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Ostrava's Reviews > Titus Alone
Titus Alone (#3)
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by
I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it's a mess.
Utterly irredeemable? Probably not, but not worth a read in my opinion, unless you're deeply curious about what might have been a potential third novel and don't mind digging up a poor draft to get one. The book is impatient about revealing itself to you, and it comes across as jarring as a result.
Now, I get that the author was going through some serious struggles at the time of writing this, so I'm not going to pretend it only boils down to a miss. It's actually quite amazing how much Peake managed to do at this moment of his life. There are great images and some ideas here and there that do have potential, but very little of it actually goes somewhere. As I see it, this feels like a book of what-ifs rather than of genuine substance.
So, sorry, but I'll recommend skipping it.
P.S: I also wanted to say that Muzzlehatch is one of my least favorite characters in anything in a minute. What the hell was his deal...
Utterly irredeemable? Probably not, but not worth a read in my opinion, unless you're deeply curious about what might have been a potential third novel and don't mind digging up a poor draft to get one. The book is impatient about revealing itself to you, and it comes across as jarring as a result.
Now, I get that the author was going through some serious struggles at the time of writing this, so I'm not going to pretend it only boils down to a miss. It's actually quite amazing how much Peake managed to do at this moment of his life. There are great images and some ideas here and there that do have potential, but very little of it actually goes somewhere. As I see it, this feels like a book of what-ifs rather than of genuine substance.
So, sorry, but I'll recommend skipping it.
P.S: I also wanted to say that Muzzlehatch is one of my least favorite characters in anything in a minute. What the hell was his deal...
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Reading Progress
May 19, 2022
–
Started Reading
May 19, 2022
– Shelved
May 19, 2022
– Shelved as:
novella-and-novel
May 19, 2022
– Shelved as:
c-fantasy
May 21, 2022
–
75.0%
May 21, 2022
– Shelved as:
1-to-2-stars-everything
May 21, 2022
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-3 of 3 (3 new)
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by
Cecily
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rated it 4 stars
May 21, 2022 12:56PM
You're not wrong, but I did appreciate it more on a reread - not that I'm pressing you to do so.
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Oof, I'm not feeling a reread on this haha, at least for now. I can see glimpses of the old Peake here so I could see how it could do feel better on a second read, but I think I've taken enough for Peake for now.My overall experience was very positive though. Even the ending here left me with a good feeling. The loopy structure was cool and Titus' growth feels complete now. It's cool.
It's cool. I'm not suggesting you should reread it. I'm merely saying that I found it worth my while, some while later. I was also pleasantly surprised by what his widow, Maeve Gilmore, wrote, based on less than a page and a half of notes: Titus Awakes: The Lost Book of Gormenghast. She did it for personal catharsis and closure (fair enough), but it was eventually published, which seemed iffy, but was better than I thought and helped me make my peace with this. Again, I'm not pushing you to read it, though.
