| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Master of the macabre, Mervin Peake, retells the story of young Titus Groan who, tired of the endless and senseless ritual of the kingdom of Gormenghast, leaves the boundaries of the world in which he grew up to embark on an adventure that sees him trapped in a desert of grey space.
Rich in both language and imagery, Boy in Darkness is intriguing and compelling and bears all the hallmarks of the Gormenghast trilogy that has captured, delighted and appalled the imaginations of readers of all ages.
A captivating introduction to the work of Mervyn Peake, Boy in Darkness is a classic and fantastical tale that will appeal to anyone who enjoys good story-telling and is not afraid to dip their literary toes into deeper, darker waters. Age 11 and over. --Susan Harrison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
In cooperation with the Mervyn Peake Estate and to coincide with the Mervyn Peake Centenary Year, Peter Owen has gathered together a selection of long out-of-print short stories, and a good number of never before published illustrations, by one of England s most unique and multi-talented artists. Boy in Darkness , the centrepiece of this collection, will be of special interest to fans of the Gormenghast books, as it comprises a chapter in the life of Titus Groan that unfolds beyond the pages of Peake s monumental trilogy. A disturbingly atmospheric tale, told with the force and simplicity of allegory, Boy in Darkness distils the strange logic of the Gormenghast trilogy into a story of pith and mystery, which bears comparison with Kafka and Poe. Written across a range of genres, from a ghost story, to wry character studies drawn from his life in London and on the Isle of Sark, the other stories in the volume reveal surprisingly different facets of Peake s uncanny imagination. Ultimately, the collection coheres through Peake s powers to enchant the mundane and to render the fantastic normal.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN,
By DAVID BRYSON (Glossop Derbyshire England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Boy in Darkness (Signature) (Paperback)
I never gave this book to my children until they were adults. I would not even have read it to them when they were small. Boy in Darkness can be legitimately slated from all sorts of literary viewpoints -- the story-line is rather meandering, we could have done with some more indication of how the empire of the mines went into decline and of where the Lamb came from in the first place, the writing would have benefited from revision here and there and so forth. But gripping -- yes, and some! This is a raw nightmare, and maybe all the more effective for lack of finish in the craftsmanship. What it suggested to me was a perverted version of The Island of Dr Moreau, but I have no idea whether there was any direct influence or whether the resemblance is coincidental. The author was, to put it mildly, talented but mentally disturbed. The central character is obviously Prince Titus, but otherwise I find Boy in Darkness quite unlike the Gormenghast trilogy. I looked dutifully for symbolism and whatnot, but I soon gave up on that. Any hidden meanings are best left vague and undefined. The other three personae, or at least two of them, are probably based on people Peake knew, but the Lamb -- a woolly toy gone so horribly wrong that I nearly locked away the children's teddybears when I first read the book. It's not like Stephen King, it's not like Lovecraft (who I just love but who surely never frightened anyone). It's not like anything I know, even my own nightmares.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Certificate X,
By
This review is from: Boy In Darkness The Centenary Edition (Paperback)
This is an incredible story, very frightening and alien. Much of the fear is because we are not told all about what is going on, and the uncertainty adds to the apprehension. I'm not convinced that the boy is Titus; there are no clues either way, but I think it all seems more biblical than Groan. I thought the lamb was a kind of God, who ruled the land and was modifying the life forms for some unspecified reason. The battle between the boy and the lamb is very unsettling, and I was in my thirties when I first read it. I can't believe a publisher could have considered it suitable for children - there is very little of Peake's work that I would let a child read. I can only assume that those responsible had never read it. Someone should have their knuckles rapped!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Peake at his best!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Boy in Darkness (Signature) (Paperback)
Boy in darkness is based on Titus Groan from Peake's masterpice, Gormenghast. It is very strange even surreal with it's half-animal, half-men characters.The book is very original and a must for any Peake or Gormenghast fan. An unusual feature of the book is that Peake never mentions the boys name though it is quite obvious to anyone who has read the Gormenghast books that it is Titus the young Earl.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
