Anthony burgess so wonderfully explained the concept and style of the series, in the introduction of Titus Groan …very much like you said in your reel…[ ‘a whole ecosystem ‘ ]…as ‘’Aggressively three dimensional’’ and with ‘’A certain ponderous architectural quality ‘’…..one cannot help but be immersed in this spatial description of worlds with a quality of an entire dimension and attitude, emotion and otherworldly quality .
The abc series , although doing it justice as a story..far removes ..in my opinion …that delicate nurturing of world building through a private mind. Which is why the book …even in the first few intricate weavings is a show of Peake’s extraordinary capacity to linger words into an entire psyche of being and formulating caverns of a magical existence.
[I originally commented this in ig but found it better to post here. Apologies Colin 🥹😊]
What a superb analysis Constance. This is exactly why sometimes a book will never truly be adapted to the screen. It's the same problem filmmakers have with Lovecraft. The prose and the manner in which it's delivered are as much of the art as the narrative itself. I'm absolutely delighted that it's resonating with you in such a way. Any book which stimulates such a response is a worthwhile one in my opinion.
The joy of reading the language is also the reason that E.R. Eddoson's _THe Worm Ouroboros_ is another of my all-time favorite books. You can pick up that or Gormenghast just to open randomly to a page and start drinking in the verbiage.
Yes , indeed Colin. Films or series can take on another dimension... which is not personal and private to our world. While the story is there for all as an offering.. the adaptation in our mind and soul is such a precious gift .
im now 128 pages in on the illustrated ebook my physical copy needs to get here ASAP i think reading along with the audio books definitely helping me not only with my dyslexia but also bringing the way the characters talk to life the doctors laugh is so anoying its like a shrill version of Doctor hibert from the Sampsons in truth i do not like any of the characters but thats ok i enjoy wuthering heights and hate all the characters in that so im perfectly fine not liking the characters
That's a really interesting take, and a valid one. Sometimes the narrator can make a huge difference in our enjoyment of a book. Who is reading the one you're listening to? Is it Simon Vance? I use the audio/hard copy approach when I find a text challenging too. I know what you mean about the characters being quite dislikable, but that will change. Keep me posted!
Saul Reichlin is who is reading the 1st book i don't know yet if they do all 3 im getting used to there delivery as well as the authors writing style audible has all 3 books in full and abridged so i made sure to get the full version obviously
Oh, that's good to know. I was disappointed to see that Audible didn't have the Simon Vance version. He's a brilliant narrator and I'm sure his version would have been somewhat more agreeable
The stunning thing about Peake’s writing to me is exactly how visual it is. He’s a word painter. There are scenes and images that have stuck in my head since I first read it in 1973 or so — will not name my favorite scene yet so as to avoid spoilers. And as a painter myself, Peake has inspired me directly in a painting of Abiatha Swelter I did last year. It’s that quality others note of three dimensional immersion that carries one through the (admittedly slow, though that’s not a fault) plotting in some of the book.
That, and the bizarreness of the wonderful characters, whose names are the second most memorable aspect of the book after the visuality. Flay, Swelter, Steerpike, Rottcodd… Prunesqualor!!! Holy cow.
Oh wow. That's amazing. What a significant impact this book has had upon your creative life. I'm delighted you felt compelled to join us again, and take the journey once more. The names are superb aren't they? Especially the way in which their characters are often at odds with the playfulness of their monikers. The descriptions of the world itself are second to none. A delight from start to finish. Thanks for being mindful of spoilers too. :)
Similarly I only read Boy In Darkness last week, after 20 years or so of the main three books being my favorite books of all time. It makes me want to skip to Titus Alone to see if I can draw any through-lines from “Boy” to Titus’s journey in that book.
Anthony burgess so wonderfully explained the concept and style of the series, in the introduction of Titus Groan …very much like you said in your reel…[ ‘a whole ecosystem ‘ ]…as ‘’Aggressively three dimensional’’ and with ‘’A certain ponderous architectural quality ‘’…..one cannot help but be immersed in this spatial description of worlds with a quality of an entire dimension and attitude, emotion and otherworldly quality .
