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Boy in Darkness
  
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Boy in Darkness (Hardcover)

by Mervyn Peake (Author), P.J. Lynch (Illustrator)
3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Paperback (New edition) 6 used & new from £3.27

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 128 pages
  • Publisher: Hodder Children's Books; New edition edition (9 Sep 1996)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0340683236
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340683231
  • Product Dimensions: 24.8 x 24.8 x 1.9 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 830,276 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #38 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > P > Peake, Mervyn

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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
Titus escapes for adventure, but tired and suffering from lack of food and water, he is captured by Hyena and Goat - a mysterious pair who hate each other. But both realize he will be the perfect sacrifice for Lamb who has waited many years for a mortal on which to use his diabolical art.

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
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 (1)
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Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN, 9 Oct 2002
By DAVID BRYSON (Glossop Derbyshire England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (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.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Peake at his best!, 31 Jan 2001
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.

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4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Not a children's book, 18 May 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Boy in Darkness (Signature) (Paperback)
I find it amazing that Boy in Darkness is being promoted as a children's book and has been reissued by a children's book publisher. Peake may be a major figure in 20th century English literature and there is no question that the Gormenghast Trilogy is a work of genius, but Boy is Darkness is a work that will absolutely terrify any normal child. I remember reading it at age 13 when it was published as part of the paperback Sometime, Never. I had never been so disturbed at terrified by anything in my life. Fans of Gormenghast will find that Boy in Darkness takes Peake's tendency to focus on the dark side of human nature to truly sick extremes. This is definitely not a children's book!
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