Titus Alone (Gormenghast trilogy)
£3.00
A fantastic book - I strongly disagree with the other reviews here that it is the weaker book. It has to be taken in context with what was happening with Peake at this time (he was very ill) and many things which were part of his life come into play in the book such as his experiences on entering Belsen. For me it is my favorite book out of the trilogy because it is more personal.
Persevere! - Although I will admit that Titus Alone is the weakest of the Titus trilogy, I cannot describe it as a disappointment, as have previous reviewers. Although while writing the book, Peake s powers were somewhat diminished by the onset of the Parkinson s disease that would tragically cut short his life, it is, nonetheless, still full of those characteristics that empower the earlier books: his humour and sarcastic wit, his portrayal of people as caricatures, yet with an intense realism and humanity, and his beautiful prose. His depiction of the mechanised world beyond Gormenghast Castle, ruled by a scientific-military elite who oppress the downtrodden masses, is as relevant now as when it was published in October 1959. It is probably this discontinuity between the world of Gormenghast and the world beyond that many people find dissatisfying, but which does still reward the reader who is prepared to follow Titus path. Titus almost-return to Gormenghast, his belief in which has led the people of the World to think him insane, is heart-achingly poignant, npt just for Titus but, by extension, for Peake himself.
What happened? - Titus Groan, and Gormenghast are possibly two of the best written books I ve ever read. Titus Alone is quite a different story. Firstly the tone has changed, Peake s descriptive and often surreal writing style seems to have let him down this time. most of the text seems inane and extremely confusing and I must admit more than once I found my mind wondering from the page in front of me. A very dissapointing end to the trilogy, it would probably be best to miss it out all together.
Most disappointing book of the trilogy - Having read and enjoyed the two previous parts of the Gormenghast trilogy, I was looking forward to the concluding part. However it didn t meet my expectations, and I found it tedious and a chore to read, although I am glad that I persevered, as the ending is probably the best and most exciting part of the book. Gormenghast itself hardly features in the book, and I was left wondering what became of the characters that I had read about in the first two books.