Ghormenghast?

Hanz123 · 05-14-2002, 04:45 PM

What do you people think of the Gorgmenghast trilogy (Mervyn Peake). Is is officialy classified as fantasy I think, although most people will not recognize it as that. Perhaps because it is not really a recent book, 1946, but hey neither was LOTR.

I really loved it. It is more some sort of a inner phycotic tormenting adventure for each of the characters. The last book is somewhat of a anti-climax however. Anyway what do you think about it.

Sunden · 05-15-2002, 04:45 PM

I found the first two books exceptional, but I couldn't even stand the last book, and didn't even complete reading it.
I would recommend, however, the 'Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn' trilogy.
Probably my favoirate books

The dragonbone chair
The Stone of (can't remmeber

)
To Green Angel Tower: Siege
To Green Angel Tower: Storm

Melusine · 05-16-2002, 05:03 AM

You've good taste! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

I started a topic on Gormenghast in this forum already, click here to find it. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Albromor · 05-16-2002, 11:25 AM

Hmmm, I might have to look at this trilogy again. I tried to read it when I was in my late teens but I got so bored with it. Now that it is several - many severals - years later perhaps I'll be able to "get into it." Only one thing concerns me and that is I have heard from many different sources that the 3rd book is a BIG let down. Without giving too much away, why would people say this about the third book Titus Alone? I am getting sick of starting series only to get bored or throw up my hands and say enough you should have ended back such and such, i.e., Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Too many epics get quagmired and become epically boring. or that writers for some reason lose their focus. They start out so well and then it is like they forget what they had in their mind from the beginning. Is this what happened in Titus Alone?

Hanz123 · 05-16-2002, 03:31 PM

Well personaly I think the third book is somewhat of a letdown, but the first two are more the worth it. Thing is, and I looked it up, the first two books are written in 1946 and 1950 and are more of a continueing story. The last one is written in 1959 (the point where the writer lost foces as you said), and is in fact more a story on it's one with a connection the first two, only because a character playes along but in a complet different setting. Haveing in mind the original setting, the castle, is one of the strongest aspects of first two.

well to end this liturary speech: read the first two, begin with the third and after 20 pages decide if you wan't to go on. The idea you get from that first 20 pages, gives you a good idea what the rest will be like. The last book isn't totally bad however, just in comparison with the former it sticks out somewhat odd. I can imagine people would like that one especially.

[ 05-16-2002, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: Hanz123 ]

05-14-2002, 04:45 PM	#1
Hanz123 The Magister Join Date: May 27, 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 114	What do you people think of the Gorgmenghast trilogy (Mervyn Peake). Is is officialy classified as fantasy I think, although most people will not recognize it as that. Perhaps because it is not really a recent book, 1946, but hey neither was LOTR. I really loved it. It is more some sort of a inner phycotic tormenting adventure for each of the characters. The last book is somewhat of a anti-climax however. Anyway what do you think about it. __________________ If in doubt..... \"bumb\".

05-15-2002, 04:45 PM	#2
Sunden Elite Waterdeep Guard Join Date: May 6, 2002 Location: UK Age: 38 Posts: 49	I found the first two books exceptional, but I couldn't even stand the last book, and didn't even complete reading it. I would recommend, however, the 'Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn' trilogy. Probably my favoirate books The dragonbone chair The Stone of (can't remmeber) To Green Angel Tower: Siege To Green Angel Tower: Storm __________________ Head Inquisitor Of The Dark Order, Secret police of the Great Army of Evil<br />Co-Writer of Tamsin<br /><br />No-one calls me evil(not twice, at least)

05-16-2002, 05:03 AM	#3
Melusine Dracolisk Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Age: 45 Posts: 6,541	You've good taste! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] I started a topic on Gormenghast in this forum already, click here to find it. [img]smile.gif[/img] __________________ [img]\"hosted/melusine.jpg\" alt=\" - \" /><br />Your voice is ambrosia

05-16-2002, 03:31 PM	#5
Hanz123 The Magister Join Date: May 27, 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 114	Well personaly I think the third book is somewhat of a letdown, but the first two are more the worth it. Thing is, and I looked it up, the first two books are written in 1946 and 1950 and are more of a continueing story. The last one is written in 1959 (the point where the writer lost foces as you said), and is in fact more a story on it's one with a connection the first two, only because a character playes along but in a complet different setting. Haveing in mind the original setting, the castle, is one of the strongest aspects of first two. well to end this liturary speech: read the first two, begin with the third and after 20 pages decide if you wan't to go on. The idea you get from that first 20 pages, gives you a good idea what the rest will be like. The last book isn't totally bad however, just in comparison with the former it sticks out somewhat odd. I can imagine people would like that one especially. [ 05-16-2002, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: Hanz123 ] __________________ If in doubt..... \"bumb\".

05-16-2002, 11:25 AM	#4
Albromor Mephistopheles Join Date: June 13, 2001 Location: Northfield, NJ USA Posts: 1,417	Hmmm, I might have to look at this trilogy again. I tried to read it when I was in my late teens but I got so bored with it. Now that it is several - many severals - years later perhaps I'll be able to "get into it." Only one thing concerns me and that is I have heard from many different sources that the 3rd book is a BIG let down. Without giving too much away, why would people say this about the third book Titus Alone? I am getting sick of starting series only to get bored or throw up my hands and say enough you should have ended back such and such, i.e., Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Too many epics get quagmired and become epically boring. or that writers for some reason lose their focus. They start out so well and then it is like they forget what they had in their mind from the beginning. Is this what happened in Titus Alone?

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