Rating: 
Summary: Don't be fooled by the ratings.
Review: After an hour and 40 minutes I had to shut the tape off. Seems as though the writer has forgotten that the plot is the most important piece of a book. Total torture. Goes nowhere. Dont do it and dont EVER compare this to Tolkien.
Rating: 
Summary: Titus Groan
Review: Castle Gormenghast is a monstrous edifice, steeped in ritual and decay. The seventy-sixth Earl of Groan, Sepulchrave Groan, follows the intricate customs of his daily life; he is the embodiment of Groan, the black heart of the castle. Today, his son, the seventy-seventh Earl of Groan is born.
And so opens the first book of The Gormenghast Trilogy. More books were planned after the third, but the fourth remained unfinished and however many else there would have been were not even begun after Peake's mental breakdown and subsequent removal from the world of literature. The Trilogy has, some fifty years after first publication, attained a legendary status within the realms of fantasy, and after reading this first book, it is not hard to see why.
The characters in the novel are few, and the action is almost entirely located within the dark walls of Gormenghast. Thanks to the oppressive, slightly mad nature of the castle, each of the characters has a quirk, or an oddity that makes them stand out, enhancing the oppressive nature of the story. No character is completely normal - in fact most of them are caricatures of a particular emotion or fault - but because of the rigidity and monstrosity of Gormenghast - a point that is rammed home at every possible occasion - we can accept this. Thus Flay's character being little more than of mix of Devotion and Taciturn with a dash of Creaky Knees, we are able to identify and even feel sympathetic with the pathetic man. Fuschia, the neglected and only daughter of Groan, is teenage-angst personified, but again, thanks to the skill and grace with which Peake writes, we are able to look past these stereotypes and instead appreciate the characters for who they are. As the story unfolds, we are allowed deeper into the minds of the primary characters, and while they never really stray from the broad strokes with which they are initially painted, they do develop and grow, the plain shades of archetype deepening to the lush hues of characterisation.
Peake has an exceptional talent with words. Sentences and whole paragraphs are marvels of literary concentration. While writing Titus Groan, it is clear that he picked a primary theme - despondency, oppression, darkness - and these unhappy emotions cover the narrative like a dark, heavy cloak. Yet - and herein lies his skill - the writing never degenerates into third rate, melodramatic angst. It always manages to remain of a very high quality. Peake is an author who manages to capture the sick beauty of darkness with grace.
The story involves the first few years of Titus Groan's life. In the steady, unending ritual of Gormenghast life, the birth of a new Groan is a major event, and this sets the castle in motion. Perhaps unused to change, the characters are slowly presented with an increasing number of new and dramatic events, and some of the stalwarts are unable to handle such times. Steerpike, a young upstart - in every sense of the word - takes advantage of the events at Gormenghast, insinuating his way up through the ranks of the major servants and minor Groan family members with horrifying efficiency. While his story is not resolved within the first book, it is clear that the cunning young man will play an important part in the trilogy.
What Peake has created with the first book of his trilogy is a crumbling edifice of decay and torment, a monstrous, dark epic that is harrowing in its beauty. While the genre of fantasy may turn off literary purists - I myself had trouble at first - there is really no excuse for not plunging yourself into the disturbing halls of Gormenghast.
Rating:
Summary: Titus Groan
Review: How can you describe Gormenghast? I don't really think that you can... All I can do is kind of give an overview over what it's all about...There's a kitchen boy named Steerpike. It's like hell in the kitchens... believe me. Even description wise... so Steerpike, at his first oppurtunity runs away. He escapes into the castle's upper stories, and then onto the roof... where he stumbles into Lady Fuschia's private rooms. What follows is his conniving struggle to achieve power by stepping on anyone that happens to be in his way. First, by apprenticing himself to the resident doctor, Prunesquallor, then by becoming the 'reverant subject' of the two twin sisters of the reigning monarch, Clarice and Cora. He persuades them to burn down their brother's library, and they do... and, as Steerpike planned, the entire royal family is in the library, with locked doors, when the fire is started. To gain favor, Steerpike saves everyone from the fire, and afterwards is declared assistant to the new librarian. (Since they don't have a library, he's also called the Master of Ceremonies... Gormenghast HATES change. They do everything the same way, all the time...)
Rating: 
Summary: Do you really like fantasy?
