claim Thomas� body for it’s own. Jack is up and ready to help the boy who once loved him. The battle of good and evil over Thomas� life ensures between the Plucker and the toys who fight back with a fierce desire to defend their boy. Unique, fun, sad, and with a little hint of myth, this book will take you on one dark adventure!
I really enjoyed this novel. First of all, it’s illustrated! Like duh! Pure awesomeness! Brom is a phenomenal artist and each page is beautifully done. If you enjoyed the Child Thief, Lost Gods and Krampus you will love this simple dark tale.
Jack-in-the-Box, or just Jack, is Thomas� toy who is tossed in the Underbed. He is left there and forgotten by Thomas and some of the other toys. Jack’s days seem to be numbered until an evil spirit arrives, known as the Plucker, ready to claim Thomas� body for it’s own. Jack is up and ready to help the boy who once loved him. The battle of good and evil over Thomas� life ensures between the Plucker and the toys who fight back with a fierce desire to defend their boy. Unique, fun, sad, and with a little hint of myth, this book will take you on one dark adventure!
I really enjoyed this novel. First of all, it’s illustrated! Like duh! Pure awesomeness! Brom is a phenomenal artist and each page is beautifully done. If you enjoyed the Child Thief, Lost Gods and Krampus you will love this simple dark tale.
November 1, 2021
Я в абсолютном восторге от этой книги
Самое то в Самайн , самое то для т��мной питерской ночи, когда за окном воет, льёт, шумит и сбивает ветром с ног.
История - это такой жуткий микс Щелкунчика и Истории игрушек с африканскими легендами о демонах.
Огромное наслаждение (и не отделимая часть истории) - разглядывать иллюстрации, подробно, близко, поглаживая и восторгаясь. Обожаю рисунки Брома - это шедевры мрачного и немного извращённого искусства 😅
В общем, всем советую от души - и неженкам (конец не фонтан, но хороший), и готичненьким 😂 очень жду что там ещё Бром у себя в подвале напишет 🥰
Самое то в Самайн , самое то для т��мной питерской ночи, когда за окном воет, льёт, шумит и сбивает ветром с ног.
История - это такой жуткий микс Щелкунчика и Истории игрушек с африканскими легендами о демонах.
Огромное наслаждение (и не отделимая часть истории) - разглядывать иллюстрации, подробно, близко, поглаживая и восторгаясь. Обожаю рисунки Брома - это шедевры мрачного и немного извращённого искусства 😅
В общем, всем советую от души - и неженкам (конец не фонтан, но хороший), и готичненьким 😂 очень жду что там ещё Бром у себя в подвале напишет 🥰
November 11, 2009
One of Brom's first fiction works (instead of just illustration), 'The Plucker' is quite succesful. It's an illustrated novella laid in a form that would appeal to older children (large print, lots of pictures), but which contains plenty of dark and gruesome motifs to make it more something for adults. In that respect, it fits perfectly into the children's lit / young adult / adult crosswriting spectrum that is becoming more and more important these days, where age is less important than how well you can handle certain themes.
That said, the setting of this one is a child's world: toys have a life of their own, animated by the 'gusto' of children, and toyland is invaded by a dark spirit - The Plucker itself - from the depths of mythological Africa, out to displace the souls of children to take over their bodies. Main antagonists are Jack - the one in the box - and Mabelle, the sterotypical southern US 'mammy', who deals in voodoo charms as well as basic nanny skills.
The portrayal of aforementioned Mabelle is a fair bit on the traditional side, erring on the side of positive African-American sterotyping, but if you're willing to look past that, 'The Plucker' is a highly enjoyable work, lovingly illustrated by a graphic artist who happens to posess talent for storytelling as well. Recommended for fantasy lovers of all ages, provided they can stomach the dark and gritty.
That said, the setting of this one is a child's world: toys have a life of their own, animated by the 'gusto' of children, and toyland is invaded by a dark spirit - The Plucker itself - from the depths of mythological Africa, out to displace the souls of children to take over their bodies. Main antagonists are Jack - the one in the box - and Mabelle, the sterotypical southern US 'mammy', who deals in voodoo charms as well as basic nanny skills.
