The Gormenghast Novels

The Gormenghast Novels
Average customer rating:

Unique, Eccentric Masterpieces of Fantasy

Some things to be aware of...

Unique and enthralling

Gormenghast: Fiction for Masochists (a review in rhyme)

Overrated
The Gormenghast Novels
Mervyn Peake
Manufacturer: Overlook TP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

20th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Peake, Mervyn | ( P ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Gormenghast

The King of Elfland's Daughter (Del Rey Impact)

Shadow & Claw: The First Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' (New Sun)

Sword & Citadel: The Second Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' (New Sun)

Little, Big (P.S.)

ASIN: 0879516283

Amazon.com

Mervyn Peake's gothic masterpiece, the Gormenghast trilogy, begins with the superlative Titus Groan, a darkly humorous, stunningly complex tale of the first two years in the life of the heir to an ancient, rambling castle. The trilogy continues with the novels Gormenghast and Titus Alone, and all three books are bound together in this single-volume edition.

The Gormenghast royal family, the castle's decidedly eccentric staff, and the peasant artisans living around the dreary, crumbling structure make up the cast of characters in these engrossing stories. Peake's command of language and unique style set the tone and shape of an intricate, slow-moving world of ritual and stasis:

"The walls of the vast room which were streaming with calid moisture, were built with gray slabs of stone and were the personal concern of a company of eighteen men known as the 'Grey Scrubbers'.... On every day of the year from three hours before daybreak until about eleven o'clock, when the scaffolding and ladders became a hindrance to the cooks, the Grey Scrubbers fulfilled their hereditary calling."

Peake has been compared to Dickens, Tolkien, and Peacock, but the Gormenghast trilogy is truly unique. Unforgettable characters with names like Steerpike and Prunesquallor make their way through an architecturally stifling world, with lots of dark corners around to dampen any whimsy that might arise. This true classic is a feast of words unlike anything else in the world of fantasy. Those who explore Gormenghast castle will be richly rewarded. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

A doomed lord, an emergent hero, and a dazzling array of bizarre creatures inhabit the magical world of the Gormenghast novels which, along with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, reign as one of the undisputed fantasy classics of all time. At the center of it all is the seventy-seventh Earl, Titus Groan, who stands to inherit the miles of rambling stone and mortar that form Gormenghast Castle and its kingdom, unless the conniving Steerpike, who is determined to rise above his menial position and control the House of Groan, has his way.

In these extraordinary novels, Peake has created a world where all is like a dream--lush, fantastical, and vivid. Accompanying the text are Peake's own drawings, illustrating the whole assembly of strange and marvelous creatures that inhabit Gormenghast.
Introductory Essays by Anthony Burgess and Quentin Crisp
Twelve critical essays
Fragment of the unpublished novel, Titus Awakes

"Mervyn Peake is a finer poet than Edgar Allan Poe, and he is therefore able to maintain his world of fantasy brilliantly through three novels. It is a very, very great work . . . a classic of our age."-- Robertson Davies

"[Peake's books] are actual additions to life; they give, like certain rare dreams, sensations we never had before, and enlarge our conception of the range of possible experience."-- C. S. Lewis

"This extravagant epic about a labyrinthine castle populated with conniving Dickensian grotesques is the true fantasy classic of our time."-- The Washington Post Book World

Customer Reviews:

Unique, Eccentric Masterpieces of Fantasy.......2007-09-29

Nothing exists to prepare the reader for Mervyn Peake's world. If one were to room with Dickens and Edward Gorey at a castle in Middle-Earth, the experience would almost suffice; otherwise, the first few paragraph-long sentences will either send you running...or draw you in immediately.

Gormenghast is a vast, decaying castle, the ancient home of the noble family of Groan. This structure is modeled perfectly in the descriptive language, which is full of archaic meanderings but also unexpected hidden vistas of breathtaking imagery. The denizens are unforgettable- eccentric almost to the point of caricature, yet poignantly real and human. Their behavior superficially resembles palace intrigues and Shakespearian soap operas, but seen through a warped and dusty looking-glass. Before a dozen pages are turned, we have been treated to a wealth of detail, wit, and depth of emotion that could fill many lesser volumes.

