Titus Awakes: The Lost Book of Gormenghast(2011)

Mervyn Peake

Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels are widely acknowledged to be a classic work of high fantasy, on a par with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. In the Gormenghast novels, Peake created the vividly detailed world - at once gothic and surreal - of Castle Gormenghast, ruled by the noble family of Groan, whose heir is bound by the house's ancient rules and rituals. When Peake died in 1968, he left behind a few tantalizing pages of a fourth book in the series.

Maeve Gilmore, Mervyn Peake's widow, wrote the present novel based on those pages left behind by Peake. Fans of the Gormenghast novels will relish this continuation of the world Peake created and the lives of unforgettable characters from the original novels, including the scheming Steerpike, Titus's sister Fuchsia, and the long-serving Dr. Prunesquallor. The book picks up the story of Titus, the 77th Earl of Groan, as he wanders through the modern world. Published exactly one hundred years after Peake's birth, this strikingly imaginative novel provides a moving coda to Peake's masterwork.