# TITUS AWAKES by Maeve Gilmore



## Bachelorette (May 14, 2012)

TITUS AWAKES is the merest wisp of a novel. Unlike the ponderous—yet glorious—dark fantasy of TITUS GROAN and GORMENGHAST, and the terse, tart sci-fi of TITUS ALONE, this fourth book in the now inaccurately named “Gormenghast trilogy” is certainly haunted by the towering ghost of its creator, Mervyn Peake, but sadly there is little else to be seen in it.

The book begins with a fragment that had been written by Peake for what was to be his fourth Gormenghast novel, and it offers a tantalizing, yet heartbreaking taste of what might have been. Countess Gertrude is still alive, as is the intelligent, kind-hearted Doctor Prunesquallor. But we only get about two paragraphs of them—and of anything else still remaining in Gormenghast—before the scene changes to Titus asleep in a barn, dreaming of the murderous Swelter and the loyal, upright Mr. Flay. Thus Peake’s contribution to TITUS AWAKES comes to an end. And if you were hoping to get a glimpse of what remains of Gormenghast after Titus’ abdication elsewhere in the novel, you won’t get it.

The novel that follows this fragment seems in no way connected to it, and that is a shame. Of course, it would have been foolish to go into it expecting that Peake’s widow, Maeve Gilmore, would try to ape her husband’s grandiose style. Yet I was hoping for her to put her own personal spin on the universe Peake had created, to really immerse herself in this world and in the title character of Titus. But perhaps she didn’t want to sully her husband’s original intentions with her own ideas, and I can understand that, to a point.

Because of this, though, what we have instead of a fully fleshed-out novel is a series of little, loosely-connected scenes. Titus, who as an adult was always a rather amorphous character, is now even less than that, as he is passively shuffled from situation to situation without really _doing_ much of anything; taking few actions of his own initiative, either positive or negative. He is more reflective in this novel, but it doesn’t feel like a natural progression of his character. An almost motherly concern for Titus permeates the book; the scrapes he gets into never seem particularly threatening, although some of his insights are enlightening, if somewhat out of character. Gilmore was apparently reticent to put Titus through any agony, and that doesn’t make for very compelling reading.

This isn’t to say the book is a total failure—not quite. Gilmore’s need was to bring closure to herself, not only in the light of her husband’s untimely death, but also to his creation, Titus Groan. This is done in a most intriguing way: Titus meets an unnamed artist (a representation of Peake himself) and his faithful wife in an asylum for the mentally disturbed. The book ends with Titus again meeting this man and his three children (two boys and a girl, just like Peake had in real life). So in a fascinating way, the book ends with Titus being left in the care of his creator, much as some believe that the dead are left in the care of _their_ Creator. Is that what Gilmore believed? Perhaps, but it’s irrelevant to the feeling of poetic justice one gets upon completing the account of Titus’ final journey.

The most unfortunate thing about this book is not what it could have been if Peake had lived—although that will always be a tragedy—but what it could have been if Gilmore had been, perhaps, a bit more daring. Granted, she never intended for the book to be published. The fact that it was at all is a gift to fans of Peake’s work, because even if the novel itself is slight and its protagonist rendered as insubstantial a shadow, the fact that Titus’ journey is brought to a peaceful end does give a certain amount of satisfaction, and yes, closure.


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## Aramis (Sep 20, 2012)

Gormenghast- 'ponderous'? Never-shame on you. I think I have read the trilogy more times than any other novel and I still find new insights with each bloody reading. A true masterpiece in my mind.

To be honest I dreaded picking up Titus Awakes as I doubted I could be generous enough to be impartial.

And unfortunately my worst fears were borne out. The book is turgid and totally lacking in Peake's power and imagination.

Anyway I really enjoyed your review and if the fourth book can create interest in its predecessors so much the better.

Steerpike incidentally is probably my favourite character in English Literature.


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## Bachelorette (Oct 12, 2012)

Aramis said:


> Gormenghast- 'ponderous'? Never-shame on you. I think I have read the trilogy more times than any other novel and I still find new insights with each bloody reading. A true masterpiece in my mind.



Oh, I agree. When I said 'ponderous' I didn't mean in the sense that it was dull or belabored. According to my dictionary, it also means "that which seems heavy, bulky, or massive." That was the sense I'd intended, particularly "massive" - as in, massive in scope and massive in sheer originality.

And yes. I too have read the trilogy numerous times - and like you I find something new in it on each subsequent reading.

Thanks for commenting on the review, by the way. I'm glad you liked it.


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## Morkonan (Oct 14, 2012)

I only clicked on the link to this thread because it had "Titus" in it and I was hopeful that something worth reading that has even the barest association with the Gormenghast epic was within.. No such luck, huh? Pity. That's one of the purest fantasy stories ever written, in my opinion. It's a masterpiece and recognized as one for very good reasons.


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