Has anyone here read the Gormenghast books?

[TVC15]

I've toyed with reading them for a few years now.  They're not exactly super popular in America, and that's always had me curious, since the setup sounds intriguing enough.

From descriptions, it sounds like the books have more to do with gothic novels than they do fantasy, what with the palpable atmosphere and the setting being as much a character as anyone else in the book.

Anyone?  Bueller?  Orange juice?

[Van Cruncheon]

yes, they're really heavily stylized gothic fantasy. what they lack in action, they make up for with their dense atmosphere and bizarre gorey-esque characters. i loved 'em when i was 16 -- i should probably re-read 'em just to see how they hold up.

[TVC15]

Are they children's books?  When I was reading about them before, I recall hearing that, but maybe that was just because I started looking into them during Potter Mania.  Speaking of which, in how many ways do the books rape rape Harry Shitter?

[Howard Alan Treesong]

read Virconium

my one line summary: A fantasy world where magic is dying, but not a noble death like in Middle Earth, but of a horrible, lingering pustulent cancer.

from the author of your and my and Cohen's favorite, Light!

[TVC15]

But one of the things that I find attractive about Gormenghast is that there don't appear to be many trad fantasy elements.  No gay elves or magic or whatever.  It sounds like the last book gets a bit scifi-y, possibly steampunky, but it appears that's nobody's favorite.

[Van Cruncheon]

it is very steampunky pseudo-victorian. i think you'd like it -- i THINK -- but it is sloooowww at times

[Howard Alan Treesong]

should I read A Wind in the Willows

wait it's steampunky neo-victorian?!?! that's my secret weakness

[TVC15]

should I read A Wind in the Willows

wait it's steampunky neo-victorian?!?! that's my secret weakness

It sounds like the author basically wanted to be able to write florid gothic novels, but since that time had passed, he basically made up this gothic-inspired fantasy world.  Fantasy mainly in that it doesn't exist, not in that there's magic and all that.

[MrAngryFace]

Have you read the Halo books?

[TVC15]

No they have magic and elves and shit

[MrAngryFace]

Master Chief is kinda goth in the first book. Lots of black lipstick

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I like the dwarf in Virconium

he's fucking insane and has polio and walks around in a suit of mechanized armor he built. well it's more like mechanized ostrich legs.

[Cormacaroni]

If you have any affinity for all that gloomy stuff that goes on in Dream's domain in The Sandman, you'll probably like Gormenghast. It's in my pile of shame...the main problem being that the massive paperback edition i have is too much of a pain in the ass to read on the train which is sadly the only place i can do any reading these days.

[TVC15]

I like the dwarf in Virconium

he's fucking insane and has polio and walks around in a suit of mechanized armor he built. well it's more like mechanized ostrich legs.

That sounds like something Ann Radcliffe would write, am total.

[TVC15]

Ann Radcliffe did write that one novel most gothicly terrifying of them all:



It's based on demi, and it was also the basis for the hit television show Who's The Boss

[Howard Alan Treesong]

http://greatsfandf.com/AUTHORS/MJohnHarrison.php

^^
good summary of the Virconium cycle

[Ichirou]

There was a pretty good Gormenghast miniseries by the BBC that's out on DVD.  I recommend it.

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

There was a pretty good Gormenghast miniseries by the BBC that's out on DVD.  I recommend it.

I was going to recommend that, its aces.