Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy has grown out of its reputation as a cult classic and into the mainstream of fantasy, as a book no reader interested in Gothic dare to miss. It is one of the most distinctive, absorbing and wonderfully strange books ever written. The story concerns Titus, heir to and afterwards 77th Earl of Groan and his adventures in the sprawling, crumbling castle of Gormenghast. Gormenghast is an entire world and Titus comes to grips with his prime antagonist, the sinister kitchenboy Steerpike, amongst a brilliant profusion of characters and vivid detail. Peake's work is rarely compared with that other great fantasy trilogy to come out of the immediately post-war years, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings but in ways the two works do go together. Although Tolkien is plain and expansive where Peake is elaborate, poetic and inward-looking, both authors nonetheless use a detailed imaginative escapism in order to talk about the concerns of their day--specifically the passing of the old certainties of traditional England and the coming of something new. "'Equality is the great thing', said the sinister Steerpike, pulling the legs off a stag beetle and preparing to take on the whole hierarchy of Gormenghast, 'equality is everything'." This is why the short, surreal oddity of Titus Alone, the third novel, is the best: finally leaving his castle home Titus finds the larger world stranger even than his birthplace.

The new television series, with which this edition ties in, promises great things but the best part of Mervyn Peake is to be found in his ornate, poetic writing; his grasp of the Dickensian oddities of character and the utterly unique atmosphere of the books. --Adam Roberts

Spellbinding storytelling, 25 Aug 2008
This trilogy will probably strike some readers as very weird, but for me it is one of the best books/series I have ever read. The writing is of brilliant quality, the narrative is gripping, and the characters extremely interesting. You find yourself believing in the strange world of Gormenghast, and fascinated by the actions of the anti-hero, Steerpike. It is quite long, though, so give yourself a good long holiday to read it!

Dark Fantasy, 29 Jul 2008
I first heard of Gormenghast many many years ago, but didn't pick up a copy and read it, even though I have been reading the Fantasy genre as far back as I can remember.
Why didn't I ever pick a copy up and read? I'll never know! Maybe it was because I was a Tolkien fan and nothing else was worthy? Or was it because what i had heard about the book was so alien to one engrossed in Tolkiens world that it just was not very appealing?
Anyway, I've grown up now :) (I'd like to think so) and I've read it! What eventually prompted me to? I was watching a TV documentary on the Fantasy Genre recently, and they went over Tolkien's work, then Mervyn Peake and Gormenghast, as the two pioneers of Modern fantasy. I then visited Arundel Castle, which is supposed to be the place Peake based Gormenghast on, and I was absolutely swept away by the grandeur of it all, and that's when I decided that I just HAD to obtain and read a copy.

Having read it, I can say that it is a brilliant piece of work. As different to Tolkiens Middle earth and Tolkiens legends as "Pans Labyrinth" is to "The Neverending Story". In other words it's dark, very dark, and now I see where China Meiville and Michael Moorcock got their inspiration from. It's not 'Fantasy' per se, we wont see any 'magic' or any strange beings, or evil - but they are apparent, working in the background, reading it one can be assured that yes, Magic exists in Peakes world, that peake world isn't quite 'Planet Earth', that in Peakes world there is Evil and there is darkness as well as light and 'Good', that Gods and Demons, though not mentioned, are a part of it.

The story itself is rife with characters both comical and diabolical, complex, twisted and strange with goodness and honour where you least expect it.
it's not a battle of 'Good vs Evil' or anything typically 'Fantasy' involving Quests and Wars and Warriors and Mages, vast Lands and such, Gormenghast is a very different and original work, the plot twists and turns, intricately unfolding. It's set mostly in the castle involving it's inhabitants, and deals with the machiavellian machinations by one Steepike, The Earl Titus Groan, his family and servants.

I could go on in depth, but others have already reviewed it fully.

Overall I recommend this book to anyone, it's not 'just' a Fantasy, it's a classic. Don't read it expecting Tolkien, or Magic or Elves and Hobbits, and don't expect Dungeons and Dragons or Elric of Melnibone. It's different, refreshing, original, dark intricate, engrossing, brilliant! Read it carefully and revel in the intricacies and characters.
Peake was a genius!

in real life you would want to steer clear of Steerpike., 03 Jul 2008
THINGS YOU WILL FEEL WHEN READING THIS BOOK

whilst reading the book you will have moments of Blisfull Transcendency

whilst reading the book you will fall in love with Steerpike and Fuschcia

whilst reading this book you will realize writing fiction is about doing whatever you want.

Its also very funny.

A comparatively overlooked 20th century classic, 19 May 2008
Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy fell into my lap quite literally by accident. I knocked over a complete edition while searching for something else in my local library.

I think Gormenghast is faintly resonant in our cultural memory. Most people have heard of it but very few have actually read any of the three novels that tell the tale of the alternate world of Gormenghast, and the birth and rise of its seventy seventh Earl, Titus Groan.

The 2000 BBC mini series may have introduced a new generation to the novels but despite its impressive cast it is a far too modest undertaking to capture the vast and grand scope of the novels.

Published in 1946, 1950 and 1959 the trilogy is atypical of my experience of early 20th century literature, creating a world and culture that is vast, quirky and esoterically charming. Like The Silmarillion or Dune these books are more concerned with creating a world with its own internal logic than with superficial action. Indeed it can be argued that very little actually happens within the books. Make no mistake, the Gormenghast books are not pacy, thrill a minute page turners.

But to write them off for their meticulous and deliberate pace is to miss the point somewhat. The beauty of the books, as in the world of Gormenghast itself, is in its meticulous detail, its lavish imagery and complete eccentricity.

Tonally the books are similar to Tolkein's tales of Middle Earth in their scope and cultural richness but with a deliciously gothic twist. Lord of The Rings meets The Cthulhu Mythos, if you like.

Sure, the books aren't an easy read but if you're willing to put in the effort and immerse yourself in their strange world it can make for a hugely rewarding and enjoyable experience.


Lose yourself in this fantasy world if you dare.., 27 Mar 2007
I have owned this book for many years and find myself inexorably drawn back to re-read it again and again. Gormenghast and its myriad of characters are both beautiful and terrible, and absolutely compelling. The depth of detail paints the most vivid images for the reader: spend too long in the pages and you can't put the book down, for fear of missing what deeds may happen next. Steerpike is brilliantly written, but don't overlook the other characters - I was always fascinated by Irma Prunesquallor ! The only disappointment which I see is shared by others is Titus Alone - it simply is not at the same level as the first two books. A must read book.

Spellbinding storytelling, 25 Aug 2008
This trilogy will probably strike some readers as very weird, but for me it is one of the best books/series I have ever read. The writing is of brilliant quality, the narrative is gripping, and the characters extremely interesting. You find yourself believing in the strange world of Gormenghast, and fascinated by the actions of the anti-hero, Steerpike. It is quite long, though, so give yourself a good long holiday to read it!

Dark Fantasy, 29 Jul 2008
I first heard of Gormenghast many many years ago, but didn't pick up a copy and read it, even though I have been reading the Fantasy genre as far back as I can remember.
Why didn't I ever pick a copy up and read? I'll never know! Maybe it was because I was a Tolkien fan and nothing else was worthy? Or was it because what i had heard about the book was so alien to one engrossed in Tolkiens world that it just was not very appealing?
Anyway, I've grown up now :) (I'd like to think so) and I've read it! What eventually prompted me to? I was watching a TV documentary on the Fantasy Genre recently, and they went over Tolkien's work, then Mervyn Peake and Gormenghast, as the two pioneers of Modern fantasy. I then visited Arundel Castle, which is supposed to be the place Peake based Gormenghast on, and I was absolutely swept away by the grandeur of it all, and that's when I decided that I just HAD to obtain and read a copy.

Having read it, I can say that it is a brilliant piece of work. As different to Tolkiens Middle earth and Tolkiens legends as "Pans Labyrinth" is to "The Neverending Story". In other words it's dark, very dark, and now I see where China Meiville and Michael Moorcock got their inspiration from. It's not 'Fantasy' per se, we wont see any 'magic' or any strange beings, or evil - but they are apparent, working in the background, reading it one can be assured that yes, Magic exists in Peakes world, that peake world isn't quite 'Planet Earth', that in Peakes world there is Evil and there is darkness as well as light and 'Good', that Gods and Demons, though not mentioned, are a part of it.

The story itself is rife with characters both comical and diabolical, complex, twisted and strange with goodness and honour where you least expect it.
it's not a battle of 'Good vs Evil' or anything typically 'Fantasy' involving Quests and Wars and Warriors and Mages, vast Lands and such, Gormenghast is a very different and original work, the plot twists and turns, intricately unfolding. It's set mostly in the castle involving it's inhabitants, and deals with the machiavellian machinations by one Steepike, The Earl Titus Groan, his family and servants.

I could go on in depth, but others have already reviewed it fully.

Overall I recommend this book to anyone, it's not 'just' a Fantasy, it's a classic. Don't read it expecting Tolkien, or Magic or Elves and Hobbits, and don't expect Dungeons and Dragons or Elric of Melnibone. It's different, refreshing, original, dark intricate, engrossing, brilliant! Read it carefully and revel in the intricacies and characters.
Peake was a genius!

in real life you would want to steer clear of Steerpike., 03 Jul 2008
THINGS YOU WILL FEEL WHEN READING THIS BOOK

whilst reading the book you will have moments of Blisfull Transcendency

whilst reading the book you will fall in love with Steerpike and Fuschcia

whilst reading this book you will realize writing fiction is about doing whatever you want.

Its also very funny.

A comparatively overlooked 20th century classic, 19 May 2008
Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy fell into my lap quite literally by accident. I knocked over a complete edition while searching for something else in my local library.

I think Gormenghast is faintly resonant in our cultural memory. Most people have heard of it but very few have actually read any of the three novels that tell the tale of the alternate world of Gormenghast, and the birth and rise of its seventy seventh Earl, Titus Groan.

