The Gormenghast Novels [Paperback]

Grotesquery pervades nearly every passage, but not always of a revolting kind. Moments of great humor, suspense, dread, and outrage drive the story, with an engaging plot threading through the first two installments. The third breaks abruptly from the rest of the trilogy, and I don't pretend to understand why Peake chose to go in the direction he did. This is not to say that the third part is bad - it is quite good - but the continuity with the previous parts is nearly entirely cut. There remain strong thematic connections, and I do perceive an overall relationship and point, but I remain confused by the shift nonetheless. Perhaps you won't be.

I do not recommend this book for anyone looking for a page turner or who is put off by an unconventional style. Gormenghast is like a huge panoramic painting in words. Don't look for a linear, action-driven structure. Just dive in and let Peake's unparalleled prose transport you to one of the most complex and bizarre psychological landscapes around.

This edition also includes some critical essays by prominent writers. I have not finished reading these, but they appear very worthwhile.

Some of the reviewer's talk about all the symbolism, but I'd recommend reading the book just for the fantasy of it and the wonderful prose of Mr. Peake. Some reviewer's talked about how it was slow moving and boring. At times the pace of the book did slow, but in those times read for the beauty of the words and the vivid picture that is painted by those words.

This is a collection of three books, Titus Groan, Gormenghast, and Titus Alone. I will admit that I enjoyed the 1st two books much more than the last, Titus Alone. Titus Alone seemed to take such a departure from the first two that I had a hard time relating it back to the first two.

I'd recommend these for someone who wants to get lost in another world.