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A review by djinn_n_juice
Titus Alone by Mervyn Peake
3.0
Although the three Gormenghast novels are now thought of as a trilogy, I wonder how appropriate this designation is. Peake's intention with the series was to tell the entire life story of the character Titus Groan, and he was working on the fourth book in this series at the time of his death. He planned to write five volumes in the series, the fourth and fifth being "Titus Awakens" and "Gormenghast Revisited." Clearly Peake didn't think of this book as the conclusion to a trilogy, but a middle-section in a much larger work.
Aside from that, the first two books in the series, Titus Groan and Gormenghast, tell a more-or-less complete story about the bizarre happenings at Gormenghast castle during Titus's youth. These two books, when taken together, form a complete story with a satisfying resolution. I have trouble seeing Titus Alone as part of this 'trilogy' because the storyline has very little connection to the first two volumes.
In this book, Titus has set out from Gormenghast castle on his own, attempting to escape the monotonous rituals of his home. The dark, medieval setting of Gormenghast is quickly left behind, and a world full of skyscrapers, cars, airplanes and factories surrounds him. Titus quickly regrets his decision to leave home, and wishes he could figure out how to get home.
Along his way, Titus's libido starts going nuts. He has a relationship with Juno, a fortysomething woman who saves him from being arrested, and ends up leaving her because he doesn't want to settle down. Later, the wealthy daughter of a factory owner becomes fascinated by him and tries to woo him. Titus is only interested in her sexually, and this makes her super-pissed, and she formulates a remarkable and haunting way of getting revenge.
(My favorite aspect of this book is that we never know if Titus is simply mad, and Gormenghast--and the first two volumes in the series--have only happened in his mind. At no point in this book is Gormenghast's existence proven by anything he encounters in his travels, and no one has heard of it.
This book is fascinating in many ways, but it doesn't live up to the high bar set by Titus Groan and Gormenghast. Those books were lush and complex and inspire a real sense of awe at the world's strangeness, where Titus Alone is a bit sketchy and sometimes even vague. And implausible. Titus is kind of a whiny bitch, so why does everybody and their mother want to follow him on his travels? And why do they all show up at the most convenient times? It feels more like the characters are just doing what the author needs them to.
This book isn't near perfect like the first two, but it's still an entertaining read, with some characters that are as compelling in their surreality as the other books' cast. The names aren't as awesome: Rotcodd and Steerpike and Prunesqallor were names from Gormenghast castle. The characters he's meeting in this book have names like Cheetah and The Black Rose. Not as entertaining.
And I digress. If you haven't followed my reviews on this series, I highly recommend both Titus Groan and Gormenghast as must-read fantasy. "Titus Alone" is an optional third part of this 'trilogy' which makes for an entertaining and quick read, but has neither the scope nor the depth of the volumes that came before.
Aside from that, the first two books in the series, Titus Groan and Gormenghast, tell a more-or-less complete story about the bizarre happenings at Gormenghast castle during Titus's youth. These two books, when taken together, form a complete story with a satisfying resolution. I have trouble seeing Titus Alone as part of this 'trilogy' because the storyline has very little connection to the first two volumes.
In this book, Titus has set out from Gormenghast castle on his own, attempting to escape the monotonous rituals of his home. The dark, medieval setting of Gormenghast is quickly left behind, and a world full of skyscrapers, cars, airplanes and factories surrounds him. Titus quickly regrets his decision to leave home, and wishes he could figure out how to get home.
Along his way, Titus's libido starts going nuts. He has a relationship with Juno, a fortysomething woman who saves him from being arrested, and ends up leaving her because he doesn't want to settle down. Later, the wealthy daughter of a factory owner becomes fascinated by him and tries to woo him. Titus is only interested in her sexually, and this makes her super-pissed, and she formulates a remarkable and haunting way of getting revenge.
(My favorite aspect of this book is that we never know if Titus is simply mad, and Gormenghast--and the first two volumes in the series--have only happened in his mind. At no point in this book is Gormenghast's existence proven by anything he encounters in his travels, and no one has heard of it.
This book is fascinating in many ways, but it doesn't live up to the high bar set by Titus Groan and Gormenghast. Those books were lush and complex and inspire a real sense of awe at the world's strangeness, where Titus Alone is a bit sketchy and sometimes even vague. And implausible. Titus is kind of a whiny bitch, so why does everybody and their mother want to follow him on his travels? And why do they all show up at the most convenient times? It feels more like the characters are just doing what the author needs them to.
This book isn't near perfect like the first two, but it's still an entertaining read, with some characters that are as compelling in their surreality as the other books' cast. The names aren't as awesome: Rotcodd and Steerpike and Prunesqallor were names from Gormenghast castle. The characters he's meeting in this book have names like Cheetah and The Black Rose. Not as entertaining.
And I digress. If you haven't followed my reviews on this series, I highly recommend both Titus Groan and Gormenghast as must-read fantasy. "Titus Alone" is an optional third part of this 'trilogy' which makes for an entertaining and quick read, but has neither the scope nor the depth of the volumes that came before.