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aliehsn's review against another edition
2.0
I did not like Titus at all on these adventures away from Gorgemghast
aneel0's review against another edition
2.0
The third book in the Gormenghast series turned out to be very different from the first two. It had some of the same hyper-reality that made Titus Groan and Gormenghast so appealing, but the focus on setting seemed thinner, with many more places described, but in much less detail. The world beyond Gormenghast has some striking and beguiling places, but they don't feel as real as the castle did.
The characterization was also less striking, though this was in part because Peake wasn't dealing monomaniacal characters this time around. This set seemed multifaceted in a way that was never apparent in the first two books. It was hard to understand even the major characters (with the possible exception of Muzzlehatch) in the same way that it was possible to understand Flay or Steerpike, and there were several important characters (The Helmets, Anchor), who seemed to appear from nowhere and disappear without any real explanation of their presence.
Reading the critical commentary included in the omnibus edition sheds some light on the difference. Titus Alone was published from manuscript fragments after Peake had been essentially incapacitated by Parkinson's disease. I wonder how much more density the world beyond Gormenghast might have had if Peake himself had finished it.
The characterization was also less striking, though this was in part because Peake wasn't dealing monomaniacal characters this time around. This set seemed multifaceted in a way that was never apparent in the first two books. It was hard to understand even the major characters (with the possible exception of Muzzlehatch) in the same way that it was possible to understand Flay or Steerpike, and there were several important characters (The Helmets, Anchor), who seemed to appear from nowhere and disappear without any real explanation of their presence.
Reading the critical commentary included in the omnibus edition sheds some light on the difference. Titus Alone was published from manuscript fragments after Peake had been essentially incapacitated by Parkinson's disease. I wonder how much more density the world beyond Gormenghast might have had if Peake himself had finished it.
petercchurch's review against another edition
2.0
As always, Mervyn Peake has an amazing way of describing characters and settings. Titus Alone was his unfinished novel and of course, reads that way. The book felt like a fervor dream with many disparate places and characters that are note quite developed enough to empathize with.
Certainly worth reading if you've read 'Titus Groan' and 'Gormenghast' but it's a challenge on its own.
Certainly worth reading if you've read 'Titus Groan' and 'Gormenghast' but it's a challenge on its own.
cruelspirit's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Titus Alone is the third and final entry in the Gormenghast trilogy. Released nearly a decade after the previous book it takes a sharp turn in presentation and scope. While doing so it also still offers much of Peake's iconic style. I’m ultimately conflicted in my perception of this final entry but think writing it off wholesale would be a disservice to Peake and this series.
This final book is different in many ways. It is nearly half the length of each of the previous two entries and offers short chapters rarely pushing past a page or two. Personally, these brief chapter books have never been a favorite of mine. This style often gives me very little to latch on to and can drive focus away from the narrative, especially when it jumps from character and perspective so often. This is probably the main reason I am rating this so low but that is not to say that this book doesn’t offer many other great elements.
While short, it still does offer the lavish prose that Peake made a name for in the previous books. In many ways this is still a quintessential Gormenghast book, even if in just as many ways it is not. The changes aren’t all bad. I really liked some of the more expansive ideas that push the narrative and world of Gormenghast beyond that of the first two books.
In the first two books Gormenghast stood as a solid fixture of the world. The ancient and omnipresent setting of the dramatics of its inhabitants. In Titus Alone we remove all of that pretense. Titus truly is alone as he enters a modern world of mid 20th century technology. No one has heard of Gormenghast and he is seen as an insane outsider. This is a really interesting turn in the series and one I think I would enjoy more if this wasn’t the final book. I think it is a bizarre shift and one that offers a lot of contemplation. The surreal nature has an almost inverse Alice in Wonderland take as Titus is a fantastical being entering a more contemporary society. I enjoyed this more in the first half, exploring the mystery of why he was here but as the story continued and new characters were introduced I started to lose interest.