The 2000 BBC mini series may have introduced a new generation to the novels but despite its impressive cast it is a far too modest undertaking to capture the vast and grand scope of the novels.

Published in 1946, 1950 and 1959 the trilogy is atypical of my experience of early 20th century literature, creating a world and culture that is vast, quirky and esoterically charming. Like The Silmarillion or Dune these books are more concerned with creating a world with its own internal logic than with superficial action. Indeed it can be argued that very little actually happens within the books. Make no mistake, the Gormenghast books are not pacy, thrill a minute page turners.

But to write them off for their meticulous and deliberate pace is to miss the point somewhat. The beauty of the books, as in the world of Gormenghast itself, is in its meticulous detail, its lavish imagery and complete eccentricity.

Tonally the books are similar to Tolkein's tales of Middle Earth in their scope and cultural richness but with a deliciously gothic twist. Lord of The Rings meets The Cthulhu Mythos, if you like.

Sure, the books aren't an easy read but if you're willing to put in the effort and immerse yourself in their strange world it can make for a hugely rewarding and enjoyable experience.


Lose yourself in this fantasy world if you dare.., 27 Mar 2007
I have owned this book for many years and find myself inexorably drawn back to re-read it again and again. Gormenghast and its myriad of characters are both beautiful and terrible, and absolutely compelling. The depth of detail paints the most vivid images for the reader: spend too long in the pages and you can't put the book down, for fear of missing what deeds may happen next. Steerpike is brilliantly written, but don't overlook the other characters - I was always fascinated by Irma Prunesquallor ! The only disappointment which I see is shared by others is Titus Alone - it simply is not at the same level as the first two books. A must read book.

The most pleasure I ever had from a book, 15 Jan 2008
I first read this when I was 14. I was recovering from a chill and I devoured it in a couple of days. I have read it, and its companions, 'Gormenghast' and 'Titus Alone', five or six times since and hope and expect to read them a few times more yet.

You read these books for their extraordinary prose, which has a flavour somewhere in the region of Dickens meets Dali. While the plot is huge, intricate and subtle, plot remains secondary. The reader must allow the dense, intricate prose to paint its vivid pictures in the mind, as strange and idiosyncratic as the illustrations and paintings for which Peake is also famous. As a celebration of the English language he is up there with the best. Those in search of a good yarn may find such writing tedious, but for those who like to savour language this is a feast.

The books are frequently described as fantasy, but they are fantasy in a sense entirely distinct from the heroic fantasy tradition resurrected from the Norse, by Tolkien, Lewis and a few others.

In the world of Gormenghast what heroism there is, is bent and twisted and always ultimately futile. There is little space for morality where the roles of most people are prescribed by ancient tradition to a minute degree. The world of Gormenghast is a vast crumbling castle, that has stood for time immemorial, isolated from the world outside. It could be anywhere or anytime. It is populated by a cast of characters made exquisitely eccentric by the castle and the entrenched, stifling tradition it represents. The wonderful characters whom we come to love and loathe include;

Dr Prunesquallor, obliged by his position to behave as a buffoon but the one source of sanity throughout the insane unfolding of events. Endlessly patient with his hugely neurotic sister, Irma.
Countess Gertrude, Mistress of a thousand snow white cats who thinks more of her birds than people.
Earl Sepulchrave, 76th Earl of Groan and father of Titus. He will go very mad.
Lady Fuschia. The sweet, innocent, vain dear Fuschia whom we want so badly to protect from the menace that surrounds her.
The mad aunts, Cora and Clarice who take tea each afternoon in the boughs of a tree that grows horizontally from the side of the castle.
The fanatically loyal manservant Mr Flay, and the despicable chef, Abiatha Swelter.
And then there is the wicked, wicked boy, Steerpike, who seeks to control them all.

These and numerous other more or less strange characters comprise the world of Gormenghast, into which is born Titus, destined to be the 77th Earl.

Whilst a whole industry has grown up around the emulation of Tolkien, no such industry has grown up around Gormenghast, the other key 'fantasy' work of those times. This is because Peake was touched with a unique and original vision in the way that Kafka and Sartre were. Able to see through the contingencies of our world into other worlds so close to our own in form, yet utterly different in detail, such as to create a backdrop for a strangely and subtly distorted form of human experience. As events unfold we watch as the characters are deformed, each in there own bizarre way.

Having read a lot of fine literature I would say that these are among the world's great books and would be worthy of a posthumous Nobel. Everybody I know who has read these books has had their imagination uniquely affected by the experience.

A great adaptation of a great book, 03 Apr 2007
This is an excellent interpretation of the first two of the Gormenghast books. Unlike the light TV series this captures the mood, the characters and, most importantly, the castle. The use of a narrator works well to provide the all-important descriptive elements that the TV book missed. While the plot is not the point of the book, there is one and this version keeps it at just the right level; not too much to drown the atmosphere and not to little to lose direction. The climax (I won't spoil it for you) is done particularly well. I heard this version when it was first broadcast on the BBC and have listened to this recording several times since. You should too.

An enormous pleasure to read., 27 Apr 2004
This is the first book of the Gormenghast trilogy (before Gormenghast andTitus Alone).
The castle of Gormenghast is a huge, maze-like fortress built on the sideof a mountain. It's surrounded by a tall wall, that helps keep the noble"Castle" people and their menials inside, and the "Bright Carvers", atribal people who live in mud dwellings, outside on the arid plain.
In this first volume, we're introduced to the castle's inhabitants, amidstthe bustle of Titus the seventy-seventh Earl's birth, and a few dayslater, of his christening. There's the melancholic Lord Sepulchrave, theseventy-sixth and current Earl of Groan, his enormous wife Gertrude andher white cats, and their teenage daughter Fuchsia. And there is Mrs.Slagg, the frail old Nanny who's always complaning about her poor heart,and Mr. Flay, the Earl's tall first servant with the clicking knees. Andalso Mr. Rottcodd, curator of the Hall of Bright Carvings, and Sourdustthe Librarian, guardian of the Protocol. Doctor Prunesquallor with hisnervous laughter, and his spinsterly sister Irma, as well as Swelter thetyrannic cook and his kitchen boys, among which the young Steerpike. Thencome Cora and Clarice, the Earl's asinine twin sisters, envious of his andGertrude's power... and a few others.
As the story flows, we watch these numerous protagonists interact, asSteerpike slowly works his way up the ranks of the castle. Charminghigh-born ladies, plotting arson, nothing daunts him. And what was a sowell-greased, fine-tuned machine of minutiae and protocol, the veryessence of Gormenghast, is starting to crumble slowly and inexorably.
It's very hard to summarize Titus Groan in a couple of paragraphs. It's sobrimming with court intrigue and mischief, interspaced with lushdescriptions of this amazingly intricate fortress where I wanted to escapeto, or play hide and seek in. As a whole, all I can say it that it was anenormous pleasure to read and that I can't wait to read the next book.

Wake me up when it's over, 13 Jun 2003
This has to be the slowest, most boring book that I've read/listened to in a long long time. I bought this book to ease me through my 90 minute drive to work each day, a nearly fatal mistake given it's unsurpassed ability to send you to sleep. Endless waffle with hardly any content ... beware!

The Peake of fantasy, 07 Mar 2003
It's a very, very, very original book - but then what can you expect of novel so widely applauded? Titus Groan is an engaging encyclopaedic account of a world so thoroughly realised that it is hard at times to imagine it is fiction. Mervyn Peake's world of Gormenghast rages against magical fantasy, this is realistic fantasy - a world so close to our own, but with infinite minor differences.

The opening of Titus Groan is sweeping and fantastic, the baton moves from character to character as we travel through the vast castle. But through the rapid exchanges and introductions of characters one never feels lost.

The book charts the rotting of a rigid hieratical society - one that descends into apathy (as Lord Sepulchrave), madness (the Twins Clarice and Cora), solipsism (Countess Gertrude) and greed (Steerpike). Each character in this book is alone and their primary relationship is the one to the castle Gormenghast - rather than a relationship to each other.

The narrative does get dense and repetitive at times which dampens the atmosphere. It's a shame that Titus Groan drags in places as it may well put off the lighter reader. There are errors too in the story, Rottcodd (curator of the Hall of Bright Carvings) states that he not seen anyone in over a year - but the book states early on, "the first morning of June the carvings were ranged every year for judgement by the Earl of Groan." It seems that even for Peake the pedantic nature of Gormenghast is too much to handle.

Titus Groan is a classic and made me hunger for the other two books in the series. But be prepared to put a little effort in on your part too.

Spellbinding storytelling, 25 Aug 2008
This trilogy will probably strike some readers as very weird, but for me it is one of the best books/series I have ever read. The writing is of brilliant quality, the narrative is gripping, and the characters extremely interesting. You find yourself believing in the strange world of Gormenghast, and fascinated by the actions of the anti-hero, Steerpike. It is quite long, though, so give yourself a good long holiday to read it!

Dark Fantasy, 29 Jul 2008
I first heard of Gormenghast many many years ago, but didn't pick up a copy and read it, even though I have been reading the Fantasy genre as far back as I can remember.
Why didn't I ever pick a copy up and read? I'll never know! Maybe it was because I was a Tolkien fan and nothing else was worthy? Or was it because what i had heard about the book was so alien to one engrossed in Tolkiens world that it just was not very appealing?
Anyway, I've grown up now :) (I'd like to think so) and I've read it! What eventually prompted me to? I was watching a TV documentary on the Fantasy Genre recently, and they went over Tolkien's work, then Mervyn Peake and Gormenghast, as the two pioneers of Modern fantasy. I then visited Arundel Castle, which is supposed to be the place Peake based Gormenghast on, and I was absolutely swept away by the grandeur of it all, and that's when I decided that I just HAD to obtain and read a copy.

