Titus Alone

Titus Alone is a novel written by Mervyn Peake and first published in 1959. It is the fourth work in the 'Gormenghast' series. The other works in the series include Titus Groan, Gormenghast, Boy in Darkness, and the unfinished (but published) Titus Awakes.

Spoiler alert

The following description may contain material revealing a portion of the plot.

The story follows Titus Groan as he travels far from Gormenghast Castle; he travels so far that no one has ever heard of Gormenghast. A unique cast of characters appear in this novel, among them Juno, Muzzlehatch, and the wicked Cheeta.

Mervyn Peake was unwell when Titus Alone was written; it is a strange and unpolished work; Peake was too ill to edit his novel. The book's subsequent publication was met with scathing rejection by critics. Unlike Peake's earlier Gormenghast works, no dramatization of Titus Alone has ever been produced.