Customer Reviews

Letters from a Lost Uncle

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I read "Letters from a Lost Uncle" after reading the Gormenghast books, and I thought it was absolutely fantastic! The story revolves around a one-legged man who is searching for a White Lion in a distant and icy land, accompanied only by a creature he acquires along the way, as well as his journal. The man writes several letters in his journal, partly as something to send to a nephew he has never seen, and partly to entertain himself on his long and arduous trip. Every page consists of text as well as beautiful artwork, and the story is bizarre, fascinating and hilarious all at the same time. This book, being more for children but probably read more by his adult fans, is a much easier read than the Gormenghast books, but contains all the same beauty and intrigue that made the Gormenghast novels so wonderful. It is easily read in a night but you'll remember it for a long time.

Mervyn Peake (1911 - 1968) first sparked my interest when I watched a very bizarre, yet intriguing BBC adaption of his Titus Groan and Gormenghast novels.

I happened across Letters from a Lost Uncle while searching for more of his works, but, unfortunately, this book is out of print. I found a copy on the Internet, but you may be able to obtain one at your local library or used bookstore.

The format of this story is very original. Peake drew all the illustrations himself-one on each page-and then overlaid each with a section of typed text (and sometimes a handwritten note). This effect makes the feel of a journal even more realistic.

Story overview:

A man, lost in the frozen polar wastes, sits in his igloo, hunched over a typewriter, and hacks away at the keys. Why? Because he is writing a journal for his nephew. You might think that this is a nice thing to do, however the explorer makes it clear that he hates doing it, and the only reason he is -- is to have someone keep a record of his adventure.

After the loss of his igloo, he escapes on a kayak to continue his adventure of locating the mysterious White Lion, who apparently no one but himself believes exists. The man's only companion is a tortoise-like mutant, named Jackson, who he has harmlessly hammered several nails in the back of his shell so that the creature can carry the man's things; including his typewriter.

Facing many frightening obstacles, the adventurer records each event while providing an explanation of his impossible escapes. In addition, he shares a little backstory for his nephew so that the boy can have some understanding of where he's coming from.

My thoughts:

This is a very creative story. I would not call it a page turner, but I would say that it kept my interest. I particularly liked the various coffee spills and such that Jackson caused to the man's illustrations, and the visible spelling and grammar corrections, which made it all the more convincing.

James D. Maxon

[...]

The author of the Gormenghast trilogy produced his greatest work with this unassuming work. It is an outrage that it is currently out of print. The artwork is astonishingly funny and surprisingly (or maybe not so surprising given the author) evocative of the distant lands where the hero's adventures take place. A book to treasure along side the great works of fantasy of the 20th century by such authors as C.S.Lewis and Tolkien.