Gormenghast

Mervyn Peake’s writing is unusual. In Gormenghast he creates a bizarre world of weird hierarchical rituals, peopled by eccentric characters, each one singular in a different way. What really brings this novel to life is Peake’s wonderfully rich prose, as he describes the destruction of an ancient social structure.

Of all the fantastical worlds I have been drawn into, Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy has stayed with me the longest, in all its gothic, gloomy glory. It's the story of young Titus Groan (the name says it all!), the next Lord of Gormenghast, a claustrophobic, decaying, sprawling castle cut off from the outside world and steeped in bizarre rituals and dark intrigue. I suspect that J.K. Rowling was influenced by Gormenghast when she began the Harry Potter series. Don't expect heart-stopping adventures, though; read it for the atmosphere and the stunningly imaginative writing.

Regarded by many as one of the best fantasy series of the twentieth century, Gormenghast is a gothic masterpiece. The setting is a vast, isolated and largely empty castle in a remote earldom, ruled by the Groan family since time immemorial. The eccentric inhabitants rarely venture beyond the castle walls and engage in Machiavellian intrigue. They live out their lives performing numerous rituals whose purpose is long forgotten.

The story spans the first seventeen years of the life of Titus Groan, heir to Gormenghast, who begins to question his pseudo-medieval surroundings and what lies outside.

The book draws the reader… show more.