Rating: 
Summary: Don't be fooled
Review: Don't be fooled by the marketing snippits that compare this to the Lord of the Ring Trilogy. This book is nothing like Tolkein's masterpiece. It is very boring. Nothing happens. I very rarely put down a book unfinished, but couldn't quite convince myself to waste anymore time on this one after the first 300 pages. Save your money, pass on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply incredible
Review: This is easily one of the top three works of fiction I've ever encountered. There probably isn't much I can say about it that hasn't been said by other reviewers, but to cover some key points: it is a very, very rich work of description, with some of the finest, most original prose I've ever read. The story isn't as important as the atmosphere, which is one of decay and horror for the most part. Not that there aren't scenes that will make one smile as well. And despite the slow, chronicle-like unfolding of the story, it is remarkably suspenseful. I haven't yet decided whether this is better than Tolkien's trilogy, but it is a serious contender for the title of greatest fantasy epic ever.
Rating:
Summary: An intricate drawing made with words
Review: The Gormenghast books are unique among the books I've read: there really isn't much of a story or an ongoing plot, but they are incredible immersive and they hold the reader tightly in their grip. These books are more like a drawing or a painting than a conventional story: the main character is not so much Titus Groan as it is Gormenghast itself, a castle of unknown size, so large that none who dwell within it really know what is inside. The writing draws this castle in the reader's mind; and for that purpose, it is remarkably effective. The characters who populate this world are quirky, oddly-named, and fascinating--and often as crumbling and twisted as Gormenghast itself. I usually don't like long descriptive passages, but here almost everything is description, painted lovingly and painstakingly--and it works Some, especially those for whom English is a second language, may find the text difficult to comprehend at first, but it is well worth the effort. Years after reading these books, you may not remember the plot, such as there is, but you will remember the image of Gormenghast, or Titus' mother, or someone or something. It will be forever drawn in your mind's eye, while the vast majority of books will have long since vanished into welcome oblivion.This particular collection is rather nice for a paperback; it's a little large, given that it collects all of Gormenghast, but it seems sturdy enough and is convenient, particularly since the individual paperbacks are almost impossible to find these days.
Rating:
Summary: Great Classics of Modern Literature
Review: Let me just start out by saying that these books changed my life.If I could give them a million stars I would.They are simply put the greatest books of all time,underrated classics.I agree with the other reviewers who have said that they are more like 19th century novels than fantasy classics such as The Lord of Rings.But yet again,they are too original to catagorize.There is really nothing like them out there,I can think of books that remind me of different bits of them but ultimatly they stand on their own as the greatest achievement of the human imagination.Once you read these books every other book you read after them will never match up,something strong and vital and beautiful will be missing.I was first introduced to them when I was looking at Amazon's recommended fantasy list and I will always be grateful for Amazon for putting them on that list because then I probably would never have even heard of them. The first book in the trilogy,Titus Groan,starts with the birth of Titus Groan,the 77th Earl of Gormenghast who will one day inherit the castle.The castle itself is just as much a character as anything else,Peake describes it so vividly throughout.The whole of the first two novels are set only at the castle.The society of Gormenghast is stagnent and obssessed with rituals.This ultimatly causes a breakdown in the system,and allows Steerpike(one of the greatest villians in all literature)to worm his way in and destroy most of it.The strangest thing about the Gormenghast Novels is that the supposed hero,Titus Groan,is actually rather unlikable,I've talked with many fans of the trilogy and while Steerpike,Fuchsia,and Dr.Prunesquallor always come up as favorite characters,Titus never does.Steerpike is an example of a Richard 111 type character,attractive in an ugly sort of way(hes high shouldered to a degree little short of malformation,he has red eyes and is skinny and later on his face gets burned)Steerpike is evil,theres no doubt about that,but his bravery,intellegence,cunning,and the way Peake gets into the brain of this ambitious murderous ex kitchen boy,makes him one of the greatest characters in literature.Although I found myself relating to Titus's longing for freedom from the stale ritual of the castle,Steerpike was the character that ultimatly intrigued me most.All of the characters in The Gormenghast Novels are fascinating(with a few exceptions from Titus Alone)the spidery manservent Flay,the dreamy and tragic Fuchsia,the obese and bloodthirsty Swelter....I think John Sessions said it best when he called Gormenghast,"Dickens on crack." I would love to describe all of the characters and pinpoint favorite scenes,but of course I can't do that.Read the books for yourself if you haven't already.They are fantastic,words can't describe them.And Mervyn Peake was one of the most beautiful and lyrical writers of all time,his language is just breathtaking.Don't let the denseness of the prose put you off,and for gods sake don't avoid them because you think they are fantasy(wizards and dragons stuff)because they are not.They are marvelous works of the imagination but there is not one particle of magic in them.Iam begging everyone out there to at least try them once.They should be considered great classics of the twentieth century,rivals of Joyce and Wolfe,they deserve to be better known because there is nothing more wonderful than these books and I wish everybody out there could know the experience of reading them but unfortuntly they are so little known.Thanks to Amazon for putting them on their recommended fantasy list so more people can experience the wonder of these books. Oh yes,I don't really agree with the reviewer who said that the third trilogy is the best of the three.Most people who are big fans of the first two,Titus Groan and Gormenghast,don't care very much for Titus Alone.I liked it but thought it lacked the magic and wonder of the first two novels.The characters and writing style both seemed flatter.But it is still well worth the read. And if you have read the Gormenghast Trilogy there is a bbc adaption of it that has captured the spirit of the books really well so you might want to check that out too.Of course,it can't compare to the books but it was very well done.