The first two books, Titus Groan and Gormenghast, represent a complete narrative that, for all the seemingly incidental asides and poetic flights of hoary whimsy, is plotted with airtight precision and unstoppable momentum. Like a dozen Greek tragedies inextricably intertwined, every event contributes to the weight of the narrative river that bears us to the final pages.

There is nothing light or loose about the work; the overall sense ranges from bittersweet melancholy to outright despair and insanity. Yet, for all the weight and darkness, the moments of wit, whimsy, and naive joy will burn their lonely brightness into your memory. For every page of creeping dread and crumbling stone, there is an oddly touching scene of awkward warmth. It becomes very difficult not to love wayward Titus, fickle Fuchsia, caustic Prunesquallor...or even scheming Steerpike and brooding Sepulchrave; such is Peake's art that he invests even the initially unlovable characters with jagged edges that catch our sympathies.

The third book, Titus Alone, has its own unique allure but tends to suffer in comparison with the exquisite construction of the previous works. While noticeably (though only relatively) lighter in style and more urbanely surreal, Titus Alone is somewhat less grotesquely endearing and ultimately less satisfying. It is very much "The Further Adventures of", and as such neither subtracts nor adds significantly to the masterpiece of the first two books. Though memorable and enjoyable in its own right, one can sense without ever being told that this is an unfinished work- and possibly intentionally so.

Not everyone will find these works to their taste. The language is dense and intricate, and the humor carves its own niche- near, but distinct from, what is usually meant by "dry, quirky wit". But should you have the patience and courage to brave the thick hedges of verbiage that encircle this citadel, you will indeed find keen delights, shivering depths, and heartbreaking swells of emotion. These are truly some of the most unique works of fantastic literature ever written.

Some things to be aware of..........2007-05-25

If you're expecting epic fantasy, such as mythical creatures and quests, you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for a main plot or a main character, you won't find them here. And, if you desire the final book to be a climactic end to the trilogy, just turn around and walk away.

However, negative points aside, Titus Groan and Gormenghast are some of the best novels I've ever read. But how can this be? Well, with utmost honesty, they are truly unique, incredibly detailed in scenario and characters, and overall, the writing is just too darn good. For instance, the character Steerpike - whom I believe is the heart of the story - takes us through a polar opposite view of everyone else in the castle. He contains a similar stroke of insanity as the rest, but his supreme intelligence and subtle deceitfulness form an incredible antagonistic character, without being easily classified as the "villain" of the story. It is the ingenious journey through each characters' mind that brings this story to life, and I highly recommend it to anyone willing to understand the art of literature.

Unique and enthralling.......2007-03-12

These books (at least the first two...see the other reviews for the differences in the shorter 3rd novel) are like nothing else I've ever read. The negative reviews here seem to stem from an expected similarity to Tolkien et al. But this is no normal fantasy, and in fact bears (in my opinion) more resemblance to Dickens than Tolkien.

To understand the slow, long, plodding descriptions and plot that takes 800 pages to unwind, it is important to realize that the main character here is the castle itself, not the various players within it (not even Titus, although the focus shifts to him as the second book concludes and moves on to the third). As such, the page-to-page focus is not on the plot itself as the characters press onward, but on the castle and the various lives and realities encompassed within it. Peake returns constantly to descriptions of the castle, in a way that might drive plot-hungry readers mad. Take this example from p.631:

"The days flowed on, and the walls of Gormenghast grew chill to the touch as the summer gave way to autumn, and autumn to a winter both dark and icy. For long periods of time the winds blew night and day, smashing the glass of windows, dislodging masonry, whistling and roaring between towers and chimneys over the castle's back.
And then, no less awesome, the wind would suddenly drop and silence would grip the domain. A silence that was unbreakable, for the bark of a dog, or the sudden clang of a pail, or the far cry of a boy seemed only real in that they accentuated the universal stillness through which, for a moment, they rose, like the heads of fish, from freezing water - only to sink again and leave no trace.
In January the snow came down in such a way that those who watched it from behind countless windows could no longer believe in the sharper shapes that lay under the blurred pall, or the colours that were sunk in the darkness of that whiteness. The air itself was smothered with flakes the size of a child's fist, and the terrain bulged with the submerged features of a landscape half-remembered."

