I love the Gormenghast books. As far as I'm concerned they might very well be the best fantasy series of all time. Gothic, grotesque, bizarre, desperately original... they're a delight to read.

I read and reviewed the three novels collected here separately, so this is mainly for my own records. This particular collection, however, I'm also reviewing because of the included critical material, which I've just finished reading. Packing in two introductions and thirteen critical essays, they stuff this already gargantuan book to a monstrous size that is absolutely indicative of its castle setting. This critical material is nearly always interesting, but the standout piece is Hugh Brogan's essay "The Gutters of Gormenghast", which looks at how Peake's background as an artist impacted these novels. Special mentions should also go to Margaret Ochocki (for her essay "Gormenghast: fairytale gone wrong") and Laurence Bristow-Smith (for his essay "A Critical Conclusion: The End of Titus Alone").