Gormenghast
Mervyn Peake
1950
Around 400 pages
This is a much needed break from all the recent novels dealing with wartime atrocities. And therein lies the beauty of the fantasy genre. It can teach us about life while providing a necessary escape from the suckiness that is reality.
The wacky crew is back, which includes one of my favorite literary villains of all time, my man Steerpike. Steerpike is continuing to wage his campaign for complete control of the castle, while Titus is being educated by a variety of colorful professors. Personally, my favorite moment was when the castle's doctor's sister decides she wants to get married. She throws a party and invites all of the school's professors in hopes of meeting a man. Honestly, Irma is an inspiration and the reaction of the men was hilarious.
I love these books, I only wish there were more of them. I am a huge fantasy nerd anyway, so I'm pretty easy to please. I adore the vibe of this world, it's strange and almost cozy in a way. Even the minor characters are enormously entertaining. A great follow up to Titus Groan, he really kept the momentum going.
RATING: *****
Interesting Facts:
Adapted by the BBC into a miniseries in 2000.
Often credited as the first fantasy of manners novel.
Translated in over 20 languages.
UP NEXT: The 13 Clocks by James Thurber
2 comments:
I loved these books! It's been a couple years, and I STILL think about the characters and the unique story/ies.
As I understand it, there ARE more books in the series. But they're not very good. So I was told by a friend who put me onto Titus Groan because he loved it so much.
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