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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
I'm happy to leave things where they ended in Gormenghast. Titus was never a favorite of mine and I find him to be a poor main character this time. The writing has turned into a fever dream with none of the ridiculous charm or cohesion the previous books had. The lovely dusty world of Gormenghast has turned into an oddly sleek city with elevators and machines and cars. This doesn't feel anything like the first two and sadly it's not to my taste.
And the names- to stray from gorgeous names like Prunesquallor and Flannelcat to uncreative ones like Mr. Thirst and Mrs. Grass was a disappointment.
And the names- to stray from gorgeous names like Prunesquallor and Flannelcat to uncreative ones like Mr. Thirst and Mrs. Grass was a disappointment.
I hesitated before embarking upon this. Whether it was the failed effort of a sick man or an intentional plan for a radical shift as part of some overarching trajectory is largely moot, as the outcome is a crashing disappointment. 3* is probably more generous than I actually feel, and there were flashes of the unique vision of the previous two novels, but ultimately I wish I had left this unread.
I think one day I’ll love this title as much as the other two. I think I will, if nothing else Stockholm will set in at some point, I’m sure.
The uncomfortable reality of this one is that I think quite a lot of the magic is lost when the character who wants to flee... leaves... The tension and drama dries up the moment he gets away. After that he becomes Titus Alone... in every sense. Just adrift and with that comes an imprecision that isn't familiar to the reader from the exactness of the previous two books. And I’m still in so many minds as to whether that works or doesn’t.
I think I feel that reading this is like reading fanfiction, in a sense. The character that purports to be authentic but feels artificial in some way. Boy in Darkness both is and isn’t Titus. It is him, but there is an added veil outside the setting. But here Titus is very clearly presented and I find it hard to recognise him. And I feel horrible saying all this because it still has so much skill to the writing, pared back from the flamboyance used in the first two novels. More streamlined. It has pace and motion. A certain lack of clarity in places like motion blur. There is an undeniable presence of Peake within it, but he also feels so much more distant here.
And there’s a sexual element that is entirely natural for a 20-year-old Titus. But it seems like an awkward gear shift.
Throughout the book there is this question of ‘certainty’ at work. The fear of madness is, in a sense, a fear of being wrong about the world in some simple and obvious way. He holds on to what he is, where he is from. Totemic in the shard of flint. But then action removes the question and he just cruises on.
This is powerful to me. I have my own issues with mental health and I struggle, keenly aware that I too will follow that path towards an eventual miserable disorientation. It keeps me stocked with nightmares.
I guess the message is very much one of ‘we are only a thing which acts upon the world be it the action of ritual or the spontaneous reaction to events’. Trying to theorise yourself wastes time.
Here concludes a journey, the path of which was never finished. Gormenghast is better for Titus leaving, because it cements it as a place of madness. Peake really gave a priceless gift to us and I will reread it until my own end.
The uncomfortable reality of this one is that I think quite a lot of the magic is lost when the character who wants to flee... leaves... The tension and drama dries up the moment he gets away. After that he becomes Titus Alone... in every sense. Just adrift and with that comes an imprecision that isn't familiar to the reader from the exactness of the previous two books. And I’m still in so many minds as to whether that works or doesn’t.
I think I feel that reading this is like reading fanfiction, in a sense. The character that purports to be authentic but feels artificial in some way. Boy in Darkness both is and isn’t Titus. It is him, but there is an added veil outside the setting. But here Titus is very clearly presented and I find it hard to recognise him. And I feel horrible saying all this because it still has so much skill to the writing, pared back from the flamboyance used in the first two novels. More streamlined. It has pace and motion. A certain lack of clarity in places like motion blur. There is an undeniable presence of Peake within it, but he also feels so much more distant here.
And there’s a sexual element that is entirely natural for a 20-year-old Titus. But it seems like an awkward gear shift.
Throughout the book there is this question of ‘certainty’ at work. The fear of madness is, in a sense, a fear of being wrong about the world in some simple and obvious way. He holds on to what he is, where he is from. Totemic in the shard of flint. But then action removes the question and he just cruises on.
This is powerful to me. I have my own issues with mental health and I struggle, keenly aware that I too will follow that path towards an eventual miserable disorientation. It keeps me stocked with nightmares.
I guess the message is very much one of ‘we are only a thing which acts upon the world be it the action of ritual or the spontaneous reaction to events’. Trying to theorise yourself wastes time.
Here concludes a journey, the path of which was never finished. Gormenghast is better for Titus leaving, because it cements it as a place of madness. Peake really gave a priceless gift to us and I will reread it until my own end.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it's a mess.
Utterly irredeemable? Probably not, but not worth a read in my opinion, unless you're deeply curious about what might have been a potential third novel and don't mind digging up a poor draft to get one. The book is impatient about revealing itself to you, and it comes across as jarring as a result.
Now, I get that the author was going through some serious struggles at the time of writing this, so I'm not going to pretend it only boils down to a miss. It's actually quite amazing how much Peake managed to do at this moment of his life. There are great images and some ideas here and there that do have potential, but very little of it actually goes somewhere. As I see it, this feels like a book of what-ifs rather than of genuine substance.
So, sorry, but I'll recommend skipping it.
P.S: I also wanted to say that Muzzlehatch is one of my least favorite characters in anything in a minute. What the hell was his deal...
Utterly irredeemable? Probably not, but not worth a read in my opinion, unless you're deeply curious about what might have been a potential third novel and don't mind digging up a poor draft to get one. The book is impatient about revealing itself to you, and it comes across as jarring as a result.
Now, I get that the author was going through some serious struggles at the time of writing this, so I'm not going to pretend it only boils down to a miss. It's actually quite amazing how much Peake managed to do at this moment of his life. There are great images and some ideas here and there that do have potential, but very little of it actually goes somewhere. As I see it, this feels like a book of what-ifs rather than of genuine substance.
So, sorry, but I'll recommend skipping it.
P.S: I also wanted to say that Muzzlehatch is one of my least favorite characters in anything in a minute. What the hell was his deal...
Tercer de la trilogia sobre Gormenghast. Diferent als dos primers llibres, més poètic i especial, tot i que no tant espectacular.