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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intoxicating, November 2, 2007
This review is from: Gormenghast (Book Two of the Gormenghast Trilogy) (Paperback)
This is a review of Gormenghast, that is, the second part of the Gormenghast trilogy (after Titus Groan, and before Titus Alone). After a somewhat slow beginning, in which Mervyn Peake first briefly summarizes Titus Grown by drawing up a list of which characters have died or gone missing, then introduces the reader with the plethora of new characters that are the teachers of Titus, the now seven-year-old seventy-seventh Earl of Gormenghast, the pace hopefully picks up again. And as the pages turn, the story becomes more and more exciting. Irma Prunesquallor's party, and then her romance and the way the whole affair eventually backfires on Wellgrove, although it does not push the plot further, were fun to read. Titus's growing love for his sister Fuchsia, and at the same time his attempts at shunning both the physical prison that is Gormenghast castle and the mental cage that is its sacrosanct ritual, attempts that lead him into the mysterious forest where lurks the Thing, and to the grotto where Flay has taken shelter, were passionating. Finally, Steerpike's mischievious, murderous ambition, and the others' suspicions that gradually turn into evidences, and the memorable chases in the shadowy maze of the fortress that ensue, were purely mind-boggling. Mervyn Peake's characters are so complex that in the end you like the ones you despised and hate the ones you loved in the first book. His words give life to such an amazing imagery, it vibrates and dazzles, it's intoxicating. This is magic.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MAN VS. CASTLE, July 24, 2010
This is easily one of the best books I've read. [NO SPOILERS] KEY THEMES: As the title of my review implies, "Man vs. Castle" sums up GORMENGHAST quite well. However, there are actually TWO men fighting the castle, in different ways and for different reasons. First there is Steerpike, an ambitious youth who is fighting for the chance to rule the whole castle and all those in it. Then there is Titus Groan--the youth who is not-yet-but-almost of age to rule the castle like his father before him--who is fighting the very traditions that are part of everyday castle life. Where Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New World (P.S.) and We (Modern Library Classics) are dystopias of the future, GORMENGHAST could be viewed as a dystopia of the past--a world where the masses are--supposedly--happy but where there is at least one who thinks that a better life can be found. SETTINGS: Although most of the story takes place in Gormenghast Castle, many new parts of it are explored and described in detail. In addition, there are also several trips to the claw-shaped Gormenghast Mountain. CHARACTERS: Due to the events in the first book, Titus Groan, some of my favorite characters were not present. However, within a dozen pages or so, the author introduces us to a good handful of characters that, if not better than the older ones, certainly are on a par with them. Of this new cast, one of my favorites was Deadyawn, the school Headmaster who rolls around in a chair-and-table contraption like Stephen Hawking. Then there is Bellgrove, a professor and sometime mentor of Titus, the main character. PLOT: Without spoiling anything, this second volume deals with Titus Groan, heir of Gormenghast, as he goes from boy to man (the book covers a span of about a decade). Almost equal to this plotline are the schemes and wicked plans of Steerpike. Finally, there is the legendary party that is about to be hosted by Irma Prunesqualler, a flat-chested hag who is desperately in need of a husband. OVERALL: I liked this book much better than TITUS GROAN and even though Mervyn Peake maintains his general formula of 2/3 description/detail and 1/3 plot, I still felt that what plot there was certainly engaged my mind and encouraged me to finish this book all the faster. The climax is a bit long, but certainly a nail-biter and definitely satisfying. Even better, although this book hints at the sequel that is Titus Alone, I feel that GORMENGHAST ends quite perfectly. For that reason, unless I can be convinced otherwise, I am more than satisfied with ending the series here.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fluked Opus, October 19, 2008
This review is from: Gormenghast (Book Two of the Gormenghast Trilogy) (Paperback)
Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy (or more accurately, the Titus series) is an obvious influence on several different genres of dark fantasy and modern gothic literature. In this book's predecessor, Titus Groan, Peake introduced the dark and oppressive Gormenghast castle, a monstrosity of ancient origins, so vast that one could get lost in its catacombs for months. This megalithic castle is populated by a moribund royal court that is obsessed with archaic rituals, locked into Machiavellian schemes, and completely oblivious to the outside world. This second novel follows the coming of age of young Titus, the restless heir to the throne, as he rebels against both the tyrannical architecture of Gormenghast and the stunted rituals that will soon define his existence. Like the first book of the series, Peake displays an astonishing gift for language and description, with a nearly overwhelming sense of style that really reflects Gormenghast's oppressive decay and the related psychoses of the many characters. There is a bone-chilling sense of darkness and madness here, built with subtle description of a skill level that goth horror writers could only dream about. But Peake's skillful verbiage is so meticulous in its descriptions of setting and mood that the reader nearly misses all the action and character developments. There are certainly more of those than in the first novel, especially surrounding the scheming machinations of the corrupt Steerpike and the inner conflicts faced by young Titus as he comes of age. But these developments tend to be buried by descriptions of the surrounding architecture and ambience that are so detailed as to verge on distraction. Readers who appreciate both literary fiction and mastery of language will find that Peake's brilliance rises far above the stereotypes of the several sub-genres he has influenced. But his many outstanding plot and character developments are often buried beneath wave after wave of prose that describes mood and setting a little too well, nearly to the point of exasperation for the reader. The result is a very slow-moving story with an imposing torrent of skillful prose, which may prevent many readers from fully appreciating the excitement and intrigue of Peake's masterful story. [~doomsdayer520~]
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