The portrayal of aforementioned Mabelle is a fair bit on the traditional side, erring on the side of positive African-American sterotyping, but if you're willing to look past that, 'The Plucker' is a highly enjoyable work, lovingly illustrated by a graphic artist who happens to posess talent for storytelling as well. Recommended for fantasy lovers of all ages, provided they can stomach the dark and gritty.
July 29, 2017
Brom's stories always leave me feeling inspired and refreshed. He's got a way of spinning tails so real that they play like a real movie inside your mind's eye. His art especially helps bring each and every character to life, giving them motivations and fears that drive and enhance them.
The story does contain swearing, but there's only about half a dozen or so. There's an evil spirit and a bit of gore (not really descriptive, though).
The evil spirit, however, may disturb some readers (Christians beware; Brom's style may not be for you!)
The story does contain swearing, but there's only about half a dozen or so. There's an evil spirit and a bit of gore (not really descriptive, though).
The evil spirit, however, may disturb some readers (Christians beware; Brom's style may not be for you!)
January 6, 2024
�..
That was a magnificent trip back into my childhood nightmares and dreams. Everyone should make the journey. Bring your favorite companions from your stuffed animal collection.
You’re going to need your army.
�..
…�
…�
That was a magnificent trip back into my childhood nightmares and dreams. Everyone should make the journey. Bring your favorite companions from your stuffed animal collection.
You’re going to need your army.
�..
…�
…�
September 13, 2008
Don't read my review. It's kind of lame. Just read the book.
This book is so cool! Get this, the main character is a jack in the box. He has been abandoned with the other forgotten toys by the boy he belongs to. Since the toys interaction with each other reflects the boy's feelings about the toys, life sucks for Jack. But, don't think you know how the story ends. This is not toy story. Just wait. The boy's father brought him a toy from a trip to Africa which turned out to be a spirit doll.
Here is an excerpt:
Pain. It could feel pain. Pain racked its entire body. And it was good to feel the pain. Good to feel anything other than the endless darkness. It also felt hate. But this wasn't new. It had sat in that doll for over two centuries with hate its only companion. But mostly it felt hunger, a deep ravenous clawing in its stomach. And there were so many sweet smells coming from the little boy's room. So it waited for the night, waited for the little boy to fall asleep. Waited for the toys to come out and play.
Does that give you the chills? It gets so much creepier. Which I have to admit, I love. And Jack is killed but brought back to life with the heart of a mummified snake to go to battle to save the boy. It's so cool! The illustrations are really amazing, too. This is definitely not a book for young children.
This book is so cool! Get this, the main character is a jack in the box. He has been abandoned with the other forgotten toys by the boy he belongs to. Since the toys interaction with each other reflects the boy's feelings about the toys, life sucks for Jack. But, don't think you know how the story ends. This is not toy story. Just wait. The boy's father brought him a toy from a trip to Africa which turned out to be a spirit doll.
Here is an excerpt:
Pain. It could feel pain. Pain racked its entire body. And it was good to feel the pain. Good to feel anything other than the endless darkness. It also felt hate. But this wasn't new. It had sat in that doll for over two centuries with hate its only companion. But mostly it felt hunger, a deep ravenous clawing in its stomach. And there were so many sweet smells coming from the little boy's room. So it waited for the night, waited for the little boy to fall asleep. Waited for the toys to come out and play.
Does that give you the chills? It gets so much creepier. Which I have to admit, I love. And Jack is killed but brought back to life with the heart of a mummified snake to go to battle to save the boy. It's so cool! The illustrations are really amazing, too. This is definitely not a book for young children.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2009
I'm not sure about this.... but I've been curious.
And now, having read it, I'm actually glad I did. I'm not a huge fan of horror, nor of Brom's art, and I was traumatized by a Jack-in-the-Box when I was 3, so this book honestly didn't have a lot going for it. It's very dark (I'd classify it as horror), violent, rife with profanity, and often unpleasant, but somehow the story is still very good. I expected it to be dark, but what I didn't expect was that it would also have a few philosophical questions about evil and after-life, believable characters, and a bit of sweet romance. Brom's art is, naturally, perfectly suited to the book (or perhaps the other way around), and the writing, while never remarkable, improves as the story moves along. What perhaps speaks strongest for the book is the fact that I had a very strong desire to dig out all my old toys after finishing it, and had trouble sleeping for fear the stickmen would get me.
