Rating: 
Summary: Highly recommended for the imaginative
Review: The power went out at my house yesterday, and I picked up Titus Groan to read by candlelight. Peake reminds some of Dickens, but he is much more eccentric than Dickens and the humor is darker. I would instead associate Titus Groan with strange and fantastic books like A Voyage to Arcturus, The King in Yellow, Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath, House on the Borderlands, some of the Zothique stories, perhaps Ligotti, maybe Brian Aldiss's Malacia Tapestry, and maybe even some Richard Adams (Girl in a Swing?, Shardik?). But I only associate it with those books because they also took me to some very very odd places soaking with strange atmosphere, but maybe they wouldn't work for you, and it is perhaps best to say that Peake is unique. Peake has an almost feverish view of his odd castle and its self-absorbed inhabitants. His descriptive technique is exceedingly different, for instance, there are birds and bird imagery on every page, and nearly everyone seems to be birdlike with Sepulchrave taking this to the marvelous extreme. While unique and marvelous, his prose is not perfect--he often overuses certain metaphors and gets a bit repetitious with his "paper" sun and moon, "sepia"-colored everything, inky shadows, towers as perpindicular rulers, pearls and strings of water, reflections in droplets and pools, "pricks" of light, and he certainly is fond of "sucking" metaphors (feet, swamps, ghost-cats, etc.), he even has "sighing" flagstones at one point. Maybe floorboards can sigh, but surely not flagstones. The twins dialog is tiresome, but I love the characters, all as lavishly and precisely drawn as, well, drawings. Making them a bit 2 dimensional. The prose goes positively delirious in Blood at Midnight and other places, but I rather like the sometimes awkward, raucous and jumbled imagery. I certainly recommend this book to anyone who wants oceans of atmosphere and absolutely vivid character archetypes that will accompany you forever through life, and jump readily to mind the next time you think you observe a bloated and perverted chef perhaps tip-toeing while whispering to a monstrous cleaver, or a totally mad king perched on a mantle hooting like an owl, or an enormous and serene earth mother with birds in her unkempt hair and a sea of cats swirling at her feet, or a mincing tittering winking yet charming doctor. Who is more marvelous than Mrs. Slagg or Mr. Flay? Anyway, I can't do justice to this book. I recommend it to anyone with a hungry imagination.
Rating: 
Summary: Underrated Masterpiece
Review: I've read "Titus Groan" twice, just as I've read "Gormenghast" twice. I read them as a reaction to Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". I actually enjoyed Mervyn Peake's story more. The characters are good because they are not cliches, nor are they heroic. I could relate to Steerpike more than Frodo Baggins. (I mean that in a good way.) In "Titus Groan" the title character is a new-born baby, 77th heir to Castle Gormenghast. In Gormenghast everything revolves around pointless tradition. In our own world we're obsessed with tradition, what with anniversaries, Easter, Christmas, New Year's Eve, etc. We don't reach the same excesses they do in Gormenghast, however. I think one of Peake's messages was that "tradition" is another word for "excuse" - an excuse to keep things the same (as tradition is the natural enemy of change), or an excuse to do things that look really stupid (slavery, trial by ordeal). The people of Gormenghast have rather empty lives, and find ways to fill their time with ancient, obscure ritual. They're obliged to follow old values, even though they don't understand them. Yes, there are a lot of unfamiliar words, but this broadens your vocabulary. The strange names of the characters make them oddly endearing. My favourite characters were Steerpike and Dr Prunesquallor. I like the way Steerpike charms the bitter twins Cora and Clarice, and cynically exploits them for his own plans. It's true that "Titus Groan" is leisurely-paced. But the castle is so fascinating and Peake's writing so descriptive, I felt like I was actually walking through those crumbling corridors. My favourite part is when Steerpike escapes Mr Flay and climbs to freedom, making his way across the "roofscape". Mervyn Peake is also one of Robert Smith's favourite writers. (Robert Smith from "The Cure", that is.) I think one of Smith's songs might have been about Fuschia actually. On his "Faith" album. If you haven't read "Titus Groan" and the other books, try them out and see what you think.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written, very hard going, is it worth it?
