"A gorgeous, volcanic eruption . . . a work of extraordinary
imagination." --New Yorker
"The true fantasy classic of our time." --Washington Post
"His inventiveness, his ingenuity, and his humor are astonishing."
--San Francisco Chronicle
A doomed lord, an emergent hero, an array of bizarre creatures, and an
ancient royal family plagued by madness and intrigue--these are the
denizens of ancient, sprawling, tumbledown Gormenghast Castle.
Within its vast halls and serpentine corridors, the members of the Groan
dynasty and their master, Lord Sepulchrave, grow increasingly out of
touch with a changing world as they pass their days in unending devotion
to meaningless rituals and arcane traditions. Meanwhile, an ambitious
kitchen boy named Steerpike rises by devious means to the post of Master
of the Ritual while he maneuvers to bring down the Groans.
In these extraordinary novels, Peake has created a world where all is
like a dream: lush, fantastical, vivid; a symbol of dark struggle.
Accompanying the text are Peake's own drawings, illustrating the whole
assembly of strange creatures that inhibit Gormenghast.
The Gormenghat Novels (which includes Titus Groan, Gormenghast,
and Titus Alone) has been included in Fantasy: The 100 Best Books,
Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels, and 100 Must Read Fantasy Novels as
one of the greatest fantasy works of the twentieth century. Literary
critic Harold Bloom has praised the series as the best fantasy novels of
the twentieth century and it is often compared to J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord
of the Ring series.
Breathtaking in its power and drenched in dark atmosphere, humor, and
intrigue, The Gormenghast Novels is a classic, one of the great works
of 20th century British literature. This edition includes introductory
essays by Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange, and famed
humorist Quentin Crisp.