If this bores you, you will not enjoy these novels. If this enchants you, makes you want to keep reading and keep sinking into the dreamworld of the castle, then buy this book immediately. It is one of my favorites. Peake's deep, complex reflection on the nature of change and time is one of the most beautiful books I can imagine, and the memory of Gormenghast castle is haunting.

Gormenghast: Fiction for Masochists (a review in rhyme).......2007-01-24

To truly capture the tone of this work, nothing less than poetry will serve. And since these novels are pure tone with just a smattering of "plot", "character" or even "drama" this should be enough:

Gormenghast, a poem

Evil death is a grating thing
To what we wish is what we bring
Without hope or malice slight
Clean our knives so clean and bright
Hapless bent in turmoil and toil
Grievous and listless sits the gargoyle
Burned out and lonely beyond the pale
keeping time here is a solemn hell
Convulsions of manic ignorance
Wakes us from restless somnambulance
Dead trees cry out in pain
Infested bark sloughs off in the rain
Crass furtive hurting scars the day
Withered and bent hair turning to gray
Echos of love ignored and shunned
Smiling faces kicked and gunned
Creatures without hope, come to your king
To the eternal night, wretched we bring

Overrated.......2006-12-31

Strange at best. You wait and wait for a plot to develop and it never does. The series has no direction or purpose.

Average customer rating:

Amazing imagery and mood-setting text
No, It's Just A Chore
A chore of Melvillistic proportions
Gormenghast trilogy - could it be read better by anyone else?
'There should be no rich, no poor, no strong, no weak,' ...

Titus Groan (Gormenghast Trilogy)
Mervyn Peake
Manufacturer: Overlook TP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Short Stories | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Gormenghast
Titus Alone (Gormenghast Trilogy, Vol 3)
The Gormenghast Novels
Little, Big (P.S.)
Watchmen

ASIN: 0879514256

Amazon.com

Mervyn Peake's gothic masterpiece, the Gormenghast trilogy, begins with the superlative Titus Groan, a darkly humorous, stunningly complex tale of the first two years in the life of the heir to an ancient, rambling castle. The Gormenghast royal family, the castle's decidedly eccentric staff, and the peasant artisans living around the dreary, crumbling structure make up the cast of characters in this engrossing story. Peake's command of language and unique style set the tone and shape of an intricate, slow-moving world of ritual and stasis:

The walls of the vast room which were streaming with calid moisture, were built with gray slabs of stone and were the personal concern of a company of eighteen men known as the 'Grey Scrubbers'.... On every day of the year from three hours before daybreak until about eleven o'clock, when the scaffolding and ladders became a hindrance to the cooks, the Grey Scrubbers fulfilled their hereditary calling.

Peake has been compared to Dickens, Tolkien, and Peacock, but Titus Groan is truly unique. Unforgettable characters with names like Steerpike and Prunesquallor make their way through an architecturally stifling world, with lots of dark corners around to dampen any whimsy that might arise. This true classic is a feast of words unlike anything else in the world of fantasy. Those who explore Gormenghast castle will be richly rewarded. --Therese Littleton

Customer Reviews:

Amazing imagery and mood-setting text.......2007-06-12

No need to repeat the previous descriptions of the story/plot. Among the fascinating aspects of this book, is the repeated experience of finding yourself in the middle of the scenes. The descriptions and writing style are absolutely unique, and you find yourself remembering with great clarity some of the scenery and events. If you want action and quick moving events, stay away. But if you truly enjoy great literature and want a reading experience unlike anything else, then grab this book. It is truly a unique experience.

No, It's Just A Chore.......2006-09-19

Nothing more need be written. See, Peake! You can 'say' a lot with a little ...

