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Product Description
From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up–If the Velveteen Rabbit had a satanic bent, it would have much in common with the Plucker, the spirit doll that young Thomass father brings him from Africa in 1942. In Broms fevered imagination, the love and imaginative play with which children imbue their toys–their gusto, as he terms it–can be sucked out and turned to evil purposes, destroying the soul of the child and enlivening creatures too horrible to contemplate. It is up to Thomass old Jack-in-the-box to prevent the boy from such vitiation. Aided by the herbal and hoodoo wisdom of Mabelle, Thomass stalwart old nurse, and a few other plucky cast-off toys, Jack challenges the monstrous Foulthings spawned by the Plucker and vanquishes its malevolence. Broms descriptive powers are revealed equally in his prose and his illustrations. The paintings are so detailed and so layered that they yield their secrets further the more closely they are examined. Poring over them is an exercise in fascinated revulsion. Almost every page–from the opening, What the hell? to the resolution–contains abominations calculated to stir up nightmares. Despite its bittersweet, triumphant ending [...] this book will stir discomfort everywhere it goes. Brom is surely aware of this, as he is photographed on the dust jacket, poised to consume an eviscerated teddy bear with an oversize fork and spoon. Not everyone will be amused, and not everyone should be exposed to this macabre tour de force.–Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Gr. 9-12. The story of sentient childhood toys abandoned when a child grows up takes on a ghastly, gothic slant in this oversize, illustrated volume. The main character is Jack, a spring toy that takes on an evil imp, loosed from the head of an African spirit doll, which has designs on a child. Illustrated with darkly washed images of broken dolls, bound snow angels, and the devilish Plucker, this is a horror novella likely to appeal to those with little sentimentality for things of childhood and who enjoy the chilly anxiety that comes with the possibility of powerful things that go bump in the night. The beautiful production values here outdo both the literary quality and the depth of the images. Some readers will find the whole too creepy; others will be fascinated. Francisca Goldsmith
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The adult version of Toy Story,
By
This review is from: The Plucker: An Illustrated Novel by Brom (Paperback)
This book was recommended to me by Trance Viper over on the Spawn forums. After reading it, I can say it's a great book! The art is beautifully done by Brom and really helps the reader picture the story. Themes of abandonment, death and fear are well portrayed throughout the story. I highly recommend this book!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (45 customer reviews) 13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scary Fairy Tale Penned by Painter,
By Stephen Bard - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Plucker: An Illustrated Novel by Brom (Hardcover)
This is a rare example of an artist who can write as well as they paint. The Plucker is a 160 page large-format hardcover, lavishly illustrated with over 100 Brom paintings, published by Abrams (the big art book publisher). The book is a delightfully politically-incorrect and convoluted "children's book" of the sort that children really do need to evoke the kind of nightmares that fire their imaginations (instead of the sweet simplistic pap they are usually fed). Where would Gary Larson be today if it weren't for reading "Mr Bear Squash-You-All-Flat" as a child?! The jacket blurb for The Plucker says: "a world where fairy-tale tradition collides with vileness and depravity, love and heroism, suffering and sacrifice. A shadowy land of make-believe where happily ever after can cost you your very soul." (Sleep tight, kiddies!)
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hope, Heebie-Jeebies, Heroes and Horror,
By Carla Beckwith - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Plucker: An Illustrated Novel by Brom (Hardcover)
The first few days of owning this book I simply absorbed and enjoyed the amazing illustrations. Finally I turned my sights to the text...being pulled from one page to the next and the next, cover to cover in one sitting. The story was exciting...full of hope, heebie-jeebies, heroes and horror. Brom did a great job crafting this tale, with both his images and his words. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to those who aren't overly sensative to the dark nooks and crannies of make-believe. The only fluff to this story is that which has been torn out of the soft bellies of once-loved stuffed animals.The illustrations are masterful and show the true genius that is Brom. The story was an amazing first for Brom who has made it evident his talents are vast and ever-growing. Only one question...when is he going to hook up with Tim Burton and get this on the screen!?! 8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prose Follows Paintings,
By Schrodinger's Not Quite Dead Cat - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Plucker: An Illustrated Novel by Brom (Hardcover)
Visually the book is stunning, over a hundred full color paintings by Brom at the top of his game. If you enjoy Brom's paintings you'll love his prose - his sense of the macabre and the romantic, tinged with his dark sense of humor carry through into the story, making the Plucker a page turner. Very edgy stuff. Highly recommended!
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