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Cover of Gormenghast by Mervyn PeakeGormenghast
Classic · Fiction, Classics, Fantasy

Gormenghast

by Mervyn Peake
1950 · 620 pages · Fiction
Book 2 of the Gormenghast series: start with book one.
67.1Must-Read
Score Classic
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 16 hours to read · about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Titus Groan is seven, lord and heir to Gormenghast, a crumbling gothic castle of roofs and turrets, cloisters and dungeons, ruled by ancient rituals. Steerpike, a scheming kitchen boy who began his climb when Titus was born, is rising toward the castle's heart, leaving treachery and death in his wake.

Why it's worth reading

It's on the BBC's Big Read. Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books are among the strangest and most admired fantasies ever written.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

It's the second book, after Titus Groan. The prose is rich and slow.

By the numbers

67.1Must-Read Score
  • Readers64 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

On the lists
BBC's The Big Read

Reads as

Adventurous, Moving, Epic

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedClassic booksTop 25 · 762 rankedBooks of the 1950sTop 25 · 75 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 233 ranked

Quick answers

Is Gormenghast worth reading?

Yes. It's on the BBC's Big Read. It ranks #1,647 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.1 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is Gormenghast about?

Titus Groan is seven, lord and heir to Gormenghast, a crumbling gothic castle of roofs and turrets, cloisters and dungeons, ruled by ancient rituals. Steerpike, a scheming kitchen boy who began his climb when Titus was born, is rising toward the castle's heart, leaving treachery and death in his wake.

How long does it take to read Gormenghast?

About 16 hours (620 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after Gormenghast?

If you liked it, try The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe or Bleak House by Charles Dickens.