A chore of Melvillistic proportions.......2006-06-16

Plot: The Groan Family has ruled the land of Gormenghast for over seventy generations. Gormenghast consists of an enormous castle, home to the Groan Family; the Mud Dwellers who live around the outside of the castle; wilderness. The story starts with the birth of a new Groan heir, Titus, and ends shortly after his first birthday is described. The royal family of Gormenghast, and all the inhabitants of the royal castle, adhere to rituals as if they were the food and oxygen upon which they are sustained, and almost everyone strives for a following of traditional that has become crystallized and has spawned a horror and abhorrence of change. But, an element of change has crept into their world of almost-rock-solid sameness, and that element is not named "Titus," as Titus is all set to be groomed as the Prime Maintainor of Tradition. The element of change is named Steerpike.

Steerpike is a very strange character, as he is both villain and hero. He is clever, ambitious, ruthless, and charming. He starts as a kitchen boy, and is destined to always be a kitchen servant. But, Steerpike is the Enemy of Destiny, as he refuses to accept the narrow path upon which he has been told to walk. While everyone else in Gormenghast strives to fulfill his or her rigid role to perfection, Steerpike steps off that path, takes cuts, trips people, charms people, manipulates everyone, and accomplishes two amazing things: he rises above his Station in Life; he breathes life into everyone, challenges them to try to out-think him, and creates that true horror called "Something New."

This book is extremely hard to classify into a genre. There are strong elements of fantasy, as Gormenghast was created in the mind of Mervyn Peake, but there is nothing magical, other-worldly (as in alien), or supernatural here. There are small, quiet, slothlike elements of creeping terror and suspense, but it is not a true horror novel. It is a high, slow, semi-farcical drama, playing out in an unreal land populated by unreal characters, who show elements of all-too-real flaws that we all know in small amounts.

Why do I mention Melville in my review title? Mervyn Peake's writing style actually stands alone, but I think it has some kinship with that of Herman Melville. "Titus Groan" is an incredibly detailed book, that can take pages to describe a scene that could be described in one-quarter of the words used. The pace can be arduously slow. And, tangents and side-stories abound. These factors could be the ingredients for a truly awful book, and Mr. Peake tip-toed along the edge of that, but he never stepped over the edge. While this book is an incredible chore to read, one other thing is equally true: Once you start, you feel compelled to keep going, no matter how challenging, and how daunting, that might be.

Actually, I think that the closest author to Mervyn Peake, in style and topic, is Gene Wolfe. "Titus Groan" and Mr. Wolfe's long, interconnected series ("The Book of the New Sun," "The Book of the Long Sun," "The Book of the Short Sun") share a love of detail, a penchant for tangents, complex characters, and nearly-poetic prose.

I have finished "Titus Groan" and will proceed to the next "Gormenghast" book, with a mixture of trepidation and eagerness. I expect to survive the ordeal, happy but not unscathed.

P.S.: Let yourself admire Steerpike, but trust him not!

Gormenghast trilogy - could it be read better by anyone else?.......2005-11-12

I began to fall for the wonders of the world of Titus and Gormenghast after reading Titus Groan. The complexity and intensity of the language at times feels more like poetry than prose. For more info on the trilogy itself read the editorial review at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0879516283/103-7360864-2418208?v=glance&n=283155&v=glance. If you can imagine Dickens writing gothic fantasy with the linguistic range of a poet then you are close. After buying the Audiobook trilogy by Michael Williams I can't recommend it highly enough. His voice is as rich as the characters that he is required to give life to. By turns crackling, humorous, bitter, angry, pathetic, depressed, ludicrous: Michael Williams voice catches the many moods and characters of these world's inhabitants and manages to convey the spidery, rasping, cloistered, dark and gothic atmosphere. If Amazon don't have it ask them to stock it! Also don't be put off by what some people say about the third book the third book is a classic if only for the character of Muzzlehatch.

'There should be no rich, no poor, no strong, no weak,' ..........2005-03-01

.... said Steerpike, methodically pulling the legs off the stag beetle, one by one as he spoke. 'Equality is the great thing, equality is everything.'

