The story follows on from the ending of Gormenghast, with the heir Titus leaving the flooded castle to escape his duties and change his fate. The town he finds is more akin to our contemporary times than to the medieval ruins he’s familiar with. However, there is still a fantasy element. He finds allies such as the rugged Muzzlehatch and the generously loving Juno; and enemies such as the grim abuser Veil and bitter socialite Cheeta. No one really believes that Gormenghast exists. Titus is quite a sensation and is pursued by the authorities for being a vagrant.

The chaos of the plot, horrible characters and the change in setting make this an unappealing book. Yet there are various interpretations if one cares to look beneath the surface. Coming-of-age novel, critique of high society, warning against scientific progress, political narrative of resistance, quest for identity. If you’ve read the previous two novels, you’ll probably be disappointed in this one, but I’d still say it’s worth reading.

First published in 1959. This is the 1989 Mandarin edition.

Set several years after the previous book, Gormenghast focuses mainly on Titus, heir to the decaying castle, as he begins to rebel against his fate of dreary ritual. We meet him when he is 8 and he is 17 by the end of the novel. Meanwhile, the evil and ambitious Steerpike’s plans to murder his way to the top are going awry. There is also a bizarre love story, much lingered over but arguably pointless, between the grizzled headmaster Bellgrove and the irritating Irma Prunesquallor.

At just over 500 pages of detailed scene-setting and minutely-described eccentric characters, this volume is not an easy or quick read, but is magnificent and frustrating at the same time. As I noted in my review of Titus Groan, you can enjoy the story at face value or you can try to understand it on a deeper level, particularly in the context of the Second World War. Mervyn Peake’s ink sketches of the characters are a welcome inclusion in the book but I wish there were more of them.

First published in 1950. My edition was published by Mandarin, 1989.

I made a list of all the books on my shelf I hadn’t read for at least five years (or thereabouts), generated a random number and whichever book was at that number on the list, was my next re-read. Here’s what fate chose for me…

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. I’d been thinking about reading this one again, as it’s one of my favourites. And hey presto, it was chosen as my first re-read. I still loved it this time around. I finished it just as everywhere was starting to be closed due to coronavirus.

The Bachelor by Stella Gibbons. Considering that I was intending to re-read Stella Gibbons anyway, this was a fortunate choice. Since I have several of her books on my shelf, it’s statistically more likely that she’ll come up in the results.

The Last Man by Mary Shelley. Re-reading this tragic story of a plague in the 21st century seemed an odd coincidence. I probably wouldn’t have wanted to re-read it otherwise, as it seemed a little too close to what was happening.

Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake. I’ve read the Gormenghast trilogy twice and was due for another re-read. This curious, witty and gothic piece of literary fiction was excellent escapism during lockdown.

The Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories edited by Tom Shippey. This generally excellent collection of stories spans nearly 100 years. When I opened it to re-read again, I found a post-it note from last time, on which I’d listed my favourite stories!

Remember Me by Christopher Pike. I have a few books on my shelf by the master of 90s American teen horror. It was about time I re-read one of them.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I re-read this classic every few years and since the last time was 2014, it seems that the random generator knew it was due. I’d also recently acquired the DVD, so I watched it straight afterwards and then wrote a ‘film of the book’ post.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J K Rowling and Jack Thorne. I read this playscript when it was first published in 2016 and ever since I watched it last year, I’d been meaning to re-read. J K Rowling has of course been in the news lately and although I wish she hadn’t alienated herself from many of her fans, there will always be a place in my heart for the books.

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. I previously featured this book in a time-travelling bookworm post, mentioning that I’d be sure to re-read… well, I ended up re-reading sooner than I’d anticipated!

Mysterious, tragic, funny and playfully gothic, the first book in the Gormenghast series is an impressive piece of literary fiction. Set in the ancient and decaying castle of Gormenghast, the story follows events which occur after the birth of Titus, 77th Earl of Groan. A clever and malevolent young man, Steerpike, aims to claw his way to power in the castle. For a 500 page novel, there isn’t much plot to speak of (which explains how the 2000 BBC TV adaptation covered it in just two episodes). Slow paced with lengthy descriptions, the enjoyment is in the fantastic language and the eccentric characters. The book is best categorised as fantasy and you can leave it at that. However, consider that Mervyn Peake wrote it during the Second World War. He was conscripted, had a breakdown and then used his artistic talent for the war effort. The struggles for power within the castle, the crumbling walls, the conflict between generations and the sudden outbursts of violence take on another meaning.

There is a well-known error in the book; the first name of Doctor Prunesquallor starts off as Alfred and then changes to Bernard. Most readers will notice it, I think, although the editor obviously didn’t. Apparently Peake knew of his mistake and wasn’t bothered by it. Maeve Gilmore (the author’s wife) preferred it not to be corrected in later editions.

Titus Groan is not an easy read, having some unusual words and being somewhat Dickensian in its character descriptions. I recommend it if you’re a fan of gothic fiction and enjoy language.

First published in 1946. My edition has an introduction by Anthony Burgess and was published in 1989 by Mandarin.

This was a re-read.