Continuing to mark 100 years since Mervyn Peake's birth, Naxos AudioBooks releases the second novel in the cycle series. Gormenghast follows protagonist Titus (now the 77th earl of Gormenghast) from the age of seven to 17 and describes his desire to break free from the physical and psychological constraints of the castle. Meanwhile, the Machiavellian Steerpike continues his dastardly rise to power. But will he succeed?
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"On the level of line-by-line writing, this is a magnificent book. Peake commands outrageous humor, startling imagery, deft vocabulary, and an authorial presence that is in no hurry to dazzle you, yet that's the result. I have to resist putting some favorite sentences here, there are too many, and they're probably better discovered in their context. A marvelous book, well worth rereading." — Hank (5 out of 5 stars)
"On the level of line-by-line writing, this is a magnificent book. Peake commands outrageous humor, startling imagery, deft vocabulary, and an authorial presence that is in no hurry to dazzle you, yet that's the result. I have to resist putting some favorite sentences here, there are too many, and they're probably better discovered in their context. A marvelous book, well worth rereading."
" Again Hated it - but really like the tv adaption must've been the costumes !? "
" I love Peake's writing style, although I like listening to it even better. Just watched the BBC production of this trilogy and it was very good as well. "
" This book is quirky, labyrinthian, humorous, and dark. It's a great followup to the first book that makes you want to read the third. "
" I liked this one much better than Titus Groan (the first book in the trilogy). It was still longer than it had any need to be, but at least this time I felt like there was a story. "
" series only getting better. language is increasingly stunning and dreamlike, and yet i really related to the characters, despite them being so hauntingly surreal. "
" The trilogy is simply wonderful "
" So far so good..... I really just started reading it. "
" Every time it started seeming a bit tedious, I'd run across another beautiful passage of writing or another quirky event or person and I'd start loving it all over again. "
" one day...i will finish this...butnot soon :) "
" I tried. I really tried. Reading his writing is like trying to swim through glue. "
" Preferred this to the first in the trilogy. "
" Brilliantly funny, spooky, atmospheric, fusty, tragic, thrilling, paced, complex, aware, written and fun. "
" I read all 1100 or so pages of it and several years later am still perplexed "
" First read in 1991. Have read it since and it's still good. "
" Captivating. These books draw you into the dark and disturbing world of Titus Groan. "
" I only read the first book Titus Groan and found it tedious and boring. It's not very often I find myself in such a position with any book. "
" I can't claim to have read all the way to the end of the third book. Titus Groan and Gormenghast keep your interest, especially in the author's description of the peculiarities of the society he's created. But Titus Alone was such a departure from what I was expecting that I stopped reading. "
" 1168 pages of pure awesomeness. "
" Titus Groan, Gormenghast, and Titus Alone. Great, great, and far out (but great). "
" It was an epic slog, but I did manage to make it all the way through. Interesting, but...rather dull. "
" I have got to read these books again! "
" Must be in the mood, doesn't move fast but very atmospheric. "
" BEST. VOCABULARY. EVER. I am in awe of this man's vast knowledge of the English language. And the world he creates in this trilogy was the Elsewhere I needed to escape to at a not very nice time in my life. Great books for many reasons. "
" Strange and beautiful. Unlike anything I'd ever read before. I loved Titus Groan and Gormenghast; Titus Alone was a little too science-fiction-y for my taste. I'm looking forward to re-reading the whole thing again, maybe this summer. "
" They're just not like regular books... "
" Part 1 is wonderfulPart 2 is pretty goodPart 3 is mediocre "
Mervyn Laurence Peake (1911–1968) is an author best known for his Gormenghast fantasy fiction trilogy. He also published illustrated verse and short stories for children, plays, short stories, and novels. He was awarded the W. H. Heinemann Foundation Prize by the Royal Society of Literature in 1950. He was born and raised in China until the age of eleven. He went on to study at the Royal Academy School in London, where he developed as an artist, designer, and writer. He worked as an artist on the island of Sark for several years and then returned to London to hold several exhibitions of his artwork.
Rupert Degas is an award-winning narrator and a 2022 recipient of the AudioFile Golden Voice Award. He has won numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards, has recorded the works of Peter Carey, Haruki Murakami, Andy McNab, Darren Shan, and Derek Landy, among others. He has also recorded over fifty radio productions including The Gemini Apes, The Glittering Prizes, This Sceptered Isle, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He has appeared on film and television in Dead Romantic, EastEnders, Waiting for God, Passport to Murder, Over Here, Fatherland, The Cappuccino Years, Exorcist: The Beginning, Love Soup and Shoot the Messenger. He has also lent his voice to numerous animated films and series including Mr. Bean, Bob the Builder, Robotboy, and The Amazing World of Gumball. Along with several stints in Newsrevue at the Canal Café Theatre and in Edinburgh, he has appeared on the London stage in The Boys Next Door, Are We There Yet?, Becket, Stones in His Pockets, and Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of The 39 Steps. He lives in Sydney, Australia.
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