Extravagant? Yes it is! But what a wonderful type of extravagance. This is a fantasy novel like no other. I first read this novel many, many years ago and shared it with some of my special friends. And then, when I got married, I so loved reading it to my wife. Since then I have seen the television series ('Gormenghast' - based on this novel and its sequel). Now I picked the book up again and it's as enthralling, fascinating, captivating as ever.

Many novels introduce us to one or two memorable characters and detail their interaction - the tensions and the bonding. But in 'Titus Groan' Mervyn Peake creates a whole galaxy of characters - all extravagant and extreme - and then constrains them in such a tight environment. You could compare Gormenghast to another isolated society; that described in W H Hudson's 'A Crystal Age', but these worlds are very different. The interactions are thus intensified. For all their extremeness I wondered if Gormenghast and the people living there were no more than an analogy of a family - a group of people that allows itself controlled intimacies that it does not offer to the wider world.

'Titus Groan' separates itself from that other great fantasy world of 'Lord of the Rings' by its constrained boundaries. This is not a travel story ranging across wide horizons. It is a travel story of the human mind. It has horror, it has madness, it has dedication, and above all it has the most extraordinary vision and humour. There are four great scenes not to be missed - the burning of the library, Titus's first Birthday, the battle between Flay and Swelter, and the earling.

Other recommendations:
'Gormenghast' by Mervyn Peake
'Titus Alone' by Mervyn Peake
'Peake's Progress' which contains plays, short stories, drawings and wonderful poems all by Mervyn Peake
'A Crystal Age' by W H Hudson
'Lord of the Rings' J R R Tolkein

Average customer rating:

If you love the series, you must have this book!
A Lavish Re-visitation of the BBC Adaptation
Perfect Companion to the Series

The Art of Gormenghast
Estelle Daniel
Manufacturer: HarperCollins (UK)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Gormenghast
The Gormenghast Novels

ASIN: 0002571560

Book Description

A lavish, behind–the–scenes companion to the spectacular BBC production of Mervyn Peake’s gothic masterpiece, featuring 150 color photos, film stills, illustrations, and storyboard drawings.

Customer Reviews:

If you love the series, you must have this book!.......2003-12-11

I think this book is a work of art in itself. It is detailed with not just specs of the television series but a wonderful bio of Mervyn Peake, along with many of his original drawings. The lovely photos, anecdotal accounts, notes, scene and costume info, etc. are really interesting. Trust me, if you love the BBC series, this hefty book is the perfect companion!

A Lavish Re-visitation of the BBC Adaptation.......2001-08-19

I have the U.K Edition of this title, and bought it on the spot after a cursury perusal of it's pages. Anyone who enjoys costume, set decoration and knowing more about what goes into a film's production would enjoy this book. Plus, there is a very thorough section with backround and biographical information on the author; Mervyn Peake, containing a great deal of information I had no idea about concerning him, his life and his work. This section alone is worth the cost of the book, as it gives unique insight into the man who created the world of Gormenghast.

The pictures are clear, with many costume details. There are also pictures of Mervyn Peake and his family, as well as some of his artwork. Absolutley fascinating. If you enjoyed the BBC Adaptation, or merely enjoyed it's aesthetics, you will enjoy this.

Perfect Companion to the Series.......2001-07-09

A great many of those who have just finished viewing the Gormenghast miniseries will undergo serious withdrawal symptoms. This book, compiled by the producer of the miniseries, will provide another fix of this highly addictive delight. The large-format paperback presents a balanced mix of cast interviews, excerpts from Peake's novels, costume details, production and direction methods, and design philosophies. It is heavily illustrated in color. If you join me in believing Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("Steerpike") to be the most gorgeous and talented creature yet to appear on this planet, buy two copies of this book. You're going to need one to cut up and hang on your walls!

Average customer rating:

Intoxicating.
A large plateful, but satisfying
Act II of a Forgotten Masterpiece
Slow, but worth the effort
Fascinating and Unwittingly Funny

Gormenghast
Mervyn Peake
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Similar Items:

Titus Alone (Gormenghast Trilogy, Vol 3)
Titus Groan (Gormenghast Trilogy)

ASIN: 0345235193
Release Date: 1973-08-12

Customer Reviews:

Intoxicating........2004-05-26

This is a review of Gormenghast, that is, the second part of the Gormenghast trilogy (after Titus Groan, and before Titus Alone).