And now, having read it, I'm actually glad I did. I'm not a huge fan of horror, nor of Brom's art, and I was traumatized by a Jack-in-the-Box when I was 3, so this book honestly didn't have a lot going for it. It's very dark (I'd classify it as horror), violent, rife with profanity, and often unpleasant, but somehow the story is still very good. I expected it to be dark, but what I didn't expect was that it would also have a few philosophical questions about evil and after-life, believable characters, and a bit of sweet romance. Brom's art is, naturally, perfectly suited to the book (or perhaps the other way around), and the writing, while never remarkable, improves as the story moves along. What perhaps speaks strongest for the book is the fact that I had a very strong desire to dig out all my old toys after finishing it, and had trouble sleeping for fear the stickmen would get me.
March 25, 2016
I have such mixed feelings about this book.
I wanted to like it, because Brom's illustrations are just GORGEOUS. But the story itself was unsurprising, and felt offensively dated, like it came out of a bygone stereotype, with a vapid doll heroine (with some pretty deep cleavage for a child's toy) that needs saving, and the magical Black woman who teaches the lesson.
Very pretty to look at, but he could have done so much better.
I wanted to like it, because Brom's illustrations are just GORGEOUS. But the story itself was unsurprising, and felt offensively dated, like it came out of a bygone stereotype, with a vapid doll heroine (with some pretty deep cleavage for a child's toy) that needs saving, and the magical Black woman who teaches the lesson.
Very pretty to look at, but he could have done so much better.
March 30, 2018
Wow. What an amazing, fantastical, whimsical novel. It was hauntingly terrifying. Dark and dreamy. "There is something magical and inherently creepy about toys dancing around the playground while they're child sleeps playing out their lives in our own secret little world. But what happens to these toys once they're no longer desired by their beloved children?"
June 12, 2018
To my Late Grandma : Hey, Thakuma!
I MISS YOU & I LOVE YOU - FOREVER�
Gerald BROM �
Take my word! Till the last breath of my life you will forever be my most favorite author for all time (in horror genre). There is no other author like BROM (no offence). I was, I am and I know in future I will forever be obsessed with his greatest work�
1. Things that die are supposed to stay dead.
2. For he art the Devil.
� for he art the Devil.
� for he art the Devil.
3. “I’m praying to you, Lord. Please don’t let me be too late.�
4. “…Mabelle, I want you to promise me you will stay on God’s path, that you will stay away from the Devil’s doings,…�
5. “You is no longer a toy, but a weapon of the Lord. A viper. A devil Slayer.�
6. Her face squinted up and her eyes watered. “Glory to Jesus, now that was something worth getting up in the morning for!�
7. “All around the mulberry bush,
The monkey chased the weasel,
The monkey thought ‘twas all in fun,
Pop goes the weasel.�
I do not know and just couldn’t decide from where I should start. As ‘The Plucker� too outstandingly match my taste. Totally worth my time and every moment while I reading it, not reading actually but devouring it. I just F***ing loved this awesome book. It was so much to fun, so much to learn and so much to endure about. I was in a more clear word hungrily waiting for this one to read and when I finally have my eyes on it, well I hope you can imagine now how much excited I was at that time. & it indeed satisfied my hunger but in a worse way as I am now eager again to read his next novel at any cost if you know what I mean. This book was a Gem. No freaking doubt about it�
Thomas :
That little boy who love to play with all his toys that he got and that his father collect them for him for playing. So what happen when you left those toys for a long time in a corner of darkness. Don’t want to play with those toys for a long time and suddenly something begun to change. Let’s go to the scene now when Thomas find himself in a big trouble even without his knowing. Because in the end all he got is his Mabelle (Granny) and those toys�
Jack :
Jack (the toy) was braver enough to fight those evil spirit almost in alone standing to save his master Thomas. I love you Jack, I just love your bravery. I just love that freaking awesome character. I don’t know but if I found myself in his position I would definitely gonna love to fighting those evil thing that wanted to take out the life of that little Thomas. Jack’s posture, stance that the author illustrated was enough for me to visualize more real in my head. I could see myself that as if I am the Jack, I am the bravest character of this book. Oh, Jack how I admire your sense of humor when you bow down to that sweet girl toy ‘Angel� by giving her all respect. You are the man Jack, yes you are. The way Jack fought, survived for his Angel well it was obvious and I was glad too that the author created such a duo like them. I can never forget them, never�
Angel :
That charming sweet little fairy princess toy. Who can sing. Who love to sing. It was that part when Jack saved her and she couldn’t meet him in person but later when she did she just help herself but kiss him on cheek made me smile. Sweet smile if I say so. Oh for God’s sake if I am in Jack’s position I will obviously gonna give my life for her there’s no question about this certainty. So do I envy Jack for that? Well, nope. Not at all. The way BROM drawn his Angel made me believe at certain if the Angel doll is really alive in present life. Well, I think I am going crazy and yes I am proud of it right now�
Little Bird :
Ah! Here’s come the agony and regret from me. I wish BROM wrote more about her. Just looking at her beautiful face I couldn’t help but felt total sadness inside of me. She was too a brave toy who fought like her father, who fought like a Lioness when her cub in a certain danger. I consider her as my little sister while I was reading it. You sacrificed Little Bird and for that I will never gonna forget you, Never�
Mabelle :
This was the name that remind of my Late Grandmother. Like how she so kind hearted, forgiven Lady. I know I am talking personal but I just can’t help it. You know just Mabelle from this book my Grandma used to too alike as this character. I can’t thank enough to the Author for her. I was even at a state in the end that I was fighting hard myself to not crying. But I couldn’t hold back my tears. Sorry, but yes Mabelle did make me very emotional in the end. What she did for her little Thomas (though she was not the actual grandma of him, came from Africa but from then she was staying with little Thomas’s family) was exactly a mother would do for her children when they are in great danger. Of course Thomas got his Mom and Dad but they were two unfortunate soul who forced to trapped themselves in the outside world like we all do when we grown up. Mabelle like every other character I can never erase you from my mind. Whenever I recall your name or whenever I see my own Grandma’s face in a framed picture I will remember that kind, smiley face of your. Love you Mabelle. I wish if I could call you as my 2nd Grandma�
The Plucker :
So, finally � The Plucker. So who is he/she/it? How’s it looked like? What exactly it do? What’s the purpose of it and why it tried to take the soul of little Thomas? No, I am not going to spoil it here. You better read it and find that out as it will definitely be a heck of journey for you. As for now I am quitting. But feeling that enthusiasm again to read more from BROM’s work. I think now that I am certain with one fact that I can never be done about BROM. This is and this will be the utmost certainty of my future reading when it turned out to be a BROM’s book. Just love those artwork, illustrations he done throughout his entire book. Without them I don’t know if the book could more alive like the way it is now�
Super High Five to �
鰿�
April 23, 2019
*3.5 Stars
Of the 4 Brom novels I've read this year this was my least favorite.
The writing is a little annoying at times possibly due to (if i recall correctly) this being the authors first legit novel. The 3 titles ive read prior to this were more polished and didn't over use characters names in every line like 'The Plucker' did. Which was annoying as hell to me.
I also found the story to be not all that appealing personally. Not very original either.
Suffice to say, Brom has definitely improved his writing and story telling skills since this book and im excited to read whatever he comes out with next. I gave 3.5 because the writing and story were OK, however all the original artwork was lit as usual.
Of the 4 Brom novels I've read this year this was my least favorite.
The writing is a little annoying at times possibly due to (if i recall correctly) this being the authors first legit novel. The 3 titles ive read prior to this were more polished and didn't over use characters names in every line like 'The Plucker' did. Which was annoying as hell to me.
I also found the story to be not all that appealing personally. Not very original either.
Suffice to say, Brom has definitely improved his writing and story telling skills since this book and im excited to read whatever he comes out with next. I gave 3.5 because the writing and story were OK, however all the original artwork was lit as usual.
November 27, 2021
Good artwork, poorly written story.
