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Jan 01, 2014forbesrachel rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Enter into Gormenghast, a richly detailed and self-contained world, where the lives of its residents are dictated by and odd sense of decorum and routine. At the start, as we pass from place to place so to are we introduced to the next character. In every instance, a full look into the lives of the otherwise barely mentioned staff is given. Everything they do is regulated to to the point that they are dominated by their given task; they live a life of utter stability, but living is not really what they do. This is most exemplified by Lord Sepulchrave himself, whose melancholy nature is his defining quality. Each character's name reflects on their personality too. The author especially has fun with the name of Sepulchrave, being based on a sepulchre, he describes his personality, his fate, yet ironically not his physical final destination, just a metaphorical one. Another example is the cook Swelter, yet rather than portraying who he is, it refers more to his outward description. Details like this are hidden throughout, and exaggerated and lengthy metaphors dominate the majority of the book. Although consequently it is this quality which prevents events from happening in a timely manner, it is also this quality which allows for the book's very visual sense of humour. It is an odd type, more intellectual in some ways, but namely based on how clearly the scene is described, and the unusual behaviours of its characters. When speaking to others, there is a stage-like quality to their words, with things often repeated, and seemingly said in a loud voice. Everything that is spoken only emphasizes the quality of the character, and is not often used to push the story forward. Gormenghast, both the building and its inhabitants, are a single entity. A beast that is both strange, archaic, and dying from its own inability to handle change. This change comes in the form of the clever, sneaky, and ruthlessly ambitious Steerpike. It is he that is most prominent, and it is his machinations that allow for the pace of the book to pick up halfway through. Oddly enough the titular Titus Groan appears infrequently throughout the whole of the first volume. If you dislike descriptive text, this book will test your patience, but for those that push through, you will be rewarded, for few so thoroughly fill their world, and have such mastery of the English language.