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billcoffin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
jds70's review against another edition
5.0
Suspenseful, dream-like continuation of the adventures of Titus Groan. Titus is a young man, who has just abdicated and left Gormenghast to explore the outside, modern world. He meets new people - new friends, as well as new enemies, has a few love affairs, and discovers a world as strange and baffling to him as Gormenghast is to us. To top it all off, no one has ever heard of Gormenghast, and Titus can't tell anyone where it is - he's lost his way. Most people think he's just an imaginative man who likes to tell stories.
It was such a surreal story, I began to wonder if what was happening was real, or an hallucination; if he was ultimately going to wake up in the hut of a Mud Dweller and learn that he was found feverish on the edge of Gormenghast Mountain.
Titus Alone is shorter than the previous books in the series. By this time, Mervyn Peake was already showing signs of dementia, and his publisher was trying to work with him regarding revisions, leading to more than one version (publishers made their own revisions as they saw fit). While listening to the audiobook, I was also reading the illustrated trilogy ebook. While the ebook had 122 (short) chapters, the audiobook only had 109 (also short), so that many parts of the story were missing. Without the added benefit of the ebook, the story would've been disjointed and less cohesive. I could see in several of the chapters (some of which were only a few sentences), where Peake probably would've expanded, had he been in better health.
This didn't diminish Peak's wonderful writing. He still had the ability to describe a moment, and somehow leave the moments hanging in timelessness, like one of his paintings, creating suspense, and an inability to put the book down.
This is truly one of the most unique stories I've ever read, and I'm so glad I did! I've discovered a new favorite author, and will be seeking out more of his books, and rereading Gormenghast over and over again!
It was such a surreal story, I began to wonder if what was happening was real, or an hallucination; if he was ultimately going to wake up in the hut of a Mud Dweller and learn that he was found feverish on the edge of Gormenghast Mountain.
Titus Alone is shorter than the previous books in the series. By this time, Mervyn Peake was already showing signs of dementia, and his publisher was trying to work with him regarding revisions, leading to more than one version (publishers made their own revisions as they saw fit). While listening to the audiobook, I was also reading the illustrated trilogy ebook. While the ebook had 122 (short) chapters, the audiobook only had 109 (also short), so that many parts of the story were missing. Without the added benefit of the ebook, the story would've been disjointed and less cohesive. I could see in several of the chapters (some of which were only a few sentences), where Peake probably would've expanded, had he been in better health.
This didn't diminish Peak's wonderful writing. He still had the ability to describe a moment, and somehow leave the moments hanging in timelessness, like one of his paintings, creating suspense, and an inability to put the book down.
This is truly one of the most unique stories I've ever read, and I'm so glad I did! I've discovered a new favorite author, and will be seeking out more of his books, and rereading Gormenghast over and over again!
avneal's review against another edition
3.0
The final entry in the Gormenghast series picks up where Gormenghast left off--with young earl Titus, fresh from his hard-fought victory over Steerpike, headed off into the wilderness, leaving his family, friends, and responsibilities behind in a quest for . . . well, it's not terribly clear exactly what he's looking for, or what he hopes to accomplish. Seeing the world, I suppose, or having some adventures before returning to the drudgery of Gormenghast. He is able to accomplish both goals by leaving Gormenghast and promptly falling into a completely different book, peopled by a whole mess of loony characters living in a sort of futuristic, sci-fi, steampunk world. The book pretty much goes off the rails from there--and stays off the rails, at that--though we do meet some interesting characters along the way.
This is deeply weird book.
The previous two books have been more gothic, even fantastic in nature, full of castles and tradition and hyperbolic characters who, though ostensibly human, resemble dwarves and trolls and other mythical races more than man. The characters in this book are quirky, to be sure, from the zoo-owning Muzzlehatch to the devious and cruel Cheeta to the generous Juno, but they're nowhere near the full-bodied, living caricatures that populate the vast reaches of Gormenghast--Dr. Prunesquallor and his sister, the professors, the Countess, or Flay, not one of whom makes an appearance here. Ok, fine, I like Muzzlehatch. But the rest of them simply can't measure up to the characters we've spent two whole books getting to know.
Even more jarring than the casting change-up, however, is the switch in genres. Peake removes us from the decaying Gormenghast and plops us down in a sci fi novel, complete with death rays and factories and flying machines and fancy dress parties. It's all very strange. Granted, Peake still describes all these things in the same vaguely antiquarian language he used in the previous books, which lends all this futuristic nonsense a weirdly fantastic and extremely old tone--hence the steampunk comparison. The whole thing's a bit of a trippy mess.