Review: I certainly won't say that "You don't REALLY like fantasy if you don't like this book." However, giving this book a try will help you self-identify, as to whether you want "The same again, please" as a fantasy reader, or, instead, might be ready to explore a new world of the imagination that exploits the freedom inherent in the genre. There's hardly a more slowly-paced book in the language; perhaps the best way to approach it is in the expectation of a long series of vivid, strange scenes. I hesitate to use the word "surrealistic," because that often has the connotation of sexual neurosis (real or pretended). The comparisons with Dickens are apt, but the closest analogue known to me might be Gogol's masterpiece (read it in the delightful Pevear-Volokohonsky translation), DEAD SOULS. In both books you have the idea of people who live in isolation (the Gormenghasters in various nooks of the Castle and its environs; Gogol's oddities being residents of isolated Russian estates before the abolition of serfdom). Both authors enjoyed concocting weirdly funny names for characters. Both authors "withhold" -- Peake keeping the narrative pace so slow that Titus is only 1 1/2 at the end of the book; Gogol keeping us in the dark about Chichikov's scheme. Both authors have deceptive rogues as main characters (Steerpike, Chichikov). Both did relish a kind of bizarre vividness. Finally, Nabokov's little book on Gogol says that the Russian concept of "posholost" is central for Gogol: meaning that something is outwardly impressive or charming, but really is second-rate or worse, is empty, is life-diminishing. That fits the Gormenghast rituals. Frankly, if you've never read Gogol's comic masterpiece, you should consider giving that one a try; but if you love fantasy, you ought to look into Peake, too. There are a few places where Peake's imagination doesn't seem engaged: the Keda-Rantel-Braigon thing is not successful. But that takes up maybe 25 pages at most.
Rating: 
Summary: got patience?
Review: I do like this book. However, I don't think it should even be considered as being on par with Tolkien. It is descriptive writing at its best--Peake creates some incredibly gorgeous imagery, and if you like character studies...this would be a great book. It is however sorely lacking in plot development and in terms of themes etc it doesn't gives you much to consider. It's a rich book with a lot of icing but contains precious little cake.
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: It is going nowhere....
Review: I read this book because it was frequently mentioned to be (together with the Lord of the Rings) one of the books that are at the root of modern fantasy. In my opinion this book could be placed in other categories as fantasy. It has nothing to do with the sort of novels i consider fantasy. Yes, mister Peake can describe things in an excellent way, and his world does keep some promise. But in this first novel he does very little with it. So i guess i won't read the next (unless i am completly without other interesting books to read). this definitely is not my cup of tea and if you like books written for example by Tolkien, Jordan or Martin, you should get this from the library and try it for free instead of buying.
Rating:
Summary: The book that converted me to the fantasy genre..
Review: Spectacularly imaginative! I loved the dark world of Gormenghast. Peopled with larger than life characters it's among the most vividly written books I've ever read in any genre. Until I read this book I was admittedly skeptical about the fantasy genre as a whole, but after reading this stunning book I realized there was a whole world of writing out there I'd overlooked. A stunning, stunning book.
Rating:
Summary: Before Goths there was Mervyn Peake
Review: The Gormenghast Trilogy consists of two wonderful books, Titus Groan and Gormenghast, and one dreadfully confused book Titus Alone. I recommend the reader work through all three but really, the first two can be read alone perfectly satisfactorily.
Mr Peake invokes an ancient castle set in no particular time where ritual has become as much part of the fabric of life as food. For Titus, young heir to the kingdom, there is no escaping the drudgery of court life. Every day of the year his movements are proscribed by the ancient tomes that are cared for and interpreted first by Sourdust, then Barquentine and finally the arch villain, Steerpike. The atmosphere is Gothic, surreal, as menacing and slow as a quicksand. The characters are bizarre freaks moving against the dark, grim backdrop of the castle. Overwhelmed by all this tradition, Titus rebels and quickly finds himself at odds with the very fabric of his ancient home. His allies and his enemies take their sides and begin their macabre dance and, to use Mr Peake's phrase, 'Titus is wading through his childhood.' Fantastic.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, wow... what a fantastic world Peake creates.
Review: There is not one author who can write like Mervyn Peake. This man had such a command of the english language that when he writes, he creates vivid images and pictures in your mind that no other author can do. People told me Anne Rice and Tolkien would compete, but by far and away Mervyn Peake is just a master at story telling and imagery. Titus Groan is just one heck of a read - it's thoroughly enjoyable and definately worth the time to read. When reading, read slow and take it all in. It's worth it.
|