Review: Unlike the other negative reviewers, I have read Titus Groan from cover to cover. It is lushly written; dark; brooding; but it is so incredibly boring. There are some fantastic characters, fascinating settings, and enormous potential; but the potential is never realised. Perhaps Peake intended this, given that the premise of the book is a society so trapped in tradition that it has not changed for generations. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy good descriptive writing. If you're looking for a good storyline, look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: It never leaves you
Review: I just want to endorse the reviewers who used words like 'haunting' and 'hallucinatory'. I am planning to re-read the trilogy after a 15 year gap, and the images still crowd into my mind. The terrible kitchens, poor lovely Fuchsia, menacing Steerpike, the Hall of the Bright Carvings, Flay's knees cracking as he stalks the corridors. If you're not enjoying it, stop reading. But how sorry I am for you!
Rating:
Summary: yeh bebbe
Review: i find it funny that most of the people who dont like this havent read it all the way. i love mervyn peake, he has a vision of another world that is astounding , this is a cartoon for the mind. at times i got a clear animated picture in my head just from reading his descriptions: steerpikes walk, the millions of cats, etc. it is freaking hard to read, yes, but oh so rewarding if you follow through to the end. gormenghast is good too, but alas i havent read titus alone yet.
Rating:
Summary: I give this book six stars. I don't care if you only go up 5
Review: Dear Sirs, I commend your excellent service, but upon reading your reviews on the Gormenghast trilogy I can only express my absolute outrage AND DISGUST at some of the comments. Why? Quite simple. You have allowed critiques to appear from persons who have NOT READ THE FULL BOOK - NEVER MIND THE TRILOGY! Gormenghast is for adults, intellectuals even. It is not meant for the faint hearted. I read one page of ULYSSES by Joyce and decided I did not want to read the rest of the book. Does this give me the right to criticise it as a book not worth reading? Of course not. I fully recognise my own laziness or unwillingness to give the book a decent chance. I understand that you may want to convey the difficulty of the novel but it is TOTALLY WRONG to allow those who have not even finished the tome to pass comment which you then publish. Maybe what you are doing is illegal? I would be very careful if I were you, there are many very wealthy people in this country who may litigate on the late Mr Peake's behalf. How would you feel if I told everyone I met that Amazon.Com was useless, after having never done anything more than glance at the title page? I would like to finish by saying that Amazon.Com is not useless, it is an excellent service and the best thing is that I actually have a response mechanism to you. In case you were wondering, I have read everything by Mervyn Peake (all the way through!) and I am happy to admit that Titus Alone and Mr Bliss were no more than average. Anyway PLEASE DON'T PRINT BOOK REVIEWS BY THOSE WHO HAVE NOT EVEN READ THE WHOLE BOOKS - it will encourage laziness & illiteracy and will ultimately damage your business!
Rating:
Summary: Read this book!
Review: This work is a masterpiece. For those who enjoy the darker aspects of the human condition you need look no further.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I'm drunk. I'm tripping. I'm hallucinating on the images created by Mr. Peake. I've never read anything quite like this. I wish I could compare it to something else in literature but nothing comes close. Titus did however remind me of some images from films: Terry Gilliam(Brazil, Time Bandits), David Lynch(Twin Peaks) and the french fellows that did Delicatessen and City of Lost Children. But even these share only some of the aura. A very dark and brooding book with some very black English humor thrown in. Recommended for those who like their literature in the fantastic (Maybe Poe? Robertson Davies? Patrick McGrath?) - NOT fantasy. The Swelter and Flay confrontation gave me nightmares.
Rating:
Summary: It gets absolutely no where
Review: I admit I never finished it, as I picked it up I thought it looked interesting but it never gets anywhere, and it is VERY boring, the characters seem stupid and if you are looking for an INTERESTING book I heartily recommend you look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Superb!!
Review: This book is not for everyone. Don't read it if you're expecting another "Lord of the Rings", or something like one of the innumerable Tolkien imitations that have been written in the last 20 years. It is something quite different. I was literally mesmerized as I read this book and it's follow up, "Gormenghast". The beautiful prose transports one to a strangely fascinating land populated with bizarre characters who never the less are very human. The reader feels for these sad people, trapped in a world of complicated, arcane rituals. A light hearted escape it is not, but for those with a taste for the unusual, this is a very rewarding read. I would think that anyone who enjoys Terry Gilliam's movies would like these books.
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