Titus, too, presents problems. We spend the entire book with him (without the mercifully entertaining interludes of the foolish Irma Prunesquallor or the enigmatic Countess Gertrude) and, as it turns out, Titus? Kind of a jerk. After starting off by abandoning his family to seek some sort of amorphous self-fulfillment, he proceeds to sleep with (and leech off of, and then leave) any woman he can find. Also, he throws an absolute hissy fit any time someone doesn't pay him the respect due the Earl of Gormenghast (a place with which the inhabitants of this bizarre past-and-future society are completely unfamiliar). Hey, Titus, you know where you would get treated like the Earl of Gormenghast? Gormenghast. Self-entitled prat.
Titus's only redeeming moment takes place when he saves a girl from her abusive boyfriend (of sorts), but since he pretty much just ditches her after that, it's . . . not enough. When people help him or support his crazy claims or defend him from others, he takes it for granted. After all, why wouldn't they help him? It's his due as Earl of Gormenghast, after all.
Finally, after spending pages and pages trying to convince people (including himself) that Gormenghast is real and he is nobility, he decides to return home, to prove to himself that he's not crazy. Which you'd think would be a Wizard of Oz nod to appreciating the value of home and all that, but when he [SPOILER] finally gets close to Gormenghast and sees a familiar rock, he is reassured and wanders off for more adventures . . . without even seeing the castle, or, I don't know, saying hello to his family and friends who haven't seen him in who knows how many months. See? Jerk.
In fact, the central conflict of the book, which culminates in the self-doubt that leads Titus to almost return home, arises from Titus' own selfish behavior--when a girl nurses him through serious illness and takes care of him, he pretty much tells her he would very much like to have sex with her but doesn't care about her at all. She does not take this news well. Granted, she's not exactly a catch either--bitter, vindictive, vain, and who knows what else--but still, not a nice way to treat someone who saved your life. I think Titus has women issues. Which is not surprising, given his uniquely sheltered upbringing, but still. Dude has issues.
By the end of the book, I was more than ready for someone to drop a brick on Titus' head or something, so I could go back to hearing about Irma and Bellgrove, or Dr. Prunesquallor, or the Thing (who I fully expected to see again, miraculously resurrected in this book).
Don't get me wrong--the man can write. The book is well written, and I actually do like Peake's style (when he doesn't spend 30 pages describing, like, a hallway). Plus, this was never intended to be the final installment in the series--Peake had at least two more books planned. Maybe they would have helped. But without them, this book is just too weird for me to really enjoy.
This is deeply weird book.
The previous two books have been more gothic, even fantastic in nature, full of castles and tradition and hyperbolic characters who, though ostensibly human, resemble dwarves and trolls and other mythical races more than man. The characters in this book are quirky, to be sure, from the zoo-owning Muzzlehatch to the devious and cruel Cheeta to the generous Juno, but they're nowhere near the full-bodied, living caricatures that populate the vast reaches of Gormenghast--Dr. Prunesquallor and his sister, the professors, the Countess, or Flay, not one of whom makes an appearance here. Ok, fine, I like Muzzlehatch. But the rest of them simply can't measure up to the characters we've spent two whole books getting to know.
Even more jarring than the casting change-up, however, is the switch in genres. Peake removes us from the decaying Gormenghast and plops us down in a sci fi novel, complete with death rays and factories and flying machines and fancy dress parties. It's all very strange. Granted, Peake still describes all these things in the same vaguely antiquarian language he used in the previous books, which lends all this futuristic nonsense a weirdly fantastic and extremely old tone--hence the steampunk comparison. The whole thing's a bit of a trippy mess.
Titus, too, presents problems. We spend the entire book with him (without the mercifully entertaining interludes of the foolish Irma Prunesquallor or the enigmatic Countess Gertrude) and, as it turns out, Titus? Kind of a jerk. After starting off by abandoning his family to seek some sort of amorphous self-fulfillment, he proceeds to sleep with (and leech off of, and then leave) any woman he can find. Also, he throws an absolute hissy fit any time someone doesn't pay him the respect due the Earl of Gormenghast (a place with which the inhabitants of this bizarre past-and-future society are completely unfamiliar). Hey, Titus, you know where you would get treated like the Earl of Gormenghast? Gormenghast. Self-entitled prat.