After a somewhat slow beginning, in which Mervyn Peake first briefly summarizes Titus Grown by drawing up a list of which characters have died or gone missing, then introduces the reader with the plethora of new characters that are the teachers of Titus, the now seven-year-old seventy-seventh Earl of Gormenghast, the pace hopefully picks up again. And as the pages turn, the story becomes more and more exciting.

Irma Prunesquallor's party, and then her romance and the way the whole affair eventually backfires on Wellgrove, although it does not push the plot further, were fun to read. Titus's growing love for his sister Fuchsia, and at the same time his attempts at shunning both the physical prison that is Gormenghast castle and the mental cage that is its sacrosanct ritual, attempts that lead him into the mysterious forest where lurks the Thing, and to the grotto where Flay has taken shelter, were passionating. Finally, Steerpike's mischievious, murderous ambition, and the others' suspicions that gradually turn into evidences, and the memorable chases in the shadowy maze of the fortress that ensue, were purely mind-boggling.

Mervyn Peake's characters are so complex that in the end you like the ones you despised and hate the ones you loved in the first book. His words give life to such an amazing imagery, it vibrates and dazzles, it's intoxicating. This is magic.

A large plateful, but satisfying.......2002-04-05

It's not really possible to review Gormenghast out of context with the other two books that sandwich it: Titus Groan leads you into the world of Gormenghast and Titus Alone makes you wonder how Gormenghast, the place, exists.
This second volume continues to follow the adventures of the murderously ambitious Steerpike, the maturity and self-awareness of Titus Groan, with some colorful side-trips into a courtship, the revelation of a creature completely antithetical to all that Gormanghast stands for, and a natural disaster that heightens the intensity of the conclusion.
I would heartily recommend starting with Titus Groan (it seems the only available edition has all three volumes in one), and working through them in sequence. But make sure you avoid all the scholarly apparatus that follows Titus Alone until you've finished all three: there are a few spoilers there.
As for the comparisons to Tolkein, I'm afraid I don't see it: they as different as can be. This is not a hero's quest and where it does come down to good versus evil, it's more to do with survival: the world of Gormenghast is a world of murk and shadows, with no clear delineations or values. Titus Groan's self-awareness and the choices he makes are what drive the story. In The Lord of the Rings, there's a sense of destiny to the decisions and actions: Gormenghast is much more personal, with Steerpike's ambition, Sepulchrave's sense of duty, Flay's vigilance, Titus's maturity all helping to propel the action.
Now go read this monster.

Act II of a Forgotten Masterpiece.......2000-06-03

These books rank with the greatest books of world literature, and only one of them is still in print? Every library in the world should have a copy of the trilogy. Anyway, here we find the story of the adolescence of Titus Groan. We are also given more depth into the other characters. I'd like to note that my veiw of Steerpike and Flay changed. When I read Titus Groan, I found Steerpike more a sympathetic character than Flay, here it is otherwise. I'd also like to mention on how the events in the previous book effect the life of Titus Groan in such a way that it seems as if it happened in real life. We see the conflict inside of him between the pride of his linege and the desire for freedom, that eventually has Titus flee the great castle. The conflict between freedom and desire for the home is carried into Titus Alone.

Slow, but worth the effort.......2000-01-14

This second part of the Gormenghast trilogy focuses on Titus Groan, 77th Earl of Gormenghast's youth, from schooling to his ascention to manhood. This book took me almost a year to read (one long break) - the first half of the book progresses incredibly slowly, even for Peake's normally languid pace - I just couldn't cope. I can appreciate his qualities as a wordsmith - his vocabulary is second to none but I couldn't help but think he could have shortened things somewhat- the schoolmasters' preparation to court Irma drags on and on, but her eventual marriage has virtually no importance to the main plot, and ends up seeming like a waste of time and space - 'I waded through molasses for what!'

