"New" Gormenghast (Mervyn Peake) novel

[mummifiedstalin]

If any of you are fans of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books (and if you aren't, shame on you!), then this could be good, or at least interesting news.

Apparently his wife found notes of his for another novel, and actually wrote most of it. Of course, it isn't Peake's prose itself, which is part of the allure, but still, I consider this to be really good news and an excuse to return to a strange and wonderful world.

[Mr. Atari]

I'm cautiously pessimistic about this. I loved (LOVED) the first Gormenghast book (Titus Groan). The middle book was about half as good, and the third one was half as good again. So a long lost fourth book, following that trend, would be little more than a novelty to me.

But you're right, mummi. Not liking Peake's prose and the Gormenghast story cycle is just wrong.

Did you like the BBC miniseries version? I thought they especially got Steerpike and Swelter right. Plus, Christopher Lee.

[mummifiedstalin]

Indeed. The first was overwhelmingly thick with awesomeness. The second had good stuff in it, but without the Steerpike drama, it wasn't quite the same. As for the third, when Titus leaves Gormenghast, the whole thing obviously changes. And since he was dying from Parkinson's while writing it, it stands to reason that it suffered. This one will be more interesting than a really new book, I'd imagine, especially if, as the article suggests, his wife started using it as a way to deal with grief and made a lot of it really personal.

I liked the miniseries. I thought the characters were all well done, but for some reason, the pacing and atmosphere just seemed off to me. But I'm not sure that Gormenghast was mean to really be seen so much as felt.

[joike]

I saw the mini-series first and it made me want to check out the books. I was working in a used bookstore at the time and with patience, someone finally turned theirs in! Rather worn paperbacks but I gave them a new home!
I agree about the books, though- they do get a little less interesting. But I'll check the new one out anyway just to see. Won't be rushing out for a hardcover or anything though!