Having read it, I can say that it is a brilliant piece of work. As different to Tolkiens Middle earth and Tolkiens legends as "Pans Labyrinth" is to "The Neverending Story". In other words it's dark, very dark, and now I see where China Meiville and Michael Moorcock got their inspiration from. It's not 'Fantasy' per se, we wont see any 'magic' or any strange beings, or evil - but they are apparent, working in the background, reading it one can be assured that yes, Magic exists in Peakes world, that peake world isn't quite 'Planet Earth', that in Peakes world there is Evil and there is darkness as well as light and 'Good', that Gods and Demons, though not mentioned, are a part of it.

The story itself is rife with characters both comical and diabolical, complex, twisted and strange with goodness and honour where you least expect it.
it's not a battle of 'Good vs Evil' or anything typically 'Fantasy' involving Quests and Wars and Warriors and Mages, vast Lands and such, Gormenghast is a very different and original work, the plot twists and turns, intricately unfolding. It's set mostly in the castle involving it's inhabitants, and deals with the machiavellian machinations by one Steepike, The Earl Titus Groan, his family and servants.

I could go on in depth, but others have already reviewed it fully.

Overall I recommend this book to anyone, it's not 'just' a Fantasy, it's a classic. Don't read it expecting Tolkien, or Magic or Elves and Hobbits, and don't expect Dungeons and Dragons or Elric of Melnibone. It's different, refreshing, original, dark intricate, engrossing, brilliant! Read it carefully and revel in the intricacies and characters.
Peake was a genius!

in real life you would want to steer clear of Steerpike., 03 Jul 2008
THINGS YOU WILL FEEL WHEN READING THIS BOOK

whilst reading the book you will have moments of Blisfull Transcendency

whilst reading the book you will fall in love with Steerpike and Fuschcia

whilst reading this book you will realize writing fiction is about doing whatever you want.

Its also very funny.

A comparatively overlooked 20th century classic, 19 May 2008
Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy fell into my lap quite literally by accident. I knocked over a complete edition while searching for something else in my local library.

I think Gormenghast is faintly resonant in our cultural memory. Most people have heard of it but very few have actually read any of the three novels that tell the tale of the alternate world of Gormenghast, and the birth and rise of its seventy seventh Earl, Titus Groan.

The 2000 BBC mini series may have introduced a new generation to the novels but despite its impressive cast it is a far too modest undertaking to capture the vast and grand scope of the novels.

Published in 1946, 1950 and 1959 the trilogy is atypical of my experience of early 20th century literature, creating a world and culture that is vast, quirky and esoterically charming. Like The Silmarillion or Dune these books are more concerned with creating a world with its own internal logic than with superficial action. Indeed it can be argued that very little actually happens within the books. Make no mistake, the Gormenghast books are not pacy, thrill a minute page turners.

But to write them off for their meticulous and deliberate pace is to miss the point somewhat. The beauty of the books, as in the world of Gormenghast itself, is in its meticulous detail, its lavish imagery and complete eccentricity.

Tonally the books are similar to Tolkein's tales of Middle Earth in their scope and cultural richness but with a deliciously gothic twist. Lord of The Rings meets The Cthulhu Mythos, if you like.

Sure, the books aren't an easy read but if you're willing to put in the effort and immerse yourself in their strange world it can make for a hugely rewarding and enjoyable experience.


Lose yourself in this fantasy world if you dare.., 27 Mar 2007
I have owned this book for many years and find myself inexorably drawn back to re-read it again and again. Gormenghast and its myriad of characters are both beautiful and terrible, and absolutely compelling. The depth of detail paints the most vivid images for the reader: spend too long in the pages and you can't put the book down, for fear of missing what deeds may happen next. Steerpike is brilliantly written, but don't overlook the other characters - I was always fascinated by Irma Prunesquallor ! The only disappointment which I see is shared by others is Titus Alone - it simply is not at the same level as the first two books. A must read book.

The most pleasure I ever had from a book, 15 Jan 2008
I first read this when I was 14. I was recovering from a chill and I devoured it in a couple of days. I have read it, and its companions, 'Gormenghast' and 'Titus Alone', five or six times since and hope and expect to read them a few times more yet.

You read these books for their extraordinary prose, which has a flavour somewhere in the region of Dickens meets Dali. While the plot is huge, intricate and subtle, plot remains secondary. The reader must allow the dense, intricate prose to paint its vivid pictures in the mind, as strange and idiosyncratic as the illustrations and paintings for which Peake is also famous. As a celebration of the English language he is up there with the best. Those in search of a good yarn may find such writing tedious, but for those who like to savour language this is a feast.

The books are frequently described as fantasy, but they are fantasy in a sense entirely distinct from the heroic fantasy tradition resurrected from the Norse, by Tolkien, Lewis and a few others.

In the world of Gormenghast what heroism there is, is bent and twisted and always ultimately futile. There is little space for morality where the roles of most people are prescribed by ancient tradition to a minute degree. The world of Gormenghast is a vast crumbling castle, that has stood for time immemorial, isolated from the world outside. It could be anywhere or anytime. It is populated by a cast of characters made exquisitely eccentric by the castle and the entrenched, stifling tradition it represents. The wonderful characters whom we come to love and loathe include;

Dr Prunesquallor, obliged by his position to behave as a buffoon but the one source of sanity throughout the insane unfolding of events. Endlessly patient with his hugely neurotic sister, Irma.
Countess Gertrude, Mistress of a thousand snow white cats who thinks more of her birds than people.
Earl Sepulchrave, 76th Earl of Groan and father of Titus. He will go very mad.
Lady Fuschia. The sweet, innocent, vain dear Fuschia whom we want so badly to protect from the menace that surrounds her.
The mad aunts, Cora and Clarice who take tea each afternoon in the boughs of a tree that grows horizontally from the side of the castle.
The fanatically loyal manservant Mr Flay, and the despicable chef, Abiatha Swelter.
And then there is the wicked, wicked boy, Steerpike, who seeks to control them all.

These and numerous other more or less strange characters comprise the world of Gormenghast, into which is born Titus, destined to be the 77th Earl.

Whilst a whole industry has grown up around the emulation of Tolkien, no such industry has grown up around Gormenghast, the other key 'fantasy' work of those times. This is because Peake was touched with a unique and original vision in the way that Kafka and Sartre were. Able to see through the contingencies of our world into other worlds so close to our own in form, yet utterly different in detail, such as to create a backdrop for a strangely and subtly distorted form of human experience. As events unfold we watch as the characters are deformed, each in there own bizarre way.

Having read a lot of fine literature I would say that these are among the world's great books and would be worthy of a posthumous Nobel. Everybody I know who has read these books has had their imagination uniquely affected by the experience.

A great adaptation of a great book, 03 Apr 2007
This is an excellent interpretation of the first two of the Gormenghast books. Unlike the light TV series this captures the mood, the characters and, most importantly, the castle. The use of a narrator works well to provide the all-important descriptive elements that the TV book missed. While the plot is not the point of the book, there is one and this version keeps it at just the right level; not too much to drown the atmosphere and not to little to lose direction. The climax (I won't spoil it for you) is done particularly well. I heard this version when it was first broadcast on the BBC and have listened to this recording several times since. You should too.

An enormous pleasure to read., 27 Apr 2004
This is the first book of the Gormenghast trilogy (before Gormenghast andTitus Alone).
The castle of Gormenghast is a huge, maze-like fortress built on the sideof a mountain. It's surrounded by a tall wall, that helps keep the noble"Castle" people and their menials inside, and the "Bright Carvers", atribal people who live in mud dwellings, outside on the arid plain.
In this first volume, we're introduced to the castle's inhabitants, amidstthe bustle of Titus the seventy-seventh Earl's birth, and a few dayslater, of his christening. There's the melancholic Lord Sepulchrave, theseventy-sixth and current Earl of Groan, his enormous wife Gertrude andher white cats, and their teenage daughter Fuchsia. And there is Mrs.Slagg, the frail old Nanny who's always complaning about her poor heart,and Mr. Flay, the Earl's tall first servant with the clicking knees. Andalso Mr. Rottcodd, curator of the Hall of Bright Carvings, and Sourdustthe Librarian, guardian of the Protocol. Doctor Prunesquallor with hisnervous laughter, and his spinsterly sister Irma, as well as Swelter thetyrannic cook and his kitchen boys, among which the young Steerpike. Thencome Cora and Clarice, the Earl's asinine twin sisters, envious of his andGertrude's power... and a few others.
As the story flows, we watch these numerous protagonists interact, asSteerpike slowly works his way up the ranks of the castle. Charminghigh-born ladies, plotting arson, nothing daunts him. And what was a sowell-greased, fine-tuned machine of minutiae and protocol, the veryessence of Gormenghast, is starting to crumble slowly and inexorably.
It's very hard to summarize Titus Groan in a couple of paragraphs. It's sobrimming with court intrigue and mischief, interspaced with lushdescriptions of this amazingly intricate fortress where I wanted to escapeto, or play hide and seek in. As a whole, all I can say it that it was anenormous pleasure to read and that I can't wait to read the next book.

Wake me up when it's over, 13 Jun 2003
This has to be the slowest, most boring book that I've read/listened to in a long long time. I bought this book to ease me through my 90 minute drive to work each day, a nearly fatal mistake given it's unsurpassed ability to send you to sleep. Endless waffle with hardly any content ... beware!

The Peake of fantasy, 07 Mar 2003
It's a very, very, very original book - but then what can you expect of novel so widely applauded? Titus Groan is an engaging encyclopaedic account of a world so thoroughly realised that it is hard at times to imagine it is fiction. Mervyn Peake's world of Gormenghast rages against magical fantasy, this is realistic fantasy - a world so close to our own, but with infinite minor differences.

The opening of Titus Groan is sweeping and fantastic, the baton moves from character to character as we travel through the vast castle. But through the rapid exchanges and introductions of characters one never feels lost.

