Peake's Gormenghast series should be on the reading list of every serious fantasy fan. His descriptive writing is superb, and the combination of quirky, likable, and yet absurdly grotesque characters and gothic setting are truly unique.
This book continues the adventures of the survivors from the cast of characters introduced in Titus Groan. It builds on the strengths of Book I, within...
more Peake's Gormenghast series should be on the reading list of every serious fantasy fan. His descriptive writing is superb, and the combination of quirky, likable, and yet absurdly grotesque characters and gothic setting are truly unique.
This book continues the adventures of the survivors from the cast of characters introduced in Titus Groan. It builds on the strengths of Book I, within the framework of a more conventional plot (with Titus as the protagonist and a much less ambiguous Steerpike as the villain). An assortment of professors are introduced as new characters to provide comic relief and an opportunity to observe Titus' growth and development.
I found it a bit of a slow read, (which is not to deny that there are several amazingly compelling scenes, ranging from the magical pageantry of Titus' birthday masque to the pulse-pounding pursuit of Steerpike through the labyrinthine passages of the castle). But it's a book where the reader's persistence is rewarded in a big way.
The Prunesquallors' soiree and subsequent love scene in the garden provided one of the funniest interludes I can remember reading in any book, ever.
hide
Yes (0) 
No (0) 
