Slottet Gormenghast (1950)

Second book finds Titus rebelling against the castle. He finds Flay. He loses his sister. Listened to audio read by Simon Vance. Good job! Gormenghast is the name of the castle which is by its description, gothic and has a medieval feel to it. The castle is remote and surrounded by topography that protects it or holds the inhabitants from the outside world. It is surrounded by water; seas, rivers which makes it an island of stone amid water which plays a key role in the story. The impression is that Gormenghast is stagnant, insular and introspective. The inhabitants engage in pointless rituals that they have long forgotten the purpose. In the second book, Titus is a young He of 7 in the beginning of the second book and 17 at the end. Titus does not want to continue in the endless and pointless rituals. Steerpike is the other main character and is the second to Barquentine who is master of ritual. There is quite a bit murder and violence in the novel. British author, died before the completion of his series. The last book was completed by his wife. ( )

A fantasy written for the complex minds of adults; what a concept!

The hormone levels in this novel are low enough to be fatal to any Sarah J Maas heroine; they'd just wither and crumble (((((((((((in an elegant, luxurious and opulent way, of course!))))))))). For some reason Peake forgot to add the token badass female character. Oddly enough, this book does not end with a group of amazing teenagers saving the world from ultimate evil.

That's right, in the past, authors were capable of writing books that weren't complete formulaic, egregious shit. Publishers actually paid professionals to edit the books for quality control and the best reading experience. Not that the publishing industry needs to worry, I stopped eating at McDonalds in 1985 and they're still in business. So continue to produce those fine, high quality McBooks to meet the demands of the masses for easy, nutrition-free, fast, fast, fast consumption!

I'll be fine. I have two shelves of books ready for me to read. Second-hand books purchased from small sellers who understand the obscure tastes of discriminating readers. I prefer to spend my big, fat, middle-aged discretionary income with those types of businesses. As a result, I get five to ten used books for the same price as a new book. The quality of the material I receive is far greater in proportion than the quantity.

Plus, I plan to re-read this book.........multiple times........because it's complex........and beautifully written..........full of bizarre and wonderful characters. I loved this book. ( )

Merciless scheming
all undone by one harsh word
dead in the water. ( )

This classic fantasy still feels almost like allegory and real history wrapped around some of the most beautiful prose in literature.

Seriously. The prose is really fantastic. The names of things are both evocative and as predictive as shadows upon the wall: outlines and no substance.

The same is not true for the characters or the story itself. Titus has many mini-adventures from his childhood through his young adulthood, culminating in his ever-present desire to free himself of his home's odd traditions, the duties that will befall him, or even just the shadow of the antagonist that caused so much ruin in the first book. Titus grows up, and this novel is not just a simplified coming of age story. It's as complicated and real life, as full and ripe as all the greatest stories ever told, and it ends with great and satisfying heroism that is turned sour mainly because it only entrenches Titus in the very things he'd spent all his life trying to escape.

I feel for him. I really do.

There's so much tragedy in Gormenghast, and yet the whole land and the castle feels like a character unto itself, gloriously drawn and full of personality.

Anyone could read this without knowing anything about fantasy at all. It kinda transcends genres, turning into something closer to magical realism in traditional fiction despite the fact that it came out long before the term was even coined.

Truly, it isn't a book that should be missed if you're a fan of good literature. :) ( )

What makes the Gormenghast trilogy so interesting is that the life of its central character, Titus Groan, is far and away the least compelling aspect of the narrative. Were Mervyn Peake to focus wholly on Titus, he'd have written a book about a kid who feels restricted by responsibility and wants to be free of the burdens placed upon him by his heritage, a regular old story that we've heard before. What makes Gormenghast kick isn't what Titus is feeling but rather where he's feeling it. His struggles occur within the prodigious and endlessly complex Gormenghast castle, a place you could spend a lifetime exploring and never fully understand.

I rarely am interested in the setting of any particular novel. I care much more about the characters and how they think and act rather than where they might happen to be standing. But Gormenghast castle is an exception for me, because its bizarre grandeur is crucial to and inseparable from the people that reside within it. Only Gormenghast could withstand the physically imposing Countess Groan and her loyal menagerie. Only Gormenghast has the space to hold all of Fucshia's dreams and Steerpike's schemes. It's a structure that takes its outlandish personalities and gives free reign to their eccentricities, and most importantly, it's a really fun place to read about.

There are a few minor differences between this volume and its predecessor (Titus Groan). My favorite of these is the introduction of Gormenghast's teaching staff. They provide an abundance of levity in what becomes at times a fairly grim story. Peake seems to have a lot of fun naming all his characters, but Opus Fluke is the best of the bunch. I want to be named Opus Fluke.

I'm not quite sure when I'll read the third book in the trilogy. While Peake is a brilliant writer, I'm not too excited that in the divorce between Titus and Gormenghast, Peake decided to follow Titus. If I have a choice between reading about Titus crankily shirking responsibilities or Opus Fluke getting a gallon of red dye dumped down his throat for laughing too hard, I know which way I lean. ( )