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Summary: Lose yourself in Gormenghast
Review: Mervyn Peake's three complete "Gormenghast" novels are the products of an amazingly fertile imagination with a unique understanding of the synergy of myth and reality. That their hero Titus Groan, the seventy-seventh earl of Gormenghast, is not even two years old by the end of the first novel is indicative of Peake's willingness to take his time telling a story in meticulous detail. Evidently modeled on Victorian (or earlier) England, the Gormenghast milieu is an insular place, completely disconnected from the rest of whatever world in which it resides. The castle that is its centerpiece is so large and ancient it is gradually crumbling under the enormous weight of its own monstrous sprawling architecture, a ghastly monument to the dozens of generations and hundreds of years of the Groan hereditary line. (Imagine an Edward Gorey illustration stretching for miles in every direction.) The interior is a labyrinth of cryptic rooms and dark corridors, a network so intricate a dead body could remain undiscovered for years. Living catatonically in abstract worlds of their own interests, the elder Groan family seem like products of their dreary environment. Titus's father, Lord Sepulchrave (Earl no. 76), is immersed in his extensive library filled with erudite books of undisclosed content; his mother Gertrude is a walking cat magnet and bird sanctuary; his spacey sister Fuchsia is fated to live an idle, vacuous life. Providing comic relief are Sepulchrave's brainless, prattling sisters Cora and Clarice, who are jealous of Gertrude and crave "power," which to them merely means getting to sit on a throne. As in a Dickens novel, there are several interrelated plot threads weaving the various dramatic conflicts into an ugly but delicate web of palace intrigue. The villain who drives much of the action is a dangerously ambitious servant named Steerpike, the Uriah Heep of Gormenghast, who works his way up from the kitchen to become master of castle ceremonies by ingratiation, subterfuge, and violence -- a thoroughly menacing presence among the castle's more eccentric but benevolent inhabitants. The third novel, "Titus Alone," changes the setting as Titus, rebelling against his title and all the meaningless ceremonial rites that accompany it, decides to set out to see the world, a world that turns out to be more modern than Gormenghast but every bit as fantastical and even weirder. Here Titus's adventures become almost a parody of the events at Gormenghast (and, at the climax, this parody is intentional on the part of Titus's new antagonist, a beautiful femme fatale), but the mood is always nightmarish, the machinations of the characters diabolical. The "Gormenghast" novels may be interpreted as a parody of British aristocratic heraldry, amplifying its gluttony and reflecting its impracticality; but they are definitely fantasy literature in the truest sense because they defy genre (although "Titus Alone" might be considered borderline science fiction). Classification issues aside, the elegance of Peake's prose and the power of his imagery instill the novels with the kind of artistry that characterizes the great literary works of the ages. We close the book thinking Gormenghast would be a nice place to visit, but we don't blame Titus for not wanting to live there.
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Summary: Have Faith...
Review: The first few chapters of 'Titus Groan', to my way of thinking, breaks every stated rule of successful fiction writing, and I was so very tempted to put it down, lacking faith that the author really knew where he was going or what he was doing. Instead, I hung on, and now there's no turning back. I seriously recommend holding back on judging the text until you've hit page 100. If the spell hasn't grabbed you by then, then it probably never will, but if it does you will all but faint at the thought of having missed out. Comparisons and contrasts to Tolkien are meaningless. The writers and their respective works are worlds apart, joined only by the organizational term of 'fantasy'. This book is a very unique experience. Jump in!
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Summary: My Favourite Secret.
Review: Not many people in Canada (or North America in general) know about this book. And I'm the kind of person who likes to keep incredible things like this secret. I like to feel as though I am somehow privy to a very special and magnificent thing, and that I can choose which people deserve to be blessed with the knowledge of it. But if you're here, then someone has probably told you about Gormenghast, and has thus determined that you are an individual worthy of Mervyn Peake's great achievment. Just get the book immediately, read it, and fall into a world that you never dreamed anyone could imagine, much less describe with such stunning detail. It will, quite likely, be the single most incredible book you'll ever read. Honest.
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Summary: The Peak of Literature
Review: Gormenghast is, to me, the most beautiful use of the written English language, as Richard Burton's recitation of "Under Milkwood", by Dylan Thomas, is of the spoken.
His characters and descriptive prowess lift the the imagination to dizzying levels.
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Summary: A jaw which hangs...
Review: This is by far my favorite series of books. I am floored by the talent which graces each page. As blasphemous as it may be, Tolkein and Shakespeare need to go back to school in comparison. The images created by Peake's ability to paint with dense vocabulary is so vivid and complex, yet easy to follow and be swept away by. The characters are so very fun. They are so real despite their absurdity at times. Peake's mind in this regard is genius. I cannot list all the reasons why one should read these books. Just do. You will never regret it.
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Summary: So you like quirky....?
Review: If you enjoy bizarre characters in incredible, dark, nay CREEPY surroundings, saturated with generations of barely-hinted-at myths and tradition, you'll love the Gormenghast trilogy. Oh my. The imagery is divine (or hellish), the writing is superb, and the book keeps me riveted despite the TEEEEENY print. The BBC adaptation was surprisingly and satisfyingly true to the original. And I do love that Steerpike...!
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Summary: Why compare?
Review: Much has been made recently of the rivalry between the two great fantasy trilogies of English literature, Tolkein's "The Lord of the Rings" and Peake's "Gormenghast" (ironically, both books are only Trilogies by default-"Rings" by editorial choice, and "Gormenghast" by the illness and death of the author-funny how the tradition of the fantasy trilogy was created by such arbitrary means). It's too bad the rivalry exists, because I suspect it has kept scores of loyalist readers from checking out the upstart competitor, which in the case of most readers would be Peake's work. Never mind that the two books have nothing in common except a setting that is not contemporary (though one is less sure about Peake on this point), one should just as well refuse to partake of Faulkner, or point out the similarities between Tolkien and William Burroughs (hint: none) than lump these two accomplished authors in the same narrow pot. As for Peake, His Gormenghast novels are gifted, but difficult children. Nothing seems to happen for long stretches of time, and everything is enshrouded in a dark gothic cloak of words. If you fight through the difficult prose, though, you find a world of strange, fragile beauty, and unspeakable horror (in particular the fate of Titus's twin aunts). Steerpike is one of the few villans in modern literature to rival Iago or (Shakespeare's, not the real) Richard III. Individual scenes have a conjuring power all their own. Okay, read the first book, just give it a shot. If the battle between Flay and Swelter doesn't grab you, you probably shouldn't go on. I'm sorry that I couldn't find an earlier chapter for you to sample, but this isn't the kind of book that sells itself in a chapter, it's a cumulative effect. If that is too much of a commitment for you, read the first chapter. If you think it's too ponderous, don't go further. Just don't blame me if you miss out on the experience.
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Summary: The Long, Strange Trip to Gormenghast
Review: I am absolutely pleased to see that nearly sixty reviews have thus far been written about this trilogy, and that the majority of reviewers have given it ample praise. I have only read Titus Groan so far, and it took me ten years to finally read it. After so many attempts, what brought me back? Let me point to a well-picked quote by C.S. Lewis featured on the back cover of this edition: "[Peake's books] are actual additions to life; they give, like certain rare dreams, sensations we never had before, and enlarge our conception of the range of possible experience." Only recently have I realized how on the money that quote really is. It was through reading a literary essay by Lewis in high school that I first found out about about Mervyn Peake. I couldn't easily locate copies of Peake's work until I got to college. Then I picked up Titus Groan. After reading a few pages, I realized that this was not a book that readily caters to short attention spans. I put it down. I picked it up again a few years later, vaguely remembering a prose style that intrigued me. I was looking for a good read, insightful but quick. I put it down again. Just within the past few months, I took it from the top and read through the first book. What I can tell you about are countless moments during the reading of it when I was transported to another plane of being. The author observes his characters and their surroundings from the most bizarre angles imaginable. Rather than mere "escapist" or "gothic" fiction, the prose offers penetrating psychological insight into a number of the characters: Steerpike the opportunist; Fuchsia the troubled adolescent girl; the selflessly devoted Nannie Slagg; the demented Earl; Cora and Clarice the narcissistic dimwits; Dr. Prunesquallor the sanguine conversationalist. Both the narrative and the dialogue offer a rare combination of solemnity, absurdity, and humor. We're not talking about an action-packed plot here. Events move rather slowly and deliberately in Titus Groan, as I'm sure they will once I read Gormenghast. From glancing at it, Titus Alone seems to move much more haphazardly and is the odd-man out in the series. Fortunately, the brilliant selection of essays appended to this edition explain why: Peake's brain was slowly deteriorating from Parkinson's Disease as he was writing the third volume. His own attention span would not allow him to display the same intricate manner of observation as with the first two installments. I'm looking forward to the experience, however. My suggestion: get a copy of this while it is still in print. It may sit on your shelf for a while. When you get to it, I hope you'll find your experience to be every bit as enriching as C.S. Lewis describes. By the way, Peake's trilogy is often compared to Tolkien's work to establish its literary merit. This is ridiculous. What does the comparison prove? Tolkien was a phenomenal author, scholar, and translator. I love the guy. But I don't seek to recapture the Tolkien experience through other authors. With that said, here are a few rare gems that don't compare to Tolkien: The Crock of Gold by James Stephens (funny!); A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay (wild and bizarre); Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis (and Apuleius's Golden Ass translated by Robert Graves as a follow-up); Jurgen by James Branch Cabell (looks good so far); The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin (great action, quick read!); The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison (tough read, I think); The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (thrilling speculative work); Summer of Love by Lisa Mason (hippie sci-fi stuff, a real favorite); Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit (for young and old alike); and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (brilliant). I look forward to reading more great reviews of rare classics on Amazon.com.
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Summary: A classic for those with patience
Review: I have a bad habit in reading fiction: I tend to skim over the descriptive passages and go straight to the conversations, since that's where most of the action is. Well, if I did that with this series, I'd finish it inside of an hour (all 900 pages worth) and have no idea of what happened. I end up having to read through the descriptive passages, which I tend to do over-quickly, then find I missed something and have to go back to find that some character was left behind or they're now in a totally different part of the castle. So I had some difficulties with Peake's writing style. Someone said that Peake writes like a painter, and I think that's true. There's very little motion in his writing but rather a lot of imagery, and that is wonderfully vivid. Imagine walking into Gormenghast Castle. Imagine every footfall echoing down the long corridors and the stones creaking beneath your feet. Beside you are walls of worn and chiseled stone, next to you a dusty table. Light shines through a barred window high above, illuminating the dusty table. Imagine all this described in exquisite detail, so that you can picture it confidently in your mind's eye in every particular. That's the way Peake writes, and all you've done is to take a couple of steps. He'll describe your next steps the same way. So these books are magnificent if you have the patience for them. Gormenghast is as alive as any character in all its enormity, and the human characters are drawn with equal vividness: the mournful Earl, dragged day after day through all the rituals required of him; the flighty, imaginative, immature daughter Fuchsia, living all but alone in her attic; the loyal servant Flay, banished from the castle but still loyal to the family; and the evil Sternpike, who in his ambition will devastate the rituals and the stasis that all the others who live in Gormenghast hold dear. What plot there is is "vaster than empires and more slow." A son, Titus, is born, who as he grows older holds ever less truck with going through all the many rituals and runs away at every opportunity. Meanwhile, Sternpike takes every chance to ingratiate himself with someone with more power and to eliminate those who stand in his way. Calling it a trilogy is something of a misnomer. The first two books, Titus Groan and Gormenghast, form an interconnected pair, following Sternpike's ambition and Titus's rebellion to a thundering climax. Titus Alone takes a dramatically different tack, with Titus running away to a not-quite-modern city. Instead of the plodding, ornate pace of the first two books, we get a kaleidoscopic, almost hallucinogenic choppiness as he copes with the complexity and pace of city life and the characters he deals with there. (The PBS dramatization, recently aired, covers only the first two books.) And despite being classed as a fantasy, there is scarcely anything in the way of fantastic elements here: no witches, gnomes, or fairies, just a great castle with some very strange, intriguing people inside. The books are extraordinary but again require patience and unfortunately somewhat more patience than I have. I can understand how they could hold someone in thrall without feeling that thrall myself.
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Summary: The Other British Tradition
Review: This book, according to Michael Moorcock, Peake's friend, represents the alternative tradition in British fantasy and is
the inspiration for writers of 'dark' fantasy from Moorcock himself to China Mieville. Contrary to some of the opinions I have read, Titus Alone, the final volume, is in many ways the best and a natural development from the other books -- where Titus confronts a world bearing much in common with our own (and based on Peake's own experience of concentration camps and so on) and it is this book which Moorcock and Mieville, among others, celebrate as their greatest inspiration. If you want to see where that tradition begun, if you want relief from the massed ranks of Tolkien clones on the shelves, read this idiosyncratic classic which depends far more upon character and humour to tell its story than LOTR. Moorcock says 'Peake wanted to smash windows whereas Tolkien wanted to tell fairy stories'. Another echo of Peake is to be found in the Watchman and Sandman graphic novels of Moore and Gaiman. Still the finest single fantasy sequence of the 20th century. Gorgeous language, from one of the UK's leading poets of his day.
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