For the flaws I found, I did enjoy the ending. I think it is a great way to show the growing into adulthood and venturing out into the world. It wraps up the series nicely but I do wish more could have been explored in further entries. This is where the actual real world takes its influence on the narrative as Peake was in declining health and could not continue the series further. A lot of people blame this drastic narrative shift on Peake’s mental state but I think that is too dismissive of the ideas explored here and it is clear that while not the same he still was capable of writing amazing passages akin to those found in the earlier entries.
Having finished the series. I’m amazed with what was accomplished here as a whole. I will be rereading these books in the years to come and I hope on returning to this entry I can find more in its intentions. On initial read, this work is in such stark contrast to the rest of the series that it’s hard not to be devoted mainly to those elements of the book.
carlosernesto's review against another edition
4.0
I was already aware of the consensus that "Titus Alone" was widely considered a severe let-down after the first two Gormenghast books, so my expectations were low to begin with. However, despite the obvious shift from those earlier works, Peake's talent, his love of language, his creativity and his knack for unique characters still shine through, so that while a little tricky at first, I soon found myself enraptured in the story just as I had with the previous novels.
It is hard to leave Gormenghast behind, both for Titus as well as the reader, and at first the feeling of reading a Titus novel set outside the realm of Gormenghast is a disorienting one. Peake doesn't make it any easier by setting the rest of Titus' adventures not in our own world (Wouldn't that be something, Gormenghast like some Gothic Shangri-la, a mythical kingdom lost to time and cartography?) but in a strange dystopian realm with a mix of old and futuristic technologies. Here he meets up with people who have never heard of Gormenghast and believe Titus to be mad. Though Titus finds new friends in this strange land, he also finds sinister enemies with he must contend. Though arguably not the ideal end to the series, especially since the ending leaves things open ended, it was still good to follow Titus' adventures for a little bit longer.
It is hard to leave Gormenghast behind, both for Titus as well as the reader, and at first the feeling of reading a Titus novel set outside the realm of Gormenghast is a disorienting one. Peake doesn't make it any easier by setting the rest of Titus' adventures not in our own world (Wouldn't that be something, Gormenghast like some Gothic Shangri-la, a mythical kingdom lost to time and cartography?) but in a strange dystopian realm with a mix of old and futuristic technologies. Here he meets up with people who have never heard of Gormenghast and believe Titus to be mad. Though Titus finds new friends in this strange land, he also finds sinister enemies with he must contend. Though arguably not the ideal end to the series, especially since the ending leaves things open ended, it was still good to follow Titus' adventures for a little bit longer.
writegeist's review against another edition
4.0
After all the intrigue, murder, and mayhem of the first two books in the Gormenghast series, Titus has turned his back on his heritage and his ancestral home, the oppressive rituals and responsibility. While I miss the brooding presence of Castle Gormenghast, Peake still has a vast repertoire of characters to inhabit the world outside of Gormenghast. However, the world outside is just as decrepit and violent, as filled with the human turmoils and angst, as Gormenghast was. It's just that none of them are relatives! You'd think it would be a little easier on Titus for that reason. Sadly, no. Titus is twisted around his decision to leave his life behind. Has he made the right choice? Clearly, Peake meant this to be a series and not just a trilogy, but medical issues stopped him from continuing. Still, it was worth the reading time. Peake's mastery of the language is worth it, and this volume is not quite as heavy as the previous ones.
munogeenairn91's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is markedly different from the first two and as a result I did not enjoy this new world as much. However like with the first two books there are some great characters. Also, did not appreciate that the author intended to write more Titus books but sadly did not get a chance to so you do not get that full circle feeling you usually get in a series
xta's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
sams84's review against another edition
3.0
Here we find Titus out in the world after he fled Gormenghast and all its rituals and duties following the deaths of his loved ones and his enemies. He is determined to live and experience all that life has to offer and in doing so he manages to get himself into various bits of trouble, as well as discovering that few have heard of Gormenghast and many disbelieve his stories of the place and the people. As he tries to convince others of its existence he finds himself drawn back to it and his duties but is swayed by the temptations of the wider world. This is less detailed than the earlier books in the series, despite the new worlds, technologies and characters that appear which is strange at first but fine once you get used to it (although I did actually miss it a little bit after how much I enjoyed the second book). Still not a bad read but far overshadowed by the second in the series.