Reviews

Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake

bexlrose's review against another edition

5.0

Super. Almost as good as the first but lost it a little at the very end in my mind. Really like the fact that Peake kills people you don't expect and doesn't linger on it.

I wanted the sinister Steerpike to come out on top all the way through, and I'm not sure what that says about me.

4.5 stars (just dropped the 5 in the last 100 pages or so).

emlo's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I liked the first book - Titus Groan, but this one didn't grab me as much. It took me ages to read and only really enjoyed the last 150 pages or so. All the characters are grotesque caricatures. As always the stand out feature is Gormenghast itself, the weird shambolic medieval castle-town with it's ridiculous pageantry. 

unreliable_narrator's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

4.0

shaunwaldie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

wemilyebb's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

newsteadlibrary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

emmalouix's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

weevil's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

tpollack's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

3.75

ayeclaymay's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5