The book charts the rotting of a rigid hieratical society - one that descends into apathy (as Lord Sepulchrave), madness (the Twins Clarice and Cora), solipsism (Countess Gertrude) and greed (Steerpike). Each character in this book is alone and their primary relationship is the one to the castle Gormenghast - rather than a relationship to each other.

The narrative does get dense and repetitive at times which dampens the atmosphere. It's a shame that Titus Groan drags in places as it may well put off the lighter reader. There are errors too in the story, Rottcodd (curator of the Hall of Bright Carvings) states that he not seen anyone in over a year - but the book states early on, "the first morning of June the carvings were ranged every year for judgement by the Earl of Groan." It seems that even for Peake the pedantic nature of Gormenghast is too much to handle.

Titus Groan is a classic and made me hunger for the other two books in the series. But be prepared to put a little effort in on your part too.

Intoxicating., 26 May 2004
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.

Written like paint on canvas., 09 Dec 2003
Gormenghast is in my opinion the greatest work of imaginative, original and descriptive fiction I have ever read.

It isn't Tolkein, it's nothing like his work. It IS unique. The characters are brilliantly written, bright, mad, dark, and bad; the descriptive passages - which can be whole chapters long - could only have been written by an artist of Peake's ability. The attention to detail will blow your mind.

The plot is murderous - literally, with intrigue and betrayal, madness and merciless violence.

Heck, Peake went insane himself after writing about it so much.

If you're an author - or a wannabe writer - this book will probably have one of two effects on you - or both, but not simultaneously. First it will inspire you; but it can just as easily scare the crap out of you. It did me. But genius is genius. You can't argue with it, fake it or cultivate it. All you can do is admire it.

Thank you for reading this review.

Gothic Fantasy at its all-time best!, 26 Jun 2001
Mervyn Peake's seminal work of gothic fantasy is by far the most amazingly crafted piece of English Literature of the 20th Century. Macabre, dark, brooding, and hipnotic.

The desciptive passages (which can take up whole chapters!) are trully spell-binding. This isn't a work to be taken lightly. This is not light reading by any stretch of the imagination - and it will certainly stretch yours.

The ancient, crumbling city of Gormenghast is in an age-old fight for its very existence, bowed under the weight of ritual, and set to implode.

Enter Steerpike, a young man with ambitions to undermine and destroy everything that keeps Gormenghast and the Groan dynasty alive.

Dastardly plots, Murder, madness, treachery... Weird and wonderful characters that Dickens would envy. You name it, it's all here!

Forget the BBC dramatisation (as good as it was), it didn't even come close to this claustrophobic tour de force!

Spellbinding storytelling, 25 Aug 2008
This trilogy will probably strike some readers as very weird, but for me it is one of the best books/series I have ever read. The writing is of brilliant quality, the narrative is gripping, and the characters extremely interesting. You find yourself believing in the strange world of Gormenghast, and fascinated by the actions of the anti-hero, Steerpike. It is quite long, though, so give yourself a good long holiday to read it!

Dark Fantasy, 29 Jul 2008
I first heard of Gormenghast many many years ago, but didn't pick up a copy and read it, even though I have been reading the Fantasy genre as far back as I can remember.
Why didn't I ever pick a copy up and read? I'll never know! Maybe it was because I was a Tolkien fan and nothing else was worthy? Or was it because what i had heard about the book was so alien to one engrossed in Tolkiens world that it just was not very appealing?
Anyway, I've grown up now :) (I'd like to think so) and I've read it! What eventually prompted me to? I was watching a TV documentary on the Fantasy Genre recently, and they went over Tolkien's work, then Mervyn Peake and Gormenghast, as the two pioneers of Modern fantasy. I then visited Arundel Castle, which is supposed to be the place Peake based Gormenghast on, and I was absolutely swept away by the grandeur of it all, and that's when I decided that I just HAD to obtain and read a copy.

Having read it, I can say that it is a brilliant piece of work. As different to Tolkiens Middle earth and Tolkiens legends as "Pans Labyrinth" is to "The Neverending Story". In other words it's dark, very dark, and now I see where China Meiville and Michael Moorcock got their inspiration from. It's not 'Fantasy' per se, we wont see any 'magic' or any strange beings, or evil - but they are apparent, working in the background, reading it one can be assured that yes, Magic exists in Peakes world, that peake world isn't quite 'Planet Earth', that in Peakes world there is Evil and there is darkness as well as light and 'Good', that Gods and Demons, though not mentioned, are a part of it.

The story itself is rife with characters both comical and diabolical, complex, twisted and strange with goodness and honour where you least expect it.
it's not a battle of 'Good vs Evil' or anything typically 'Fantasy' involving Quests and Wars and Warriors and Mages, vast Lands and such, Gormenghast is a very different and original work, the plot twists and turns, intricately unfolding. It's set mostly in the castle involving it's inhabitants, and deals with the machiavellian machinations by one Steepike, The Earl Titus Groan, his family and servants.

I could go on in depth, but others have already reviewed it fully.

Overall I recommend this book to anyone, it's not 'just' a Fantasy, it's a classic. Don't read it expecting Tolkien, or Magic or Elves and Hobbits, and don't expect Dungeons and Dragons or Elric of Melnibone. It's different, refreshing, original, dark intricate, engrossing, brilliant! Read it carefully and revel in the intricacies and characters.
Peake was a genius!

in real life you would want to steer clear of Steerpike., 03 Jul 2008
THINGS YOU WILL FEEL WHEN READING THIS BOOK

whilst reading the book you will have moments of Blisfull Transcendency

whilst reading the book you will fall in love with Steerpike and Fuschcia

whilst reading this book you will realize writing fiction is about doing whatever you want.

Its also very funny.

A comparatively overlooked 20th century classic, 19 May 2008
Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy fell into my lap quite literally by accident. I knocked over a complete edition while searching for something else in my local library.

I think Gormenghast is faintly resonant in our cultural memory. Most people have heard of it but very few have actually read any of the three novels that tell the tale of the alternate world of Gormenghast, and the birth and rise of its seventy seventh Earl, Titus Groan.

The 2000 BBC mini series may have introduced a new generation to the novels but despite its impressive cast it is a far too modest undertaking to capture the vast and grand scope of the novels.

Published in 1946, 1950 and 1959 the trilogy is atypical of my experience of early 20th century literature, creating a world and culture that is vast, quirky and esoterically charming. Like The Silmarillion or Dune these books are more concerned with creating a world with its own internal logic than with superficial action. Indeed it can be argued that very little actually happens within the books. Make no mistake, the Gormenghast books are not pacy, thrill a minute page turners.

But to write them off for their meticulous and deliberate pace is to miss the point somewhat. The beauty of the books, as in the world of Gormenghast itself, is in its meticulous detail, its lavish imagery and complete eccentricity.

Tonally the books are similar to Tolkein's tales of Middle Earth in their scope and cultural richness but with a deliciously gothic twist. Lord of The Rings meets The Cthulhu Mythos, if you like.

Sure, the books aren't an easy read but if you're willing to put in the effort and immerse yourself in their strange world it can make for a hugely rewarding and enjoyable experience.


Lose yourself in this fantasy world if you dare.., 27 Mar 2007
I have owned this book for many years and find myself inexorably drawn back to re-read it again and again. Gormenghast and its myriad of characters are both beautiful and terrible, and absolutely compelling. The depth of detail paints the most vivid images for the reader: spend too long in the pages and you can't put the book down, for fear of missing what deeds may happen next. Steerpike is brilliantly written, but don't overlook the other characters - I was always fascinated by Irma Prunesquallor ! The only disappointment which I see is shared by others is Titus Alone - it simply is not at the same level as the first two books. A must read book.

The most pleasure I ever had from a book, 15 Jan 2008
I first read this when I was 14. I was recovering from a chill and I devoured it in a couple of days. I have read it, and its companions, 'Gormenghast' and 'Titus Alone', five or six times since and hope and expect to read them a few times more yet.

You read these books for their extraordinary prose, which has a flavour somewhere in the region of Dickens meets Dali. While the plot is huge, intricate and subtle, plot remains secondary. The reader must allow the dense, intricate prose to paint its vivid pictures in the mind, as strange and idiosyncratic as the illustrations and paintings for which Peake is also famous. As a celebration of the English language he is up there with the best. Those in search of a good yarn may find such writing tedious, but for those who like to savour language this is a feast.

The books are frequently described as fantasy, but they are fantasy in a sense entirely distinct from the heroic fantasy tradition resurrected from the Norse, by Tolkien, Lewis and a few others.

In the world of Gormenghast what heroism there is, is bent and twisted and always ultimately futile. There is little space for morality where the roles of most people are prescribed by ancient tradition to a minute degree. The world of Gormenghast is a vast crumbling castle, that has stood for time immemorial, isolated from the world outside. It could be anywhere or anytime. It is populated by a cast of characters made exquisitely eccentric by the castle and the entrenched, stifling tradition it represents. The wonderful characters whom we come to love and loathe include;

Dr Prunesquallor, obliged by his position to behave as a buffoon but the one source of sanity throughout the insane unfolding of events. Endlessly patient with his hugely neurotic sister, Irma.
Countess Gertrude, Mistress of a thousand snow white cats who thinks more of her birds than people.
Earl Sepulchrave, 76th Earl of Groan and father of Titus. He will go very mad.
Lady Fuschia. The sweet, innocent, vain dear Fuschia whom we want so badly to protect from the menace that surrounds her.
The mad aunts, Cora and Clarice who take tea each afternoon in the boughs of a tree that grows horizontally from the side of the castle.
The fanatically loyal manservant Mr Flay, and the despicable chef, Abiatha Swelter.
And then there is the wicked, wicked boy, Steerpike, who seeks to control them all.

These and numerous other more or less strange characters comprise the world of Gormenghast, into which is born Titus, destined to be the 77th Earl.