The abc series , although doing it justice as a story..far removes ..in my opinion …that delicate nurturing of world building through a private mind. Which is why the book …even in the first few intricate weavings is a show of Peake’s extraordinary capacity to linger words into an entire psyche of being and formulating caverns of a magical existence.
[I originally commented this in ig but found it better to post here. Apologies Colin 🥹😊]
What a superb analysis Constance. This is exactly why sometimes a book will never truly be adapted to the screen. It's the same problem filmmakers have with Lovecraft. The prose and the manner in which it's delivered are as much of the art as the narrative itself. I'm absolutely delighted that it's resonating with you in such a way. Any book which stimulates such a response is a worthwhile one in my opinion.
The joy of reading the language is also the reason that E.R. Eddoson's _THe Worm Ouroboros_ is another of my all-time favorite books. You can pick up that or Gormenghast just to open randomly to a page and start drinking in the verbiage.
Yes , indeed Colin. Films or series can take on another dimension... which is not personal and private to our world. While the story is there for all as an offering.. the adaptation in our mind and soul is such a precious gift .
im now 128 pages in on the illustrated ebook my physical copy needs to get here ASAP i think reading along with the audio books definitely helping me not only with my dyslexia but also bringing the way the characters talk to life the doctors laugh is so anoying its like a shrill version of Doctor hibert from the Sampsons in truth i do not like any of the characters but thats ok i enjoy wuthering heights and hate all the characters in that so im perfectly fine not liking the characters
That's a really interesting take, and a valid one. Sometimes the narrator can make a huge difference in our enjoyment of a book. Who is reading the one you're listening to? Is it Simon Vance? I use the audio/hard copy approach when I find a text challenging too. I know what you mean about the characters being quite dislikable, but that will change. Keep me posted!
Saul Reichlin is who is reading the 1st book i don't know yet if they do all 3 im getting used to there delivery as well as the authors writing style audible has all 3 books in full and abridged so i made sure to get the full version obviously
Oh, that's good to know. I was disappointed to see that Audible didn't have the Simon Vance version. He's a brilliant narrator and I'm sure his version would have been somewhat more agreeable
The audible version that I am listening to is exactly Simon Vance's reading, and it's very good.
that very seams to be on audible usa im using the uk site
Ahhh, it must be US only via Audible. Perhaps it's available directly from the publishing house?
Simon Vance is amazing. I love his narration of The Vampire Chronicles, and I'm pretty sure he did The Monk as well
i will keep an ear out for it is it available on cd i do still have a portable cd Walkman so that could be a option
Oh, that might be an option. I did see a few people sharing their digital copies of that version, however, so it might be worth a few searches
The stunning thing about Peake’s writing to me is exactly how visual it is. He’s a word painter. There are scenes and images that have stuck in my head since I first read it in 1973 or so — will not name my favorite scene yet so as to avoid spoilers. And as a painter myself, Peake has inspired me directly in a painting of Abiatha Swelter I did last year. It’s that quality others note of three dimensional immersion that carries one through the (admittedly slow, though that’s not a fault) plotting in some of the book.
That, and the bizarreness of the wonderful characters, whose names are the second most memorable aspect of the book after the visuality. Flay, Swelter, Steerpike, Rottcodd… Prunesqualor!!! Holy cow.
Oh wow. That's amazing. What a significant impact this book has had upon your creative life. I'm delighted you felt compelled to join us again, and take the journey once more. The names are superb aren't they? Especially the way in which their characters are often at odds with the playfulness of their monikers. The descriptions of the world itself are second to none. A delight from start to finish. Thanks for being mindful of spoilers too. :)
Oh, and thanks, Colin, for the rec of Boy in Darkness, which I’d missed until now. Read it last night. Stunning.
Similarly I only read Boy In Darkness last week, after 20 years or so of the main three books being my favorite books of all time. It makes me want to skip to Titus Alone to see if I can draw any through-lines from “Boy” to Titus’s journey in that book.
That's a very cool idea Patrick. It's a magnificent little story. One which I won't forget in a hurry
I had the same reaction!
I am really pleased you found a copy of Boy in Darkness, and even more pleased that it resonated with you. That's amazing