Rating:
Summary: GORMENGHAST STANDS ALONE
Review: Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books stand alone as the highest achievement of 20th century fantasy writing. More akin to WUTHERING HEIGHTS than to LORD OF THE RINGS, the Gormenghast books are firmly entrenched in the Gothic literary tradition, and are only to be considered fantasy by reason of the blatant exaggerations that Peake employs: Gormenghast Castle -- as far as we know from TITUS GROAN and GORMENGHAST -- comprises the entire world. The castle is so large, in fact, that there are vast crumbling expanses of it that are known only to the wildlife that live within it; there is a seemingly endless expanse of roof tops which harbors a Stonehenge-like group of granite monoliths -- and horses swim in water-filled tower balconies. The characters -- and there are many -- are equally exaggerated: the grotesque Swelter, so obese that he must use a coin to knock on a door as his hands are too muffled in flesh to register on their own; the taciturn Flay, whose rheumatic joints are so noisy that he is forced to wrap his knees with rags to keep them from betraying him as he prowls the dark labyrinths of Gormenghast Castle in an effort to protect his masters, the House of Groan, from the sinister machinations of the insidious opportunist, Steerpike. The huge Countess Gertrude Groan, ponderous as the castle itself, and seemingly forever afloat in a sea of undulating white cats, birds nesting in her tangled locks -- quick to anger and slow to love. And then there is Titus, her son -- a traitor at heart to all that is Gormenghast from the very day of his christening, when he slipped from between the pages of the book into which he was pinned and started his long journey of rebellion. For sheer power and beauty of language, the GORMENGHAST BOOKS rival -- perhaps even occasionally transcend -- Melville's MOBY DICK. Only those who misread Peake's purpose could find fault with his elaborate prose -- his writing is as dense as the flint and granite of Gormenghast's imprisoning walls -- and as textured and complex as the lives of which he is telling us. No stripped-down namby-pamby prose could even begin to present the dark, brooding, tragicomical universe that is Gormenghast. The vision of Gormenghast is unique in the truest sense of the word -- there is nothing else at all like it in the world of literature; these are books that you will never outgrow and never forget -- they are books that will become a part of your life like no other books ever can or will. You will search a lifetime for their equal, finding a few, like David Lindsay's A VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS, or William Hope Hodgson's THE NIGHTLAND, or even George MacDonald's PHANTASTES or LILITH -- but the sheer imaginative genius that is Gormenghast will never be surpassed.
Rating:
Summary: A treasure, hang in there through vol. 1, you won't be sorry
Review: I have never read anything quite like this! The first book revolves loosely around a newborn Titus Groan that is heir to the earldom of Gormenghast and it's Castle, an archaic, monolithic, stiffly-traditioned place. Throughout the first volume, we meet various members of the castle staff, the royal family and even a few commoners. You'll love Peake's unique way of portraying characters with his hilarious attention to detail. I don't think I'll ever forget the eccentric Mr. Flay or the effeminate Dr. Prune... The Antagonist, Steerpike, has got to be the most villainous, calculating creature I've come across in any book. He's someone you'll love to hate, but also admire. Since this is one of those rare books in which you can easily become attached to the characters, I'll warn you, Peake is not hesitant to dispose of them! At first, there doesn't seem to be a definitive plot to follow. But, as the story progresses and Titus matures, you begin to see that he is feeling more and more strangled by this static castle life. But, Titus and nearly all of the castle's dwellers are ignorant of what lies beyond Gormenghast. It's important to note that the reader is also kept in the dark. You get the impression that Gormenghast "Was, is and always shall be." And if it's inhabitants have ever dreamed of lands beyond, it is doubtful that any could consciously imagine any other place. The truth is revealed in book 3. Believing there is nothing left for him, Titus does the unthinkable and abandons his castle, his people and more importantly, his duties as the 77th Earl. The world Titus finds is quite unlike his own. So different in fact that he begins to doubt it ever existed. Even as the reader, I couldn't help wondering if Titus imagined it all during some delirious state of mind. But, the ending satisfies... I highly recommend this trilogy to lovers of fantasy and haters alike. This work is not classifiable fantasy in a strict sense, as there aren't any mythical beasts or obvious magics. It's kind of a mish-mash of fantasy, sci-fi and drama. But make no mistake, you'll reserve a spot for this classic epic right next to Tolkien. (Though I'm not comparing the two, each is a classic in it's own right).
Rating: 
Summary: Dive in, but mind that last step.
Review: The first two Gormenghast novels are unlike any other books I've ever read. They seem to be fantasy, set in a huge crumbling castle and involving a huge, crumbling aristocratic family. But unlike most fantasy, there's no quest -- no saving the princess, no strange journey, not much of a plot to speak of. It's less reading than pure immersion -- you sink into this castle and its characters, follow them about their daily lives, get to know them and the castle. Peake's prose is intensely visual; he's an eloquent tour guide, pointing out the strange sights and marvels around every corner. There is a plot, of course, but it moves slowly across the two books, detailing a scheming kitchen boy's rise to power in the decaying monarchy. As I said before, the plot's not the point -- the characters, the atmosphere, the *experience* are what will keep you reading. I've never lived in a book like I did with these. Unfortunately, the last (and shortest) of the trilogy takes a different tack with much less success. "Titus Alone" follows the heir to the Gormenghast throne as he leaves the castle and ventures into the world. Peake makes two major mistakes: he leaves behind the castle, which is the main character in the previous books, and he focuses on the picaresque plot instead of Titus' character. A little science fiction also creeps in, and seems wildly out of place. "Titus Alone" is just a series of sometimes amusing scenes. They don't develop Titus' character or introduce us to any memorable people -- a stark contrast to the first two novels, which are full of strange and wondrous folk. The notes in the edition I have say that Peak hadn't finished Titus Alone when he died, and that his estate edited it for publication, so that may explain its inferiority. My disapointment in the last book, however, doesn't affect my love for the first two. Definitely pick up these books and dive into Peake's strange world -- but mind the shallow water at the end.
Rating:
Summary: a constant source of amazement
Review: It's a lamentable shame that Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" became the template for the subsequent development of the fantasy genre. If later authors had looked to Peake's Gormenghast books as their model, we might have a great deal more good literature in the world, and fewer orc-slaying fests with silly prophesy-driven plots. The Gormenghast world is richly imagined and beautifully described. The characters are unforgettable. This trilogy is one of the great achievements of 20th Century English literature.
Rating:
Summary: Master of Macabre
Review: Wicked, vile, helpless and beautiful,"Gormenghast" is the most exhillarating book you will ever read. It pierces your heart and holds it there, and its emmense depth drowns you in a black amazement. Mervyn Peake's Magnificent flight of gothic fantasy will have you writhing in your seat and gasping for breath. Unbelievable. It will make you laugh but you will feel as is you shouln't. Crystalline, clear, and yet dark as Hell, The awesome and complicated characters are brilliant. The Gormenghast trilogy is surely the most imaginative and wonderfully sculpted book of all time, and Peake delivers it with an icy control that never wavers. It will astound you, and its fistfuls of granite description and imigary will knock you cold. It struck chill to my very marrow.
Rating:
Summary: A Cornucopia of Oxymorons...
Review: This trilogy is truly a cornucopia of Oxymorons...It is the most sparsely opulent, grotesquely beautiful, and complexly simple book I have ever read...I simply cannot put it down...
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