Gormenghast (novel) Gormenghast (novel) Gormenghast is a fantasy novel by British writer Mervyn Peake, the second in his Gormenghast series. It is the story of Titus Groan, 77th Earl of Groan and Lord of Gormenghast Castle, from age 7 to 17. As the story opens, Titus dreads the pre-ordained life of ritual that stretches before him. To Titus, Master of Ritual Barquentine and his apprentice Steerpike are the embodiment of all he wants to rebel against. An important sub-plot involves Titus at school, where he encounters the professors, especially Bellgrove, who becomes Headmaster of Gormenghast school. Steerpike, despite his position of authority,
Gormenghast (series) "Gormenghast Revisited", were planned but Parkinson's disease and Peake's ensuing death at the age of 57 prevented him from writing more than a few hundred words and ideas for further volumes. Only three pages of "Titus Awakes" were coherently written and can be found in the Overlook Press edition of "Titus Alone" () and in the omnibus volume (). In the 1970s, Peake's widow Maeve Gilmore wrote her version of "Titus Awakes", which she called "Search Without End". The Peake family rediscovered this book at the end of 2009 and it was published by The Overlook Press as "Titus Awakes: