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2006-06-08 16:30:38

Lost Soul Red Under the Bed Posts: 34	Gormenghast I'm being frightfully ambitious in hoping for a reply to a sensible question that doesn't involve shoes or cars but there's a first time for everything I suppose. Anybody ever read the Gormenghast trilogy?

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2006-06-08 21:23:02

TMBC Posts: 1	Re: Gormenghast <!--quoteo(post=81098:date=Jun 8 2006, 07:30 PM:name=Lost Soul)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lost Soul @ Jun 8 2006, 07:30 PM) [snapback]81098[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> I'm being frightfully ambitious in hoping for a reply to a sensible question that doesn't involve shoes or cars but there's a first time for everything I suppose. Anybody ever read the Gormenghast trilogy? Nope. Never heard of it 'til now. Castles and such go a bit farther back than I fancy...I prefer my historical fiction to include aeroplanes, or at least dirigibles. Speaking of which...just read the biography of a WWII Luftwaffe pilot and POW in the Russina Gulags. He was our neighbor at the Reading airshow. Not a literary masterpiece, but an interesting personal history of the depression, the rise of Fascism, life during wartime, life as a POW, and life as an immigrant in America. Yep, one guy did all that.

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2006-06-08 23:40:26

Lost Soul Red Under the Bed Posts: 34	Re: Gormenghast Please excuse my earlier sarcasm. One too many brews. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img] Anyway, I only ask as it seems that most reviewers love it. Seems to be a story without much plot but a helluva lot of attention to detail in the characters and descriptions. A kind of 'fantasy' for normal people that don't read fantasy fiction or pretend they're warlocks at the weekend. I might get it just to see. He was the chap that illustrated Alice in Wonderland. Your book sounds interesting TMBC

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2006-06-09 04:21:57

Bigcheese327 Posts: 0	Re: Gormenghast <!--quoteo(post=81103:date=Jun 8 2006, 11:23 PM:name=TMBC)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TMBC @ Jun 8 2006, 11:23 PM) [snapback]81103[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Nope. Never heard of it 'til now. Castles and such go a bit farther back than I fancy...I prefer my historical fiction to include aeroplanes, or at least dirigibles. I'm much the same, my brother enjoys all the fantasy fiction, I've always prefered time travel and alternate history science fiction. Speaking of dirigibles, have you read Michael Moorecock's A Nomad of the Timestreams? -Dave

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2006-06-09 06:07:45

TheItGirl Posts: 0	Re: Gormenghast <!--quoteo(post=81105:date=Jun 9 2006, 06:21 AM:name=Bigcheese327)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bigcheese327 @ Jun 9 2006, 06:21 AM) [snapback]81105[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> I've always prefered time travel and alternate history science fiction. This is hubby's favorite genre. You two should talk. He's been raving about SM Stirling's books lately. I have a friend who is really into HP Lovecraft (she actually owns books that once belownged to Lovecraft) who really likes the Gormenghast stories. I've always meant to read them, but never got around to it. I say try them, what's the worse that can happen?

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2006-06-09 06:49:50

Lost Soul Red Under the Bed Posts: 34	Re: Gormenghast I think I will! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] From the descriptions I've read, they sound more surrealist gothic-Dickensian than fantasy. I just don't really read modern fiction and the Gormenghast trilogy were written in '46, '50 and '59. BigCheese, I thought at least the concluding book (Titus Alone) would be up your street as it's supposedly the first real example of the 'steampunk' genre, something I'd never heard of until you mentioned it.

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2006-06-09 08:23:43

Bigcheese327 Posts: 0	Re: Gormenghast <!--quoteo(post=81113:date=Jun 9 2006, 08:49 AM:name=Lost Soul)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lost Soul @ Jun 9 2006, 08:49 AM) [snapback]81113[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> I think I will! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] From the descriptions I've read, they sound more surrealist gothic-Dickensian than fantasy. I just don't really read modern fiction and the Gormenghast trilogy were written in '46, '50 and '59. BigCheese, I thought at least the concluding book (Titus Alone) would be up your street as it's supposedly the first real example of the 'steampunk' genre, something I'd never heard of until you mentioned it. Interesting, as that would predate The Warlord of the Air by at least a decade. Warlord being the first story in the "Nomad" books by Moorecock. I may have to give them a look. Thanks for the heads up. -Dave

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2006-06-14 13:29:47

delirium Posts: 0	Re: Gormenghast Love it, LOVE IT [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img] One of my favourite books, if not most favourite! He writes like the painter he was, his descriptions are so incredibly vivid. The world of Gormenghast is so impossible yet believable. I hate and love Steerpike, laugh at the Prunesquallors, cry for Fuschia. Every time I read it I just feel submerged in that strange, contradictory, dark and colourful world. The third book is rather out of kilter with the rest, but as Peake was dying and left it unfinished it's kind of forgiveable.

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2006-06-15 17:12:28

MissPolkaDotDress Posts: 0	Re: Gormenghast <!--quoteo(post=81207:date=Jun 14 2006, 08:29 PM:name=delirium)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(delirium @ Jun 14 2006, 08:29 PM) [snapback]81207[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Love it, LOVE IT [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img] One of my favourite books, if not most favourite! He writes like the painter he was, his descriptions are so incredibly vivid. The world of Gormenghast is so impossible yet believable. I hate and love Steerpike, laugh at the Prunesquallors, cry for Fuschia. Every time I read it I just feel submerged in that strange, contradictory, dark and colourful world. The third book is rather out of kilter with the rest, but as Peake was dying and left it unfinished it's kind of forgiveable. Did you see the BBC version a few years ago? And, if so, was it very faithful to the books? I have had them on my "to-read" list ever since because I thought it was fabulous.

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2006-06-16 04:09:36

delirium Posts: 0	Re: Gormenghast <!--quoteo(post=81239:date=Jun 16 2006, 12:12 AM:name=MissPolkaDotDress)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MissPolkaDotDress @ Jun 16 2006, 12:12 AM) [snapback]81239[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Did you see the BBC version a few years ago? And, if so, was it very faithful to the books? I have had them on my "to-read" list ever since because I thought it was fabulous. Yes, I have it on video. I thoroughly enjoyed it but it's not that faithful to the books. Jonathan Rhys Meyers (although I like him) is far too handsome for Steerpike. Other characters are more accurate though (Christopher Lee's Flay, John Sessions, Ian Richardson), and I loved the overall look and the costuming. A lot of criticism was levelled at it at the time for being too colourful and bright for a world most people seem to perceive as being darkly gothic. But Peake describes a lot of colour and ornament (it was inspired by his childhood in China I think) so it wasn't so far off the mark really. If you enjoyed the series then you'll like the books (first two anyway) [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

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