Titus Groan (Gormenghast #1) by Mervyn Peake

Format: Audio (Audible)
Read: August 2026

Gormenghast has been living in my mental reading list for decades now. I first heard of it in some kind of BBC documentary that I clearly remember was presented by Sebastian Faulks (I remember this because I’d had to read Birdsong at school and did not enjoy it, so I had some ill will towards him!). I was most like Faulks on Fiction, specifically episode 4 on Villains (I found this clip of Joanne Harris discussing Steerpike). They made the character of Steerpike sound really intriguing and unusual, and so the trilogy sat in my Amazon wishlist for about 15 years until I got them all on a 99p deal at some point… and then I still didn’t read them!

What finally did get me to read it – or rather, listen to it – was the audiobook popping up in an Audible 2-for-1 sale, and since the narrator sounded good in the sample (always check!) I thought this format would be a way for me to experience the vibe of it, get an idea of what it is about and maybe that will spur me on to finally properly read it. And thankfully that has paid off! I was/am fascinated by this book, and I definitely plan to re-read it in print/e-book format next year.

I won’t go into much depth here because the audio format is no good for close reading, and I plan to get deeper into it when I re-read!

I will just say that this book is so unique. It’s not like anything I had read before, and yet I could recognise how much influence it has had on other writers – especially Terry Pratchett (I re-read Equal Rites last year, and that directly references Gormenghast).

What makes it unique is its awkward position between genres, and its cast of awkward characters. This felt like a book of awkwardness to be – the castle itself, the traditions, the rituals and the characters – and yet the writing is beautiful and flows wonderfully. It’s a fantasy book set in a fictional realm, and yet it has no overt magic, no great battles or quests. This is everyday life in a castle where everything is just a bit… unusual. It’s perhaps closer to weird fiction and literary character study, and yet the stunted personalities of so many of the characters make it feel oddly childlike. I think the word for this is Unreal. The way the characters so stiffly interact reminded me a little of Philip K Dick (since I’ve been reading that at the same time!), but there is unexpressed feeling here – it’s very British! There was definitely something in the family dynamics that resonated with me.

The characters are all emotionally stunted because of their strange, isolated lives within the great castle, ruled over by strict adherence to tradition and rituals. Everything they do is because they’ve always done it, never to question why. Lord Sepulchrave, Earl of Gormenghast, feels trapped by his duties and takes refuge in the books in his library. His wife, Countess Gertrude, has no interest in her family (newborn son included) and only shares her affections with her legion of white cats and black birds (she has a room full to the brim with white cats; it’s awesome). The 15-year-old daughter, Fusia, is therefore emotionally neglected and was raised by the diminutive and anxious old Nanny Slagg. Fusia finds comfort in make-believe and is childish for her age. Sepulchrave also has twin sisters who are mentally slow to the point of intellectual disability, and stew over their neglect and lack of power.

There are a few other characters outside of the Groan family who are also important to life in the castle (Mr Flay, Dr Prunesquallor and his sister Irma), but the main driver of the plot is Steerpike. He starts as a kitchen boy but seizes every opportunity in his Machiavellian rise up through the castle, manipulating each character for his own ends. He is able to recognise the needs of these lonely and therefore vulnerable people, and work that to his benefit. He is definitely a villain, but it is the cold, stale life within Gormenghast that gives him all the opportunities, and next to no resistance.

You can’t truly appreciate writing in audio format, but the descriptions were fantastic, and Peake is a master at painting a scene. He starts at the edges and vividly fills in all the details. I know he was an illustrator and did illustrations for this series; I have The Illustrated Gormenghast Trilogy with his original sketches, so I’m excited to see those when I re-read.

The narrator, Saul Reichlin, is fantastic. He brought every character to life, though I especially enjoyed his Dr Prunesquallor (“ha, ha, ha”)! I decided to roll onto the second book in the series on audio because he made it so entertaining. So while I think you can’t truly appreciate the mastery of the work in this format, it’s still a great introduction to it if you’re just looking for entertainment.

I am so glad I finally read this – I got very excited about it and kept trying to tell people about it, but nobody really understood me! I am hyped to re-read it next year.

For Law of Fives, this is the first in a series and a debut novel.