June 28, 2010
I got this book at the same time as both of which were interesting dare I say 'experimental' books. Neither was quite a graphic novel (or comic book for those of you who aren't comics dorks desperate for respectability) but with their extensive use of artwork and their interesting inerspersial of text, they were somewhere in the nebulous ground between the two extremes. I am always interested in books that explore that line. There's nothing that says comics/graphic novels/whatever, have to be shallow and stupid. Artwork can be quite illuminating. Novels can be quite illuminating. But put the two together, and you wind up with Captain Roidrage and Lady Cameltoe battling evil Dr. VotesRepublican. This doesn't have to happen, and in fact those of us brave souls who have tried dipping into graphic novel land have found it quite rewarding at times. After all, comic books gave us .
Anyway back to the book. I got this and another near-graphic novel at the same time, both are much larger in size than a regular novel or comic, being roughly high school textbook shaped. This one I think is by far the more successful of the two and is the one that does not consciously try to ape the comics genre. The book is done by the amazing artist/writer Brom. Being a mega-dork I've been aware of him since he got his start as an artist for a dungeons and dragons spinoff game called Dark Sun. He's come a long way since then and developed into quite an artist and, increasingly, quite a novelist!
His writing style is very warm and welcoming, which is nice because he's writing about horror. And I think with horror its best to work into it. Come in, sit down, have a nice cup of tea. Are you comfy? Pillow's nice? Ah that's good because there was poison in the tea, and you'll be dead in thirty seconds.
The particulars of the story: Think Toy Story as written by Hannibal Lector. The main characters are a group of toys, animated by the magic of a young boy's love. Effectively, each toy is borrowing a little sliver of the boy's soul because of how much he loves and plays with them. When he outgrows them or stops playing with them, they slowly fade back into being inanimate toys.
Enter the problem. Something dark and terrible is unleashed and uses these toys and the little whisps of soul-stuff the boy has infused in them to get at the boy himself. Dark, horrible, horrific stuff happens to these toys, and its so effective because Brom does such a good job making us believe in these toys, makes us like them and want them to succeed. That's quite a feat when a lot of horror stories don't make me empathize with actual human characters.
Still with this book, it feels like Brom is still getting his sea-legs, so to speak. He's an amazingly accomplished artist, but he's still not quite 100% as a writer. This I think is good! I look forward to his next book and the next one. Brom is a writer to watch for. I am actually afraid the Lihtrachuh Snobs are going to discover this and I'm going to have to trudge through the Literature section to find his books in a few more years.
Brom made a somewhat risky choice and I think handled himself well. I don't want to spoil the book too much but one of the major characters is an old black woman familiar with voodoo, who pretty early on uses her powers to transform our hero the Jack in the Box into something with a fighting chance against the bad things in the shadows. I kind of rolled my eyes and the term 'magical n-word' (as anti PC as I am I can't bring myself to type it, le sigh) comes to mind. I fully expect this character to then fade into the background, but surprisingly she doesn't. The old woman proves to be a very dynamic, active character who makes a big difference in the action, has her own arc, dillemas and challenges, and is in many ways the real protagonist and prime mover around which the story revolves. I was very impressed with the deft handling of a character that could have been a crude stereotype very easily.
Now, a tricky question. Is this book okay to show children? Its a horror book, its very intense, its made for adults, and it is very scary in place. However, a 13+ year old I think can handle it. Jack, the main character, is a good role model for a teenage boy trying to learn how to cope with all his raging hormones driving him to do all sorts of weird things. Just do yourself a favor and read it CAREFULLY yourself for anything you think might be out of line for your particular kid.
TLDR: Good horror novel with lots of heart, and pretty (if disturbing) pictures. Parental Guidance advised for parents drawn in by the pretty pictures and childlike storyline.
Anyway back to the book. I got this and another near-graphic novel at the same time, both are much larger in size than a regular novel or comic, being roughly high school textbook shaped. This one I think is by far the more successful of the two and is the one that does not consciously try to ape the comics genre. The book is done by the amazing artist/writer Brom. Being a mega-dork I've been aware of him since he got his start as an artist for a dungeons and dragons spinoff game called Dark Sun. He's come a long way since then and developed into quite an artist and, increasingly, quite a novelist!
