Gormenghast (series) a year later with his "Earling" or formal investiture as the seventy-seventh Earl of Groan, after the untimely death of his father Sepulchrave. As Titus is only an infant in this novel, he plays a minor role. The main plot therefore follows the somewhat bizarre inhabitants of Gormenghast Castle, and in particular chronicles the rise to power of Steerpike, a scheming kitchen boy. Steerpike successfully destroys the existing order of the castle by inciting the twin sisters of Sepulchrave, Cora and Clarice, to burn Sepulchrave's beloved library. This event drives Sepulchrave into madness and eventually into taking his own life.
Walking on Glass sight to be independent stories. Two of the stories are set in and around Islington in North London, the other is set in the far distant future. Eventually, links between the three storylines become apparent. Quiss's Gothic castle is a combination of Franz Kafka and Mervyn Peake. After saving Quiss from suicide Ajayi reads the titles of the books on the wall: ""Titus Groan", she read, talking softly to herself. "The Castle", "Labyrinths", "The Trial"" Iain Banks commented that the book "didn’t do exactly what it set out to do and I think you have failed to an extent if