Plucker Paperback – March 1, 2011

I somehow managed to find this book in hardcover at a public library and brought myself to read it. I really appreciate the large size of the print because it brings out Brom's illustrations to life, and the story is written in a way than is just enough to be read as a children's book but not always in a very light-hearted tone. The way the dialogue is written is a nice touch, too. I can picture all of the characters speaking in their appropriate voices and accents.I finally came around to buying the book in paperback four years later. The quality of the pictures and binding is just as good as the hardcover edition with extra concept illustrations and a note by Brom at the end. The paperback cover isn't the glossy postcard cover you see on smaller paperbacks; rather it has a solid matte finish with spot gloss on the illustrations and nice gold foil printing on the title and author's name. (I thought I'd bring those up since as someone who enjoys buying hardcover books, I was worried about the paperback quality, but it's better than I expected.)The only thing I'm upset about is the packaging the book came in. Since I ordered three large books at once, the box came in a large box with little air bag cushioning. All of my books have some type of dent on their spines, which breaks my heart because I would have never let them get in this kind of condition if I found them at a physical bookstore (that are sadly becoming rarer over the years). Still, it's not the author's fault, and I continue to enjoy the characters, art, and storytelling.

I was already familiar with a lot of Brom's work when I was younger and now that I am older, working and able to afford to buy more I was more then happy to purchase this. His are it dark and sinister and can also be extremely beautiful. I personally love art and though there may be some who find it offensive, alot of times I dont look entirely on one picture as a whole, I personally like to look at individual details and admire how talented this artist is, and admire his work. I admire it more since he does his work by hand and it is sketched out then developed. It is more refreshing to see work that is done by hand and through a real mental process then slapped together by cutting and pasting on a screen, smudging and blending and considering that a real work of art. So before you put a bad review, specially if you weren't familiar with the artist to begin with id suggest doing your homework first and just because its dark and seems evil doesnt mean that the work itself and not worth a good rating. Technique and skills should be valued ten times more highly then someones flavor or personal likes. To me this man's work is amazing and inspiring, not only to me but to so many more.

There have been other stories that explore the idea of toys coming alive when their owners are away, but The Plucker is by far the darkest one I've read. And that's a good thing. The accompanying illustrations give the lay-out the feel of a demonic children's picture book and that adds to the overall effect of creepy suspense as the story progresses. The minor characters are flat but the main human and toy characters are well-developed and it's easy to enter a suspension of reality and really believe that Jack and Angel are alive and have their own personalities and motivations. Mabelle and Thomas are believable as human characters and I was very invested in their welfare as the novella went on. Mabelle's internal struggle with how far she was willing to go to save Thomas was a short but memorable sub-plot and Thomas' interaction with his father while he was on a very short shore leave brought on a few sniffles. I'd say this is more suited to adults, but an older mature child with the right temperament would find this entertaining as well.

Had water damage and some pages are stuck together some even in multiples. Kinda hard to enjoy a book when you can read it.

In the above School Library Journal editorial review it says that this book is for grades 5 and up. I don't want to sound uptight, but I am surprised at this determination. I love dark, stories with beautiful drawings like this one. But I wouldn't say that it is for everyone. I would caution parents that are looking at this for their kid who likes Nightmare Before Christmas. My mother was a librarian for most of my life and I am very open minded to books and how they shape our lives. If you are considering this book for your child, may I suggest that you go to your local library or bookstore and take a look at it first.

My copy of the book came in such great time! I was so happy to see it in my mail this morning! The book itself is in wonderful condition! I am a huge Brom fan, unfortunately I have only had the pleasure of reading one of his books... The Child Thief. And I fell in love with it from just reading the first page! So, I can only assume the best for this one as well! I am in the process of reading another book at the moment so I've only thumbed through The Plucker to look at the artwork. Brom does not disappoint! His images are both grotesque and beautiful and I hope to develop into an artist as great as him one day! :D Thanks so much! 5 stars all the way, baby!

I bought this book for my 17 year old son. 17 year old boys have strange tastes - and this is something that he asked for. I ended up reading the book for a couple of reason. The kid asked me to and the illustrations in the book, though odd at times, were wonderful. Brom is a wonderful artist.The story is on the dark side that involves an old African myth that is woven into a contempory story. There's the good guy, the bad guys, a bumbler, a pretty girl, someone who rises to the moment.I ended up liking the book much more than I anticipated. I don't usually read such dark stories but I know that if the kid asks for another book from Brom, I will probably will read it. Good vs evil stories are always good - and there is a good moral to the story - whether that was the author's intent or not. I recommend it - the kid gave it 5 stars - he really liked it - and it is now being passed around among his friends.

The art is wonderful, as always, but compared to Brom's later novels 'Child Thief' and 'Krampus: The Yule Lord', 'The Plucker' definitely shows a dip in writing skill. Perhaps it would have been better that I had read 'The Plucker' first, but unfortunately my introduction to the marvel that is Brom was 'Child Thief'.'The Plucker' is a haphazard collection of short paragraphs and frequent simple sentences that leaves the whole reading experience very stilted, with little sense of flow. However, Brom does break out into beautiful and apparently random bouts of linguistic genius, where the plot moves along smoothly and truly engages me as a reader.Personally, if you are new to Brom then I would not recommend this book, but rather 'Child Thief' or 'Krampus: The Yule Lord'. (I've not yet read 'The Devil's Rose', so I can't make an opinion on it.) However, I suppose if you don't want to be disappointed by the lack of writing skill in 'The Plucker', it may be worth starting with this one and moving your way up to the more recent and drastically better books.

I really enjoyed 'The Plucker', it was just so weird and wonderful, the artwork was amazing, the story fantastic, I loved the idea of the toys and their lives. Brom is a very talented artist and writer. I recommend this book highly to anyone that will listen to me

A brilliant story beautifully illustrated by Brom. One of my favourite Brom!

Excellent novel with beautiful illustrations. I would highly recommend this book.

Die Geschichte, um ein vergessenes Spielzeug, dass seinen kindlichen Besitzer vor einem Dämonen retten will, ist wunderschön erzählt und Broms einmalige, düstere Kunst rundet dieses Gruselmärchen perfekt ab.Einen Stern Abzug gibt es dafür, dass manches doch etwas stark in die Klischeeecke abdriftet, was das Lesevergnüngen jedoch nur leicht trübt.