John's review
Titus Groan (Gormenghast Trilogy, 1)
by Mervyn Peake
John's review
Titus Groan (Gormenghast Trilogy, 1) by Mervyn Peake
John's review
rating:
recommended for: "Genre" readers, lovers of the English language
Peake's trilogy is an enigma. It's not just called "Fantasy," but "classic Fantasy." "Pioneering Fantasy." If you ask around, it's one of the most influential works of Fantasy ever. But it's not Fantasy. There is no magic. There are no strange creatures. No swords, no beastiary, and little that could be called sorcery. The story could be fine generic fiction if only it happened in a real place. But instead Peake invented his gothic landscape, and let a distinctly European sense of drama and tragedy roll over it. His language is beautiful, and despite its class is rarely stuffy. It's roomy writing. The characters aren't the roundest out there, but they hold their places well and move things along, taking us around the fall of the ruling class. It has elements of Greek and Roman plays, and a great knowledge of great art and architecture, creating an authentic world that is plausible for anyone who suspended their disbelief during anything from I, Claudius ...more