Whilst a whole industry has grown up around the emulation of Tolkien, no such industry has grown up around Gormenghast, the other key 'fantasy' work of those times. This is because Peake was touched with a unique and original vision in the way that Kafka and Sartre were. Able to see through the contingencies of our world into other worlds so close to our own in form, yet utterly different in detail, such as to create a backdrop for a strangely and subtly distorted form of human experience. As events unfold we watch as the characters are deformed, each in there own bizarre way.

Having read a lot of fine literature I would say that these are among the world's great books and would be worthy of a posthumous Nobel. Everybody I know who has read these books has had their imagination uniquely affected by the experience.

A great adaptation of a great book, 03 Apr 2007
This is an excellent interpretation of the first two of the Gormenghast books. Unlike the light TV series this captures the mood, the characters and, most importantly, the castle. The use of a narrator works well to provide the all-important descriptive elements that the TV book missed. While the plot is not the point of the book, there is one and this version keeps it at just the right level; not too much to drown the atmosphere and not to little to lose direction. The climax (I won't spoil it for you) is done particularly well. I heard this version when it was first broadcast on the BBC and have listened to this recording several times since. You should too.

An enormous pleasure to read., 27 Apr 2004
This is the first book of the Gormenghast trilogy (before Gormenghast andTitus Alone).
The castle of Gormenghast is a huge, maze-like fortress built on the sideof a mountain. It's surrounded by a tall wall, that helps keep the noble"Castle" people and their menials inside, and the "Bright Carvers", atribal people who live in mud dwellings, outside on the arid plain.
In this first volume, we're introduced to the castle's inhabitants, amidstthe bustle of Titus the seventy-seventh Earl's birth, and a few dayslater, of his christening. There's the melancholic Lord Sepulchrave, theseventy-sixth and current Earl of Groan, his enormous wife Gertrude andher white cats, and their teenage daughter Fuchsia. And there is Mrs.Slagg, the frail old Nanny who's always complaning about her poor heart,and Mr. Flay, the Earl's tall first servant with the clicking knees. Andalso Mr. Rottcodd, curator of the Hall of Bright Carvings, and Sourdustthe Librarian, guardian of the Protocol. Doctor Prunesquallor with hisnervous laughter, and his spinsterly sister Irma, as well as Swelter thetyrannic cook and his kitchen boys, among which the young Steerpike. Thencome Cora and Clarice, the Earl's asinine twin sisters, envious of his andGertrude's power... and a few others.
As the story flows, we watch these numerous protagonists interact, asSteerpike slowly works his way up the ranks of the castle. Charminghigh-born ladies, plotting arson, nothing daunts him. And what was a sowell-greased, fine-tuned machine of minutiae and protocol, the veryessence of Gormenghast, is starting to crumble slowly and inexorably.
It's very hard to summarize Titus Groan in a couple of paragraphs. It's sobrimming with court intrigue and mischief, interspaced with lushdescriptions of this amazingly intricate fortress where I wanted to escapeto, or play hide and seek in. As a whole, all I can say it that it was anenormous pleasure to read and that I can't wait to read the next book.

Wake me up when it's over, 13 Jun 2003
This has to be the slowest, most boring book that I've read/listened to in a long long time. I bought this book to ease me through my 90 minute drive to work each day, a nearly fatal mistake given it's unsurpassed ability to send you to sleep. Endless waffle with hardly any content ... beware!

The Peake of fantasy, 07 Mar 2003
It's a very, very, very original book - but then what can you expect of novel so widely applauded? Titus Groan is an engaging encyclopaedic account of a world so thoroughly realised that it is hard at times to imagine it is fiction. Mervyn Peake's world of Gormenghast rages against magical fantasy, this is realistic fantasy - a world so close to our own, but with infinite minor differences.

The opening of Titus Groan is sweeping and fantastic, the baton moves from character to character as we travel through the vast castle. But through the rapid exchanges and introductions of characters one never feels lost.

The book charts the rotting of a rigid hieratical society - one that descends into apathy (as Lord Sepulchrave), madness (the Twins Clarice and Cora), solipsism (Countess Gertrude) and greed (Steerpike). Each character in this book is alone and their primary relationship is the one to the castle Gormenghast - rather than a relationship to each other.

The narrative does get dense and repetitive at times which dampens the atmosphere. It's a shame that Titus Groan drags in places as it may well put off the lighter reader. There are errors too in the story, Rottcodd (curator of the Hall of Bright Carvings) states that he not seen anyone in over a year - but the book states early on, "the first morning of June the carvings were ranged every year for judgement by the Earl of Groan." It seems that even for Peake the pedantic nature of Gormenghast is too much to handle.

Titus Groan is a classic and made me hunger for the other two books in the series. But be prepared to put a little effort in on your part too.

Intoxicating., 26 May 2004
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.

Written like paint on canvas., 09 Dec 2003
Gormenghast is in my opinion the greatest work of imaginative, original and descriptive fiction I have ever read.

It isn't Tolkein, it's nothing like his work. It IS unique. The characters are brilliantly written, bright, mad, dark, and bad; the descriptive passages - which can be whole chapters long - could only have been written by an artist of Peake's ability. The attention to detail will blow your mind.

The plot is murderous - literally, with intrigue and betrayal, madness and merciless violence.

Heck, Peake went insane himself after writing about it so much.

If you're an author - or a wannabe writer - this book will probably have one of two effects on you - or both, but not simultaneously. First it will inspire you; but it can just as easily scare the crap out of you. It did me. But genius is genius. You can't argue with it, fake it or cultivate it. All you can do is admire it.

Thank you for reading this review.

Gothic Fantasy at its all-time best!, 26 Jun 2001
Mervyn Peake's seminal work of gothic fantasy is by far the most amazingly crafted piece of English Literature of the 20th Century. Macabre, dark, brooding, and hipnotic.

The desciptive passages (which can take up whole chapters!) are trully spell-binding. This isn't a work to be taken lightly. This is not light reading by any stretch of the imagination - and it will certainly stretch yours.

The ancient, crumbling city of Gormenghast is in an age-old fight for its very existence, bowed under the weight of ritual, and set to implode.

Enter Steerpike, a young man with ambitions to undermine and destroy everything that keeps Gormenghast and the Groan dynasty alive.

Dastardly plots, Murder, madness, treachery... Weird and wonderful characters that Dickens would envy. You name it, it's all here!

Forget the BBC dramatisation (as good as it was), it didn't even come close to this claustrophobic tour de force!

An excellent contrast to Gormenghast., 13 May 2002
Although this book is not quite "Gormenghast" it still shows off Peake's exquisite descriptive powers. Not as gloomy or epic as his masterpiece, it has a much simpler plot, however "Mr Pye" keeps the same eccentric characterisation and rich dickensian writing style that makes Peake such a brilliant writer.
Some have said that the book is childlike in it's plot and dialogue. This is completely untrue. Although very humerous, "Mr Pye" is at times deeply disturbing, as one would naturally expect with Mervyn peake.
So, although very different atmospherically to "Gormenghast", this book is still very well worth a read.

NOT GORMENGHAST, BUT STILL GREAT, 01 Sep 2001
No, Mr Pye shouldn't be compared to the astounding Gormenghast, but it is still a sweetly quirky and entertaining book. Peake's oddball sense of humour shines through, and the characters are his usual mad bunch of weirdos. Very lively and imaginative, and if you appreciate it on it's own merits and not as a work by the author of Gormenghast, you'll find it quite delightful.

Hmmmmmmmm., 28 Jan 2000
Those expecting a breathtaking ballet of brilliant prose, as Mr Peake supplied in the Gormenghast trilogy, will innevitably be disapointed. The book instead concentrates on narrative, detailing the story of one Mr Pye who travels to Sark and tries to convert the population to Christianity. The story is almost child-like in its simplistic structure - a tale of good versus evil, that comes to manifest itself in tangible form. Mr Peake reveals a spiritual longing that one might not have expected from his other, more fantastical works. To summarize, this is a book that will appeal to evangelical christians or those who are doing a theses on Mr Peake; otherwise readers will feel a warm pang of dissapointment spreading slowly throughout their body, until the memory of this nondescript book is excreted almost unnoticably away.

Spellbinding storytelling, 25 Aug 2008
This trilogy will probably strike some readers as very weird, but for me it is one of the best books/series I have ever read. The writing is of brilliant quality, the narrative is gripping, and the characters extremely interesting. You find yourself believing in the strange world of Gormenghast, and fascinated by the actions of the anti-hero, Steerpike. It is quite long, though, so give yourself a good long holiday to read it!

Dark Fantasy, 29 Jul 2008
I first heard of Gormenghast many many years ago, but didn't pick up a copy and read it, even though I have been reading the Fantasy genre as far back as I can remember.
Why didn't I ever pick a copy up and read? I'll never know! Maybe it was because I was a Tolkien fan and nothing else was worthy? Or was it because what i had heard about the book was so alien to one engrossed in Tolkiens world that it just was not very appealing?
Anyway, I've grown up now :) (I'd like to think so) and I've read it! What eventually prompted me to? I was watching a TV documentary on the Fantasy Genre recently, and they went over Tolkien's work, then Mervyn Peake and Gormenghast, as the two pioneers of Modern fantasy. I then visited Arundel Castle, which is supposed to be the place Peake based Gormenghast on, and I was absolutely swept away by the grandeur of it all, and that's when I decided that I just HAD to obtain and read a copy.

Having read it, I can say that it is a brilliant piece of work. As different to Tolkiens Middle earth and Tolkiens legends as "Pans Labyrinth" is to "The Neverending Story". In other words it's dark, very dark, and now I see where China Meiville and Michael Moorcock got their inspiration from. It's not 'Fantasy' per se, we wont see any 'magic' or any strange beings, or evil - but they are apparent, working in the background, reading it one can be assured that yes, Magic exists in Peakes world, that peake world isn't quite 'Planet Earth', that in Peakes world there is Evil and there is darkness as well as light and 'Good', that Gods and Demons, though not mentioned, are a part of it.

The story itself is rife with characters both comical and diabolical, complex, twisted and strange with goodness and honour where you least expect it.
it's not a battle of 'Good vs Evil' or anything typically 'Fantasy' involving Quests and Wars and Warriors and Mages, vast Lands and such, Gormenghast is a very different and original work, the plot twists and turns, intricately unfolding. It's set mostly in the castle involving it's inhabitants, and deals with the machiavellian machinations by one Steepike, The Earl Titus Groan, his family and servants.

I could go on in depth, but others have already reviewed it fully.

Overall I recommend this book to anyone, it's not 'just' a Fantasy, it's a classic. Don't read it expecting Tolkien, or Magic or Elves and Hobbits, and don't expect Dungeons and Dragons or Elric of Melnibone. It's different, refreshing, original, dark intricate, engrossing, brilliant! Read it carefully and revel in the intricacies and characters.
Peake was a genius!

in real life you would want to steer clear of Steerpike., 03 Jul 2008
THINGS YOU WILL FEEL WHEN READING THIS BOOK

whilst reading the book you will have moments of Blisfull Transcendency

whilst reading the book you will fall in love with Steerpike and Fuschcia

whilst reading this book you will realize writing fiction is about doing whatever you want.

Its also very funny.

A comparatively overlooked 20th century classic, 19 May 2008
Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy fell into my lap quite literally by accident. I knocked over a complete edition while searching for something else in my local library.

I think Gormenghast is faintly resonant in our cultural memory. Most people have heard of it but very few have actually read any of the three novels that tell the tale of the alternate world of Gormenghast, and the birth and rise of its seventy seventh Earl, Titus Groan.

The 2000 BBC mini series may have introduced a new generation to the novels but despite its impressive cast it is a far too modest undertaking to capture the vast and grand scope of the novels.

Published in 1946, 1950 and 1959 the trilogy is atypical of my experience of early 20th century literature, creating a world and culture that is vast, quirky and esoterically charming. Like The Silmarillion or Dune these books are more concerned with creating a world with its own internal logic than with superficial action. Indeed it can be argued that very little actually happens within the books. Make no mistake, the Gormenghast books are not pacy, thrill a minute page turners.

But to write them off for their meticulous and deliberate pace is to miss the point somewhat. The beauty of the books, as in the world of Gormenghast itself, is in its meticulous detail, its lavish imagery and complete eccentricity.

Tonally the books are similar to Tolkein's tales of Middle Earth in their scope and cultural richness but with a deliciously gothic twist. Lord of The Rings meets The Cthulhu Mythos, if you like.

Sure, the books aren't an easy read but if you're willing to put in the effort and immerse yourself in their strange world it can make for a hugely rewarding and enjoyable experience.


Lose yourself in this fantasy world if you dare.., 27 Mar 2007
I have owned this book for many years and find myself inexorably drawn back to re-read it again and again. Gormenghast and its myriad of characters are both beautiful and terrible, and absolutely compelling. The depth of detail paints the most vivid images for the reader: spend too long in the pages and you can't put the book down, for fear of missing what deeds may happen next. Steerpike is brilliantly written, but don't overlook the other characters - I was always fascinated by Irma Prunesquallor ! The only disappointment which I see is shared by others is Titus Alone - it simply is not at the same level as the first two books. A must read book.

The most pleasure I ever had from a book, 15 Jan 2008
I first read this when I was 14. I was recovering from a chill and I devoured it in a couple of days. I have read it, and its companions, 'Gormenghast' and 'Titus Alone', five or six times since and hope and expect to read them a few times more yet.

You read these books for their extraordinary prose, which has a flavour somewhere in the region of Dickens meets Dali. While the plot is huge, intricate and subtle, plot remains secondary. The reader must allow the dense, intricate prose to paint its vivid pictures in the mind, as strange and idiosyncratic as the illustrations and paintings for which Peake is also famous. As a celebration of the English language he is up there with the best. Those in search of a good yarn may find such writing tedious, but for those who like to savour language this is a feast.

The books are frequently described as fantasy, but they are fantasy in a sense entirely distinct from the heroic fantasy tradition resurrected from the Norse, by Tolkien, Lewis and a few others.

In the world of Gormenghast what heroism there is, is bent and twisted and always ultimately futile. There is little space for morality where the roles of most people are prescribed by ancient tradition to a minute degree. The world of Gormenghast is a vast crumbling castle, that has stood for time immemorial, isolated from the world outside. It could be anywhere or anytime. It is populated by a cast of characters made exquisitely eccentric by the castle and the entrenched, stifling tradition it represents. The wonderful characters whom we come to love and loathe include;

Dr Prunesquallor, obliged by his position to behave as a buffoon but the one source of sanity throughout the insane unfolding of events. Endlessly patient with his hugely neurotic sister, Irma.
Countess Gertrude, Mistress of a thousand snow white cats who thinks more of her birds than people.
Earl Sepulchrave, 76th Earl of Groan and father of Titus. He will go very mad.
Lady Fuschia. The sweet, innocent, vain dear Fuschia whom we want so badly to protect from the menace that surrounds her.
The mad aunts, Cora and Clarice who take tea each afternoon in the boughs of a tree that grows horizontally from the side of the castle.
The fanatically loyal manservant Mr Flay, and the despicable chef, Abiatha Swelter.
And then there is the wicked, wicked boy, Steerpike, who seeks to control them all.

These and numerous other more or less strange characters comprise the world of Gormenghast, into which is born Titus, destined to be the 77th Earl.

Whilst a whole industry has grown up around the emulation of Tolkien, no such industry has grown up around Gormenghast, the other key 'fantasy' work of those times. This is because Peake was touched with a unique and original vision in the way that Kafka and Sartre were. Able to see through the contingencies of our world into other worlds so close to our own in form, yet utterly different in detail, such as to create a backdrop for a strangely and subtly distorted form of human experience. As events unfold we watch as the characters are deformed, each in there own bizarre way.

Having read a lot of fine literature I would say that these are among the world's great books and would be worthy of a posthumous Nobel. Everybody I know who has read these books has had their imagination uniquely affected by the experience.

A great adaptation of a great book, 03 Apr 2007
This is an excellent interpretation of the first two of the Gormenghast books. Unlike the light TV series this captures the mood, the characters and, most importantly, the castle. The use of a narrator works well to provide the all-important descriptive elements that the TV book missed. While the plot is not the point of the book, there is one and this version keeps it at just the right level; not too much to drown the atmosphere and not to little to lose direction. The climax (I won't spoil it for you) is done particularly well. I heard this version when it was first broadcast on the BBC and have listened to this recording several times since. You should too.

An enormous pleasure to read., 27 Apr 2004
This is the first book of the Gormenghast trilogy (before Gormenghast andTitus Alone).
The castle of Gormenghast is a huge, maze-like fortress built on the sideof a mountain. It's surrounded by a tall wall, that helps keep the noble"Castle" people and their menials inside, and the "Bright Carvers", atribal people who live in mud dwellings, outside on the arid plain.
In this first volume, we're introduced to the castle's inhabitants, amidstthe bustle of Titus the seventy-seventh Earl's birth, and a few dayslater, of his christening. There's the melancholic Lord Sepulchrave, theseventy-sixth and current Earl of Groan, his enormous wife Gertrude andher white cats, and their teenage daughter Fuchsia. And there is Mrs.Slagg, the frail old Nanny who's always complaning about her poor heart,and Mr. Flay, the Earl's tall first servant with the clicking knees. Andalso Mr. Rottcodd, curator of the Hall of Bright Carvings, and Sourdustthe Librarian, guardian of the Protocol. Doctor Prunesquallor with hisnervous laughter, and his spinsterly sister Irma, as well as Swelter thetyrannic cook and his kitchen boys, among which the young Steerpike. Thencome Cora and Clarice, the Earl's asinine twin sisters, envious of his andGertrude's power... and a few others.
As the story flows, we watch these numerous protagonists interact, asSteerpike slowly works his way up the ranks of the castle. Charminghigh-born ladies, plotting arson, nothing daunts him. And what was a sowell-greased, fine-tuned machine of minutiae and protocol, the veryessence of Gormenghast, is starting to crumble slowly and inexorably.
It's very hard to summarize Titus Groan in a couple of paragraphs. It's sobrimming with court intrigue and mischief, interspaced with lushdescriptions of this amazingly intricate fortress where I wanted to escapeto, or play hide and seek in. As a whole, all I can say it that it was anenormous pleasure to read and that I can't wait to read the next book.

Wake me up when it's over, 13 Jun 2003
This has to be the slowest, most boring book that I've read/listened to in a long long time. I bought this book to ease me through my 90 minute drive to work each day, a nearly fatal mistake given it's unsurpassed ability to send you to sleep. Endless waffle with hardly any content ... beware!

The Peake of fantasy, 07 Mar 2003
It's a very, very, very original book - but then what can you expect of novel so widely applauded? Titus Groan is an engaging encyclopaedic account of a world so thoroughly realised that it is hard at times to imagine it is fiction. Mervyn Peake's world of Gormenghast rages against magical fantasy, this is realistic fantasy - a world so close to our own, but with infinite minor differences.

The opening of Titus Groan is sweeping and fantastic, the baton moves from character to character as we travel through the vast castle. But through the rapid exchanges and introductions of characters one never feels lost.

The book charts the rotting of a rigid hieratical society - one that descends into apathy (as Lord Sepulchrave), madness (the Twins Clarice and Cora), solipsism (Countess Gertrude) and greed (Steerpike). Each character in this book is alone and their primary relationship is the one to the castle Gormenghast - rather than a relationship to each other.