His writing style is very warm and welcoming, which is nice because he's writing about horror. And I think with horror its best to work into it. Come in, sit down, have a nice cup of tea. Are you comfy? Pillow's nice? Ah that's good because there was poison in the tea, and you'll be dead in thirty seconds.
The particulars of the story: Think Toy Story as written by Hannibal Lector. The main characters are a group of toys, animated by the magic of a young boy's love. Effectively, each toy is borrowing a little sliver of the boy's soul because of how much he loves and plays with them. When he outgrows them or stops playing with them, they slowly fade back into being inanimate toys.
Enter the problem. Something dark and terrible is unleashed and uses these toys and the little whisps of soul-stuff the boy has infused in them to get at the boy himself. Dark, horrible, horrific stuff happens to these toys, and its so effective because Brom does such a good job making us believe in these toys, makes us like them and want them to succeed. That's quite a feat when a lot of horror stories don't make me empathize with actual human characters.
Still with this book, it feels like Brom is still getting his sea-legs, so to speak. He's an amazingly accomplished artist, but he's still not quite 100% as a writer. This I think is good! I look forward to his next book and the next one. Brom is a writer to watch for. I am actually afraid the Lihtrachuh Snobs are going to discover this and I'm going to have to trudge through the Literature section to find his books in a few more years.
Brom made a somewhat risky choice and I think handled himself well. I don't want to spoil the book too much but one of the major characters is an old black woman familiar with voodoo, who pretty early on uses her powers to transform our hero the Jack in the Box into something with a fighting chance against the bad things in the shadows. I kind of rolled my eyes and the term 'magical n-word' (as anti PC as I am I can't bring myself to type it, le sigh) comes to mind. I fully expect this character to then fade into the background, but surprisingly she doesn't. The old woman proves to be a very dynamic, active character who makes a big difference in the action, has her own arc, dillemas and challenges, and is in many ways the real protagonist and prime mover around which the story revolves. I was very impressed with the deft handling of a character that could have been a crude stereotype very easily.
Now, a tricky question. Is this book okay to show children? Its a horror book, its very intense, its made for adults, and it is very scary in place. However, a 13+ year old I think can handle it. Jack, the main character, is a good role model for a teenage boy trying to learn how to cope with all his raging hormones driving him to do all sorts of weird things. Just do yourself a favor and read it CAREFULLY yourself for anything you think might be out of line for your particular kid.
TLDR: Good horror novel with lots of heart, and pretty (if disturbing) pictures. Parental Guidance advised for parents drawn in by the pretty pictures and childlike storyline.
July 20, 2014
All around the mulberry bush,
The monkey chased the weasel,
The monkey thought 'twas all in fun,
Pop goes the weasel.
A penny for a spool of thread,
A penny for a needle,
That's the way the money goes,
Pop goes the weasel.
Half a pound of tuppenney rice,
Half a pound of treacle,
Mix it up and make it nice,
POP goes the weasel.
I am a fan of . I don't think the guy could write something that I wouldn't enjoy. I love his art; it's dark, deadly, full of nightmares and things you would rather not look directly at for fear of it getting a glimpse of your soul.
I was introduced to his novels through . I absolutely love that book. His take on Peter Pan is what you could believe would be the truth behind the fairytale. The truth you don't really want to admit to. And again... that artwork.
So, needless to say, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of . Took me awhile, because I wanted a physical copy (which is always required of a Brom book) and I tend to creep only discount book stores. I finally found one. Excitement and fear of the unknown horrors commenced.
The one difference between The Plucker and The Child Thief is the length. Now, don't get me wrong: I love this book. But it is not as detailed in characters as The Child Thief. You don't get as familiar with Jack, Angel, Thomas, Mabelle, and all the others. This book starts almost as soon as the Plucker makes his appearance. So if you go into this expecting character background, you will be sorely disappointed. For that, and that alone, 4.5 stars.
If you enjoy Brom and his art, if you enjoy the macabre, if you are prepared...
Just keep your toes from The Underbed.
