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A review by shmole
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Not quite as amazing as the first, but still a 5 star read. The cast & castle undergoes some changes that make for an interesting read, but some of the magic is lost from the first book. The writing is dense and extraordinary, and it is abundantly clear that Mervyn Peake was a playwright. The descriptions of space and people are very visual, and there are pages dedicated to depictions of landscapes and empty rooms. While not fast paced or rousing, they still evoke a really significant sense of awe.
I never thought that I would be giving 5 stars to a book with ~3 pages describing how dead birds look in the snow, but here we are.
Favorite quote: “If ever he had harboured a conscience in his tough narrow breast he had by now dug out and flung away the awkward thing - flung it so far away that were he ever to need it again he could never find it. High-shouldered to a degree little short of malformation, slender and adroit of limb and frame, his eyes close-set and the colour of dried blood, he is climbing the spiral staircase of the soul of Gormenghast, bound for some pinnacle of the itching fancy - some wild, invulnerable eyrie best known to himself; where he can watch the world spread out below him, and shake exultantly his clotted wings”
I never thought that I would be giving 5 stars to a book with ~3 pages describing how dead birds look in the snow, but here we are.
Favorite quote: “If ever he had harboured a conscience in his tough narrow breast he had by now dug out and flung away the awkward thing - flung it so far away that were he ever to need it again he could never find it. High-shouldered to a degree little short of malformation, slender and adroit of limb and frame, his eyes close-set and the colour of dried blood, he is climbing the spiral staircase of the soul of Gormenghast, bound for some pinnacle of the itching fancy - some wild, invulnerable eyrie best known to himself; where he can watch the world spread out below him, and shake exultantly his clotted wings”