The narrative does get dense and repetitive at times which dampens the atmosphere. It's a shame that Titus Groan drags in places as it may well put off the lighter reader. There are errors too in the story, Rottcodd (curator of the Hall of Bright Carvings) states that he not seen anyone in over a year - but the book states early on, "the first morning of June the carvings were ranged every year for judgement by the Earl of Groan." It seems that even for Peake the pedantic nature of Gormenghast is too much to handle.

Titus Groan is a classic and made me hunger for the other two books in the series. But be prepared to put a little effort in on your part too.

Intoxicating., 26 May 2004
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.

Written like paint on canvas., 09 Dec 2003
Gormenghast is in my opinion the greatest work of imaginative, original and descriptive fiction I have ever read.

It isn't Tolkein, it's nothing like his work. It IS unique. The characters are brilliantly written, bright, mad, dark, and bad; the descriptive passages - which can be whole chapters long - could only have been written by an artist of Peake's ability. The attention to detail will blow your mind.

The plot is murderous - literally, with intrigue and betrayal, madness and merciless violence.

Heck, Peake went insane himself after writing about it so much.

If you're an author - or a wannabe writer - this book will probably have one of two effects on you - or both, but not simultaneously. First it will inspire you; but it can just as easily scare the crap out of you. It did me. But genius is genius. You can't argue with it, fake it or cultivate it. All you can do is admire it.

Thank you for reading this review.

Gothic Fantasy at its all-time best!, 26 Jun 2001
Mervyn Peake's seminal work of gothic fantasy is by far the most amazingly crafted piece of English Literature of the 20th Century. Macabre, dark, brooding, and hipnotic.

The desciptive passages (which can take up whole chapters!) are trully spell-binding. This isn't a work to be taken lightly. This is not light reading by any stretch of the imagination - and it will certainly stretch yours.

The ancient, crumbling city of Gormenghast is in an age-old fight for its very existence, bowed under the weight of ritual, and set to implode.

Enter Steerpike, a young man with ambitions to undermine and destroy everything that keeps Gormenghast and the Groan dynasty alive.

Dastardly plots, Murder, madness, treachery... Weird and wonderful characters that Dickens would envy. You name it, it's all here!

Forget the BBC dramatisation (as good as it was), it didn't even come close to this claustrophobic tour de force!

An excellent contrast to Gormenghast., 13 May 2002
Although this book is not quite "Gormenghast" it still shows off Peake's exquisite descriptive powers. Not as gloomy or epic as his masterpiece, it has a much simpler plot, however "Mr Pye" keeps the same eccentric characterisation and rich dickensian writing style that makes Peake such a brilliant writer.
Some have said that the book is childlike in it's plot and dialogue. This is completely untrue. Although very humerous, "Mr Pye" is at times deeply disturbing, as one would naturally expect with Mervyn peake.
So, although very different atmospherically to "Gormenghast", this book is still very well worth a read.

NOT GORMENGHAST, BUT STILL GREAT, 01 Sep 2001
No, Mr Pye shouldn't be compared to the astounding Gormenghast, but it is still a sweetly quirky and entertaining book. Peake's oddball sense of humour shines through, and the characters are his usual mad bunch of weirdos. Very lively and imaginative, and if you appreciate it on it's own merits and not as a work by the author of Gormenghast, you'll find it quite delightful.

Hmmmmmmmm., 28 Jan 2000
Those expecting a breathtaking ballet of brilliant prose, as Mr Peake supplied in the Gormenghast trilogy, will innevitably be disapointed. The book instead concentrates on narrative, detailing the story of one Mr Pye who travels to Sark and tries to convert the population to Christianity. The story is almost child-like in its simplistic structure - a tale of good versus evil, that comes to manifest itself in tangible form. Mr Peake reveals a spiritual longing that one might not have expected from his other, more fantastical works. To summarize, this is a book that will appeal to evangelical christians or those who are doing a theses on Mr Peake; otherwise readers will feel a warm pang of dissapointment spreading slowly throughout their body, until the memory of this nondescript book is excreted almost unnoticably away.

Letters from a lost uncle, superb!, 10 Jul 2005
Everything you'd want from an accentric Englishman and more! This light-hearted series of illustrated letters from the 'lost uncle' is a joy to read as we follow the arctic journey of a one-legged Englishman (with his companion, Jackson the turtle!). Each page depicts an image of a badly typed letter or an illustration or two of the latest knot-tailed moose or actic snake that our uncle has come across, presented in a lovingly realistic manner that resembles nothing more than the original scribblings a crazy old man! This book is an absoloute treasure to all fans of mervyn peake and to children and adults alike! You must have it, you must..

very special, 14 Jun 2005
this is a really nice book, brilliant for huddling up in a blanket with a hot drink of seal fat- or whatever your favourite tipple may be.

A magnificent book for children and imaginative adults., 18 Oct 1999
This is the astonishingly vivid and boldly inventive quest of the 'Lost Uncle' of the title writing to a young nephew in a series of wonderfully disjointed and badly-typed letters from the high Arctic. The old man, with a bizarre turtle servant (whose name escapes me) seeks a great 'White Wolf' of legend, but the real object of his quest is one of solitude and unique explorational and spiritual discovery. Peake's incredible art and brilliantly-contrived inarticulacy of the main character is perhpas the most wondrous work of the imagination in this century; largely unknown to the wider audience of children and adults who want to remember the grand excitement of childhood that the book truly deserves. EDWARD ST.BONIFACE.

Spellbinding storytelling, 25 Aug 2008
This trilogy will probably strike some readers as very weird, but for me it is one of the best books/series I have ever read. The writing is of brilliant quality, the narrative is gripping, and the characters extremely interesting. You find yourself believing in the strange world of Gormenghast, and fascinated by the actions of the anti-hero, Steerpike. It is quite long, though, so give yourself a good long holiday to read it!

Dark Fantasy, 29 Jul 2008
I first heard of Gormenghast many many years ago, but didn't pick up a copy and read it, even though I have been reading the Fantasy genre as far back as I can remember.
Why didn't I ever pick a copy up and read? I'll never know! Maybe it was because I was a Tolkien fan and nothing else was worthy? Or was it because what i had heard about the book was so alien to one engrossed in Tolkiens world that it just was not very appealing?
Anyway, I've grown up now :) (I'd like to think so) and I've read it! What eventually prompted me to? I was watching a TV documentary on the Fantasy Genre recently, and they went over Tolkien's work, then Mervyn Peake and Gormenghast, as the two pioneers of Modern fantasy. I then visited Arundel Castle, which is supposed to be the place Peake based Gormenghast on, and I was absolutely swept away by the grandeur of it all, and that's when I decided that I just HAD to obtain and read a copy.

Having read it, I can say that it is a brilliant piece of work. As different to Tolkiens Middle earth and Tolkiens legends as "Pans Labyrinth" is to "The Neverending Story". In other words it's dark, very dark, and now I see where China Meiville and Michael Moorcock got their inspiration from. It's not 'Fantasy' per se, we wont see any 'magic' or any strange beings, or evil - but they are apparent, working in the background, reading it one can be assured that yes, Magic exists in Peakes world, that peake world isn't quite 'Planet Earth', that in Peakes world there is Evil and there is darkness as well as light and 'Good', that Gods and Demons, though not mentioned, are a part of it.

The story itself is rife with characters both comical and diabolical, complex, twisted and strange with goodness and honour where you least expect it.
it's not a battle of 'Good vs Evil' or anything typically 'Fantasy' involving Quests and Wars and Warriors and Mages, vast Lands and such, Gormenghast is a very different and original work, the plot twists and turns, intricately unfolding. It's set mostly in the castle involving it's inhabitants, and deals with the machiavellian machinations by one Steepike, The Earl Titus Groan, his family and servants.

I could go on in depth, but others have already reviewed it fully.

Overall I recommend this book to anyone, it's not 'just' a Fantasy, it's a classic. Don't read it expecting Tolkien, or Magic or Elves and Hobbits, and don't expect Dungeons and Dragons or Elric of Melnibone. It's different, refreshing, original, dark intricate, engrossing, brilliant! Read it carefully and revel in the intricacies and characters.
Peake was a genius!

in real life you would want to steer clear of Steerpike., 03 Jul 2008
THINGS YOU WILL FEEL WHEN READING THIS BOOK

whilst reading the book you will have moments of Blisfull Transcendency

whilst reading the book you will fall in love with Steerpike and Fuschcia

whilst reading this book you will realize writing fiction is about doing whatever you want.

Its also very funny.

A comparatively overlooked 20th century classic, 19 May 2008
Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy fell into my lap quite literally by accident. I knocked over a complete edition while searching for something else in my local library.

I think Gormenghast is faintly resonant in our cultural memory. Most people have heard of it but very few have actually read any of the three novels that tell the tale of the alternate world of Gormenghast, and the birth and rise of its seventy seventh Earl, Titus Groan.

The 2000 BBC mini series may have introduced a new generation to the novels but despite its impressive cast it is a far too modest undertaking to capture the vast and grand scope of the novels.

Published in 1946, 1950 and 1959 the trilogy is atypical of my experience of early 20th century literature, creating a world and culture that is vast, quirky and esoterically charming. Like The Silmarillion or Dune these books are more concerned with creating a world with its own internal logic than with superficial action. Indeed it can be argued that very little actually happens within the books. Make no mistake, the Gormenghast books are not pacy, thrill a minute page turners.

But to write them off for their meticulous and deliberate pace is to miss the point somewhat. The beauty of the books, as in the world of Gormenghast itself, is in its meticulous detail, its lavish imagery and complete eccentricity.

Tonally the books are similar to Tolkein's tales of Middle Earth in their scope and cultural richness but with a deliciously gothic twist. Lord of The Rings meets The Cthulhu Mythos, if you like.

Sure, the books aren't an easy read but if you're willing to put in the effort and immerse yourself in their strange world it can make for a hugely rewarding and enjoyable experience.


