Mervyn Peake

"Enter the world of Gormenghast: a vast, crumbling castle of labyrinthine corridors and cloisters, turrets and dungeons. At the center is the seventy-seventh Earl, Titus Groan, Lord and heir to all. Titus is expected to rule this extraordinary kingdom and his eccentric and wayward subjects, but he longs for a life beyond the castle walls. With the arrival of an ambitious kitchen boy, Steerpike, the established order is thrown into disarray. Things...

The castle of Gormenghast is home to the ancient family of Groan, where nothing has changed in thousands of years. The dynasty is threatened by the charming and evil kitchen-boy, Steerpike. With the birth of a new heir, Titus Groan, Steerpike begins his ruthless ascent to power. As he charms, outwits and terrorizes the castle's inhabitants, only Titus, the young timid Earl of Groan, stands in Steerpike's way.