In stark contrast, the latter half of the book contains Peake's best (I think) work of the entire trilogy, culminating in the hunt for Steerpike - which is superb. Definately a book of two halves, (bad cliche) but the reader is rewarded for their effort in the end.

Fascinating and Unwittingly Funny.......1999-08-01

Having read Titus Groan (which I enjoyed immensely), I decided to read Gormenghast. This took place some 10 years ago, but the book is one I still recommend and think about regularly. I will not attempt to review it in any real detail here, but I will add one comment about the book which other reviews usually leave out. This book is the funniest book I have ever read. It is not exactly a comedy, and I do not think it is intended to be riotously funny. I still reread sections of the book as they make me laugh so much it hurts. I think the reason it is funny (but only in places) relates to Mervyn Peake's mental illness, a condition which eventually led to his tragic death. The humour is black and warped. If you were to read the whole book through, this could be missed. The sections relating to Titus's schooling are fascinating and hilarious (strychnine poisoning) - yet I believe this aspect of the book is usually overlooked. There are other reasons to recommend this book, but for me, it remains a work of (partial) comic genius.

Gormenghast Trilogy - Titus Groan, Gormenghast, Titus Alone

Average customer rating:

THE PEAKE OF CREATIVITY

Gormenghast Trilogy - Titus Groan, Gormenghast, Titus Alone
Mervyn Peake
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series

ASIN: 0099284383

Book Description

One of the greatest imaginative feats of the twentieth century: Gormenghast is the vast, crumbling castle to which Earl Titus Groan is lord and heir. Titus must contend with treachery, manipulation and murder as well as his own longing for a life beyond the castle walls.

Customer Reviews:

THE PEAKE OF CREATIVITY.......2007-08-04

I have been reading some of the more negative reviews of these books and decided it was time to update my remarks. Let me put it this way: Gormenghast, (like the Magic Theater in Hesse's STEPPENWOLF) is NOT for everybody. It is, indeed, just as great as others (including myself) have said. But! If you're a big fan of action--you won't find that here. If your particular bane is a lot of descriptive passages---flee these books as you would the Bird Flu.

HOWEVER: If you're in the mood for a slower read that inundates you with the wonderful power of the English language---then these books are for YOU!!! In THAT sense, this trilogy is perfect. This is the way the Masters USED to do it. Peake uses English the way Virgil used Latin...in other words, he had the vocabulary DOWN, man, and he shows it and there are a lot of loverly sounding (and emotionally evocative) words that we rarely encounter in the works of more modern writers that are, nevertheless, part of our heritage...and you will find a great many of THOSE here.
But, as I say, it isn't for everybody. It's for madmen only.Titus Groan (Gormenghast Trilogy)

Average customer rating:

The Gormenghast Trilogy, Box Set

Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0345235258

Product Description

Boxed set. Includes three mass market paperbacks; Titus Groan, Gormenghast, Titus Alone.

TITUS GROAN - VOLUME 1 OF THE GORMENGHAST TRILOGY

Average customer rating:

TITUS GROAN - VOLUME 1 OF THE GORMENGHAST TRILOGY

Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

Titus Alone (Gormenghast Trilogy, 3)

ASIN: B000GR98UA

Average customer rating:

Titus Alone (Gormenghast Trilogy, 3)

Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

TITUS GROAN - VOLUME 1 OF THE GORMENGHAST TRILOGY

ASIN: 0345730097

Product Description

First printing of Ballantine's "revised, illustrated" edition, with cover by Pepper and line drawings by the author (who was himself a highly-regarded illustrator).

Average customer rating:

The Gormenghast Trilogy
Mervyn Peake
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Gormenghast (Oberon Modern Plays)
Mervyn Peake
Manufacturer: Oberon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

"A gloriously impossible realization of Mervyn Peake's soaring flight of fancy."- Guardian

In a world bound by iron laws and dead rituals, two young men are struggling to make their way: Steerpike, the renegade kitchen-boy who seduces and murders his way up the social ladder, and Titus Groan, heir to Gormenghast, who comes to threaten its very existence.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books