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January 18, 2016
Weirdly enough, I just re-watched an episode of the X-Files that featured the West African myth at the heart of this story. Made it much more interesting. I enjoyed this story and even more, the illustrations that went with it. I love this novel/comic book hybrid and wish there were more of them. Sure, there's graphic novels, but they use the comic format more often than not - I like the ratio of words to images Brom has achieved in this one. Brom, I wish you'd written more books because you're a man after my own dark heart.
July 27, 2011
I did recognize some familiar character profiles that Brom would go on to use in his more successful, full-length novel, The Child Thief. However, this one called the Plucker was kinda boring and revealed itself as rather shallow after a while. The more I read the less this short novel engaged my imagination. Like the longer I read and the further I got into it the less there was, somehow. It was shrinking. I couldn't even finish this one. Even at its short length with half of it as pictures.
October 30, 2021
Αγάπησα την εικονογράφηση και η ιδέα της ιστορίας ήταν ωραία (τρομακτικό Toy Story ανακατεμένο με βουντού - ναι, παρακαλώ!), αλλά δυστυχώς ο τρόπος διήγησής της δε με τρέλανε. Μου φάνηκε κάπως επίπεδος και η σύνταξη λίγο ατσούμπαλη, αν και δεν ξέρω αν αυτό μπορεί να οφείλεται στο αρχικό κείμενο ή στη μετάφραση.
July 26, 2019
and here started my journey on the works of brom...
i was 16, i am 29 and i still looooove his art and his books
i think it was the first book i read from start to finish in one reading too
awesome, beautiful, dark, it changed me in many ways as a person and an aspiring author
i was 16, i am 29 and i still looooove his art and his books
i think it was the first book i read from start to finish in one reading too
awesome, beautiful, dark, it changed me in many ways as a person and an aspiring author
March 28, 2015
Great artwork. I wasn't feeling the writing style. This is a good story to read to my child. Not ALL kids because it is a bit on the macabre side, but the right type of kid.
August 11, 2020
This looks like a children's fairy tale book, but I wouldn't recommend reading it to young kids before bed. Unless you never want to sleep alone again, anyway.
"The Plucker" combines childhood fantasies with a little voodoo/hoodoo, in a Toy Story meets Child's Play tale of toys that come to life when nobody's looking - I know I'm not the only one who had that wish/fear as a kid. Brom's artwork is, as always, outrageously gorgeous! Every childhood staple should be so lucky as to get a badass makeover like Brom's Jack-in-the-Box! The story itself didn't blow me away, though it was good, and my teenage son really enjoyed it. I prefer Brom's other, longer works ("Krampus" and "The Child Thief"), but I'm not disappointed that I picked up "The Plucker."
"The Plucker" combines childhood fantasies with a little voodoo/hoodoo, in a Toy Story meets Child's Play tale of toys that come to life when nobody's looking - I know I'm not the only one who had that wish/fear as a kid. Brom's artwork is, as always, outrageously gorgeous! Every childhood staple should be so lucky as to get a badass makeover like Brom's Jack-in-the-Box! The story itself didn't blow me away, though it was good, and my teenage son really enjoyed it. I prefer Brom's other, longer works ("Krampus" and "The Child Thief"), but I'm not disappointed that I picked up "The Plucker."
September 11, 2023
Having fallen in love with Brom's latest novel Slewfoot, I decided to acquire all of his previous works and started with The Plucker.
First off I'm highly impressed, and astonished that Brom's debut novel was THIS good. With The Plucker, looks can be deceiving, what starts out as a light hearted toy story-like fairytale quickly turns into a dark, twisted dive into a world of voodoo spirits, devils and devil slayers.
Need I say more?
First off I'm highly impressed, and astonished that Brom's debut novel was THIS good. With The Plucker, looks can be deceiving, what starts out as a light hearted toy story-like fairytale quickly turns into a dark, twisted dive into a world of voodoo spirits, devils and devil slayers.
Need I say more?
May 24, 2019
I LOVE BROM. Yes, his work is not for the faint of heart. Yes, his work is violent, gross and twisted. Is that MY thing? Yes!! Unbelievable artwork and such a creative story. I highly recommend for those who enjoy the macabre and horrorific tales.
January 20, 2020
Toy Story from the mind of a messed up guy.
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