Lose yourself in this fantasy world if you dare.., 27 Mar 2007
I have owned this book for many years and find myself inexorably drawn back to re-read it again and again. Gormenghast and its myriad of characters are both beautiful and terrible, and absolutely compelling. The depth of detail paints the most vivid images for the reader: spend too long in the pages and you can't put the book down, for fear of missing what deeds may happen next. Steerpike is brilliantly written, but don't overlook the other characters - I was always fascinated by Irma Prunesquallor ! The only disappointment which I see is shared by others is Titus Alone - it simply is not at the same level as the first two books. A must read book.

The most pleasure I ever had from a book, 15 Jan 2008
I first read this when I was 14. I was recovering from a chill and I devoured it in a couple of days. I have read it, and its companions, 'Gormenghast' and 'Titus Alone', five or six times since and hope and expect to read them a few times more yet.

You read these books for their extraordinary prose, which has a flavour somewhere in the region of Dickens meets Dali. While the plot is huge, intricate and subtle, plot remains secondary. The reader must allow the dense, intricate prose to paint its vivid pictures in the mind, as strange and idiosyncratic as the illustrations and paintings for which Peake is also famous. As a celebration of the English language he is up there with the best. Those in search of a good yarn may find such writing tedious, but for those who like to savour language this is a feast.

The books are frequently described as fantasy, but they are fantasy in a sense entirely distinct from the heroic fantasy tradition resurrected from the Norse, by Tolkien, Lewis and a few others.

In the world of Gormenghast what heroism there is, is bent and twisted and always ultimately futile. There is little space for morality where the roles of most people are prescribed by ancient tradition to a minute degree. The world of Gormenghast is a vast crumbling castle, that has stood for time immemorial, isolated from the world outside. It could be anywhere or anytime. It is populated by a cast of characters made exquisitely eccentric by the castle and the entrenched, stifling tradition it represents. The wonderful characters whom we come to love and loathe include;

Dr Prunesquallor, obliged by his position to behave as a buffoon but the one source of sanity throughout the insane unfolding of events. Endlessly patient with his hugely neurotic sister, Irma.
Countess Gertrude, Mistress of a thousand snow white cats who thinks more of her birds than people.
Earl Sepulchrave, 76th Earl of Groan and father of Titus. He will go very mad.
Lady Fuschia. The sweet, innocent, vain dear Fuschia whom we want so badly to protect from the menace that surrounds her.
The mad aunts, Cora and Clarice who take tea each afternoon in the boughs of a tree that grows horizontally from the side of the castle.
The fanatically loyal manservant Mr Flay, and the despicable chef, Abiatha Swelter.
And then there is the wicked, wicked boy, Steerpike, who seeks to control them all.

These and numerous other more or less strange characters comprise the world of Gormenghast, into which is born Titus, destined to be the 77th Earl.

Whilst a whole industry has grown up around the emulation of Tolkien, no such industry has grown up around Gormenghast, the other key 'fantasy' work of those times. This is because Peake was touched with a unique and original vision in the way that Kafka and Sartre were. Able to see through the contingencies of our world into other worlds so close to our own in form, yet utterly different in detail, such as to create a backdrop for a strangely and subtly distorted form of human experience. As events unfold we watch as the characters are deformed, each in there own bizarre way.

Having read a lot of fine literature I would say that these are among the world's great books and would be worthy of a posthumous Nobel. Everybody I know who has read these books has had their imagination uniquely affected by the experience.

A great adaptation of a great book, 03 Apr 2007
This is an excellent interpretation of the first two of the Gormenghast books. Unlike the light TV series this captures the mood, the characters and, most importantly, the castle. The use of a narrator works well to provide the all-important descriptive elements that the TV book missed. While the plot is not the point of the book, there is one and this version keeps it at just the right level; not too much to drown the atmosphere and not to little to lose direction. The climax (I won't spoil it for you) is done particularly well. I heard this version when it was first broadcast on the BBC and have listened to this recording several times since. You should too.

An enormous pleasure to read., 27 Apr 2004
This is the first book of the Gormenghast trilogy (before Gormenghast andTitus Alone).
The castle of Gormenghast is a huge, maze-like fortress built on the sideof a mountain. It's surrounded by a tall wall, that helps keep the noble"Castle" people and their menials inside, and the "Bright Carvers", atribal people who live in mud dwellings, outside on the arid plain.
In this first volume, we're introduced to the castle's inhabitants, amidstthe bustle of Titus the seventy-seventh Earl's birth, and a few dayslater, of his christening. There's the melancholic Lord Sepulchrave, theseventy-sixth and current Earl of Groan, his enormous wife Gertrude andher white cats, and their teenage daughter Fuchsia. And there is Mrs.Slagg, the frail old Nanny who's always complaning about her poor heart,and Mr. Flay, the Earl's tall first servant with the clicking knees. Andalso Mr. Rottcodd, curator of the Hall of Bright Carvings, and Sourdustthe Librarian, guardian of the Protocol. Doctor Prunesquallor with hisnervous laughter, and his spinsterly sister Irma, as well as Swelter thetyrannic cook and his kitchen boys, among which the young Steerpike. Thencome Cora and Clarice, the Earl's asinine twin sisters, envious of his andGertrude's power... and a few others.
As the story flows, we watch these numerous protagonists interact, asSteerpike slowly works his way up the ranks of the castle. Charminghigh-born ladies, plotting arson, nothing daunts him. And what was a sowell-greased, fine-tuned machine of minutiae and protocol, the veryessence of Gormenghast, is starting to crumble slowly and inexorably.
It's very hard to summarize Titus Groan in a couple of paragraphs. It's sobrimming with court intrigue and mischief, interspaced with lushdescriptions of this amazingly intricate fortress where I wanted to escapeto, or play hide and seek in. As a whole, all I can say it that it was anenormous pleasure to read and that I can't wait to read the next book.

Wake me up when it's over, 13 Jun 2003
This has to be the slowest, most boring book that I've read/listened to in a long long time. I bought this book to ease me through my 90 minute drive to work each day, a nearly fatal mistake given it's unsurpassed ability to send you to sleep. Endless waffle with hardly any content ... beware!

The Peake of fantasy, 07 Mar 2003
It's a very, very, very original book - but then what can you expect of novel so widely applauded? Titus Groan is an engaging encyclopaedic account of a world so thoroughly realised that it is hard at times to imagine it is fiction. Mervyn Peake's world of Gormenghast rages against magical fantasy, this is realistic fantasy - a world so close to our own, but with infinite minor differences.

The opening of Titus Groan is sweeping and fantastic, the baton moves from character to character as we travel through the vast castle. But through the rapid exchanges and introductions of characters one never feels lost.

The book charts the rotting of a rigid hieratical society - one that descends into apathy (as Lord Sepulchrave), madness (the Twins Clarice and Cora), solipsism (Countess Gertrude) and greed (Steerpike). Each character in this book is alone and their primary relationship is the one to the castle Gormenghast - rather than a relationship to each other.

The narrative does get dense and repetitive at times which dampens the atmosphere. It's a shame that Titus Groan drags in places as it may well put off the lighter reader. There are errors too in the story, Rottcodd (curator of the Hall of Bright Carvings) states that he not seen anyone in over a year - but the book states early on, "the first morning of June the carvings were ranged every year for judgement by the Earl of Groan." It seems that even for Peake the pedantic nature of Gormenghast is too much to handle.

Titus Groan is a classic and made me hunger for the other two books in the series. But be prepared to put a little effort in on your part too.

Intoxicating., 26 May 2004
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.

Written like paint on canvas., 09 Dec 2003
Gormenghast is in my opinion the greatest work of imaginative, original and descriptive fiction I have ever read.

It isn't Tolkein, it's nothing like his work. It IS unique. The characters are brilliantly written, bright, mad, dark, and bad; the descriptive passages - which can be whole chapters long - could only have been written by an artist of Peake's ability. The attention to detail will blow your mind.

The plot is murderous - literally, with intrigue and betrayal, madness and merciless violence.

Heck, Peake went insane himself after writing about it so much.

If you're an author - or a wannabe writer - this book will probably have one of two effects on you - or both, but not simultaneously. First it will inspire you; but it can just as easily scare the crap out of you. It did me. But genius is genius. You can't argue with it, fake it or cultivate it. All you can do is admire it.

Thank you for reading this review.

Gothic Fantasy at its all-time best!, 26 Jun 2001
Mervyn Peake's seminal work of gothic fantasy is by far the most amazingly crafted piece of English Literature of the 20th Century. Macabre, dark, brooding, and hipnotic.

The desciptive passages (which can take up whole chapters!) are trully spell-binding. This isn't a work to be taken lightly. This is not light reading by any stretch of the imagination - and it will certainly stretch yours.

The ancient, crumbling city of Gormenghast is in an age-old fight for its very existence, bowed under the weight of ritual, and set to implode.

Enter Steerpike, a young man with ambitions to undermine and destroy everything that keeps Gormenghast and the Groan dynasty alive.

Dastardly plots, Murder, madness, treachery... Weird and wonderful characters that Dickens would envy. You name it, it's all here!

Forget the BBC dramatisation (as good as it was), it didn't even come close to this claustrophobic tour de force!

An excellent contrast to Gormenghast., 13 May 2002
Although this book is not quite "Gormenghast" it still shows off Peake's exquisite descriptive powers. Not as gloomy or epic as his masterpiece, it has a much simpler plot, however "Mr Pye" keeps the same eccentric characterisation and rich dickensian writing style that makes Peake such a brilliant writer.
Some have said that the book is childlike in it's plot and dialogue. This is completely untrue. Although very humerous, "Mr Pye" is at times deeply disturbing, as one would naturally expect with Mervyn peake.
So, although very different atmospherically to "Gormenghast", this book is still very well worth a read.

NOT GORMENGHAST, BUT STILL GREAT, 01 Sep 2001
No, Mr Pye shouldn't be compared to the astounding Gormenghast, but it is still a sweetly quirky and entertaining book. Peake's oddball sense of humour shines through, and the ch