Titus Groan cover art

Titus Groan

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Titus Groan

By: Mervyn Peake
Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.


Welcome to the world of Gormenghast, the classic fantasy series from the imagination of Mervyn Peake

As the first novel opens, Titus, heir to Lord Sepulchrave, has just been born: he stands to inherit the miles of rambling stone and mortar that stand for Gormenghast Castle. Inside, all events are predetermined by a complex ritual, lost in history, understood only by Sourdust, Lord of the Library. There are tears and strange laughter; fierce births and deaths beneath umbrageous ceilings; dreams and violence and disenchantment contained within a labyrinth of stone.

'A gorgeous volcanic eruption... A work of extraordinary imagination' New Yorker


©1968 The Estate of Mervyn Peake (P)2014 Random House Audiobooks

 Classics Dark Fantasy Epic Fantasy Historical World Literature Mind-bending Scary

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Woman in White cover art
First and Only cover art
The Shadow over Innsmouth cover art
Elric of Melniboné cover art
Chatterton cover art
Master of Formalities cover art
The Cloud Roads cover art
A Pelican at Blandings cover art
The Best of Cordwainer Smith cover art
The Decameron cover art
Swann's Way cover art
Cold Comfort Farm cover art
Tristram Shandy cover art
Anathem cover art

Critic reviews

Mr Peake's first novel holds one with its glittering eye - It has a genuine plot in the strictest sense, and it persuades you to read on simply in order to know what will happen - its gallery of characters is wonderful
A gorgeous volcanic eruption... A work of extraordinary imagination
The Gormenghast Trilogy is one of the most important works of the imagination to come out of [this] age (Anthony Burgess)
All stars
Most relevant
Very different. Spectacularly written, wonderfully voiced. The characters came to life, I enjoyed it thoroughly

Loved it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I first read this classic as a teenager and remembered liking it but didn't remember the story. the writing style is unique and the narration brings it to life vividly so you can picture each scene and appreciate the subtle homour. Can't wait to get on with the next installment.

great narration brings the characters to life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I listened to it twice but both times struggle. maybe it's better off as a physical book. being an avid audiobook listener I wasn't able to keep my focus for long. it just didn't work for me despite me wanting it to work for me.

Somehow it's not really working as audiobook

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Best audiobook narration I’ve ever heard. I recommend listening to this in the autumn, in candlelight, with a cup of tea.

Such a great production

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What did you like most about Titus Groan?

It is a masterpiece, a work of art, full of grotesques and plot machinations that you could simply not predict. A work of delightful eccentricity.

What other book might you compare Titus Groan to, and why?

The fact that I have come across nothing like it before is another mark of its calibre - a true original.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The novel is crammed full with elaborate and delicately wrought vignettes - to call any a 'scene' seems like sacrilege. I will say that most of the characters seem like mere caricatures at first but are crafted in such a subtle way that as you read on they become thoroughly three dimensional.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It delighted me.

Any additional comments?

I would compare it to a box of jewels: each character and episode so diverse yet so captivating.

Unique

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews