About halfway through it and I have to say I am quite impressed. Why isn’t this discussed more here? As far as fantasy goes, definitely seems more to the taste of this board than LOTR
> It was a long head.
>It was a wedge, a sliver, a grotesque slice in which it seemed the features had been forced to stake their claims, and it appeared that they had done so in a great hurry and with no attempt to form any kind of symmetrical pattern for their mutual advantage. The nose had evidently been first upon the scene and had spread itself down the entire length of the wedge, beginning among the grey stubble of the hair and ending among the grey stubble of the beard, and spreading on both sides with a ruthless disregard for the eyes and mouth which found precarious purchase. The mouth was forced by the lie of the terrain left to it, to slant at an angle which gave to its right-hand side an expression of grim amusement and to its left, which dipped downwards across the chin, a remorseless twist. It was forced by not only the unfriendly monopoly of the nose, but also by the tapering character of the head to be a short mouth; but it obvious by its very nature that, under normal conditions, it would have covered twice the area. The eyes in whose expression might be read the unending grudge they bore against the nose were as small as marbles and peered out between the grey grass of the hair.
>hy isn’t this discussed more here?
Because no one here reads.
Why isn't this discussed more here?
I periodically slip the novels/mervyn peake into any applicable conversation/thread just to try to get people here to read it. The writing is definitely better than a lot of novels, even classic novels, that are discussed here, but it's never really had widespread acclaim, so the legions of people here who don't actually read probably haven't even heard of it.
>The moon slid inexorably into its zenith, the shadows shriveling to the feet of all that cast them, and as Rantel approached the hollow at the hem of the Twisted Woods he was treading in a pool of his own midnight.
I remember buying the first of the series on a whim from a used book store that's long since gone out of business. OP is right, and it's a shame Peake's work isn't talked about a lot. One anon on here said it's better than LOTR and Dune, and I'd agree with that.
>One anon on here said it's better than LOTR and Dune
I'm that anon, and it definitely is. I'd say that LOTR has the better story overall, especially when you delve into the entire history of middle-earth, but Peake was far more of an artist than Tolkien was. The prose in Gormenghast is one of a kind genius level and, in my opinion, still hasn't been matched in genre fiction.
I would say Gormenghast has the better story myself, but I respect Tolkien for the worldbuilding he did. As someone who enjoys worldbuilding in my spare time, Tolkien is someone I wish I could emulate. I'd love to be able to one day create something so many people could look back on like Middle Earth.
>I'd love to be able to one day create something so many people could look back on like Middle Earth
The secret is consuming myths/histories from every culture and obsessively spending decades working on the world. It's absolutely insane how much Tolkien was able to flesh out Middle-earth, but it's not all that surprising when you consider is background and work ethic
>It's absolutely insane how much Tolkien was able to flesh out Middle-earth, but it's not all that surprising when you consider is background and work ethic
Exactly. I do some worldbuilding as a hobby every once in a while, but man, if I could just pull off a Tolkien, that'd be pretty swell. Wouldn't even want to do it for the fame, just for the sense of accomplishment.
Gets brought up every now and then in sffg, there are a few of us reading it at the moment I believe.
Titus Alone is underrated
The whole series is.
I think it threw a lot of people off since it was a lot different from the first two books. I'm just sad that we'll never get to read a finished Titus Awakes
>tfw no Fuschia Groan gf
>You'll never make Fuchsia happy by clowning around in her room in the middle of the night
Why even live?
Because you’ll ultimately cause her more grief by violating her sanctum
Yes it's good. Middle Earth is a more impressive feat of world-building than Gormenghast Castle because it can accommodate far more stories, but at the sentence and paragraph level Peake leaves Tolkien for dead. Everyone likes to quote the great baroque paragraphs but I prefer the character-revealing touches:
— 'I have done something for you already, then,' said Steerpike with the clever imitation of a smile on his face.
— Most people would have tried the handle of the door. The instinct, however irrational, would have been too strong; the first impulse of one who wishes to escape. Steerpike looked at the knob of the door for a moment. He had heard the key turn. He did not disobey the simple logic of his mind. He turned from the only door in the room and, leaning out of the window, glanced at the drop below.
— When she had finally disappeared, Steerpike leaned forward and, turning to Cora and Clarice in turn, and fixing them with close and concentrated eyes, said:
'Do you believe in honour? Your Ladyships, answer me, do you believe in honour?'
They nodded mechanically.
'Do you believe that injustice should dominate the castle?'
They shook their heads.
'Do you believe it should go unchecked — that it should flourish without just retribution?'
Clarice, who had rather lost track of the last question, waited until she saw Cora shaking her head before she followed suit.
The twins are revolting but really funny.
Fuschia's a sweetheart.
— As soon as the door had closed, Fuschia leaped at her bed and diving between the blankets head first, wriggled her way to the far end, where from all appearances, she became engaged in a life and death struggle with some ambushed monster. The heavings of the bedclothes ended as suddenly as they had begun and she emerged with a pair of long woollen stockings which she must have kicked off during the night. Sitting on her pillows she began pulling them on in a series of heaves, twisting with difficulty, at a very late stage, the heel of each from the front to the back.
I hope you live a long and happy life, Fuschia.
Steerpike's interactions in particular are one of the main reasons I fell in love with the books. Everything about his character is just incredibly well done, and his dialogue with other characters contained some of the best lines in the trilogy
>no, Anon, I don’t think it would be a very good idea to go out with you. Go away
>she actually likes you
>misses you when you're not around
>you try to have a conversation with her
>you say something you think will make her laugh
>she runs away
>never offers any explanation
>wtf
>runs outside into the garden and starts eating grass in your path
Someone here once described Gormenghast as a kind of secret handshake. Most people will have no idea what it is, but for the few that do it is something very, very special. Personally, the Gormenghast trilogy is the very peak (heh) of genre fiction, something that is completely unique and has never been matched by any other. A truly brilliant set of novels.
can I have more pages like this, like a diary with writings and drawings together, but not purpose made for aesthetics like those cringy modern scrapbooks?
Bumping based thread.
A thread where people actually read the book and like talking about it is fairly rare