Titus's only redeeming moment takes place when he saves a girl from her abusive boyfriend (of sorts), but since he pretty much just ditches her after that, it's . . . not enough. When people help him or support his crazy claims or defend him from others, he takes it for granted. After all, why wouldn't they help him? It's his due as Earl of Gormenghast, after all.
Finally, after spending pages and pages trying to convince people (including himself) that Gormenghast is real and he is nobility, he decides to return home, to prove to himself that he's not crazy. Which you'd think would be a Wizard of Oz nod to appreciating the value of home and all that, but when he [SPOILER] finally gets close to Gormenghast and sees a familiar rock, he is reassured and wanders off for more adventures . . . without even seeing the castle, or, I don't know, saying hello to his family and friends who haven't seen him in who knows how many months. See? Jerk.
In fact, the central conflict of the book, which culminates in the self-doubt that leads Titus to almost return home, arises from Titus' own selfish behavior--when a girl nurses him through serious illness and takes care of him, he pretty much tells her he would very much like to have sex with her but doesn't care about her at all. She does not take this news well. Granted, she's not exactly a catch either--bitter, vindictive, vain, and who knows what else--but still, not a nice way to treat someone who saved your life. I think Titus has women issues. Which is not surprising, given his uniquely sheltered upbringing, but still. Dude has issues.
By the end of the book, I was more than ready for someone to drop a brick on Titus' head or something, so I could go back to hearing about Irma and Bellgrove, or Dr. Prunesquallor, or the Thing (who I fully expected to see again, miraculously resurrected in this book).
Don't get me wrong--the man can write. The book is well written, and I actually do like Peake's style (when he doesn't spend 30 pages describing, like, a hallway). Plus, this was never intended to be the final installment in the series--Peake had at least two more books planned. Maybe they would have helped. But without them, this book is just too weird for me to really enjoy.
deadlyknitshade's review against another edition
2.0
I know Mr Peake wrote this during his struggle with Parkinson's Disease and that it was published unfinished and unedited by him which is very sad. The fact is while I'd leap in with all muskets blazing to defend the brilliance of the first two books, Titus Alone badly let me down.
Titus doesn't seem to be the young restless Earl of the two books I love. He's a whiny snivelling selfish wretch with none of the redeeming features that let you grow to love him in the previous books.
It's confusing and the characters are too bizarre. You don't get to know them. They come and go spattered with overblown descriptions and exaggerated features lacking any discernible personality or depth. You just don't care about them or have any idea what motivates them to act as they do. They change to frequently and the whole book is disjointed. It's like it's trying to be symbolic without telling a story.
I got so bored that when I reached the end I felt like I'd been released from an asylum. Such a disappointment after the first two books which I utterly love. I sort of wish I hadn't read it.
Titus doesn't seem to be the young restless Earl of the two books I love. He's a whiny snivelling selfish wretch with none of the redeeming features that let you grow to love him in the previous books.
It's confusing and the characters are too bizarre. You don't get to know them. They come and go spattered with overblown descriptions and exaggerated features lacking any discernible personality or depth. You just don't care about them or have any idea what motivates them to act as they do. They change to frequently and the whole book is disjointed. It's like it's trying to be symbolic without telling a story.
I got so bored that when I reached the end I felt like I'd been released from an asylum. Such a disappointment after the first two books which I utterly love. I sort of wish I hadn't read it.
amongstchaosshereads's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely a new fave series!
One I will have to reread again soon for sure
One I will have to reread again soon for sure
not_bender's review against another edition
4.0
A confusingly different book from the first two. That it was still enjoyable even with the jarring change of setting, unsteady cast of misfits, and all, just goes to prove that Peake was doing something right. I wish he could have stuck around to write many more, but such was not the case. We'll never get to see how the world would have turned out. His widow wrote a fourth book based on the three or so pages he had finished, but from all accounts I've read she didn't manage to quite catch the same beast that Mervyn himself had caged up for so long. As a final note, I'd say that this book felt to me more like several slightly connected vignettes than one coherent story, but that didn't detract all that much. Least favorite of the three novels? Certainly. Bad? Certainly not.
scp2316's review against another edition
2.5
I wanted to like the weird new world, and there were fragments that had the same energy as the original, but it all felt untethered without Gormenghast. This was an interesting fever dream with an irritating main character.
deimosremus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5