Titus Alone - post III

The book comes to an end with another Steerpike type figure trying to destroy Titus not physically but mentally but the tables are turned and in a great climatic scene the weapons of madness and loss are used against the very people who wanted to deploy them.

But this has not be an easy book to read moving away from the medieval world of Gormenghast to a modern world of helicopters, cars and science. The battle is mainly inside Titus, with him being accused and half believing that he is mad and has made up Gormenghast, as much as it is outside him. What you appreciate though is again the strong characters that include a failed author who is pushed around in a wheelchair with 60 copies of his book in a bag.

Bullet points between pages 131 – 199

* Titus shows the scientists daughter Cheeta that he can live without loving her and that turns her against him so she starts to plan an elaborate revenge that will reduce him to nothing publicly

* Her great surprise involves finding a venue for a party, which is meant to be his leaving party that resembles the world of Gormenghast enough to create an atmosphere that will help her disorientate Titus

* Meanwhile three characters from the under-river world set out to find Titus and once they have discovered him they promise to protect him but Titus tells them to find Muzzlehatch and they disappear on their mission

* The showdown at the party begins with people dressed as members of Titus’s family coming out one by one and he seems to be frightened and concerned until Muzzlehatch and the Under-River dwellers appear and that forces Cheeta to lose her cool

* Muzzlehatch has taken his revenge against the scientist and is on the brink of killing him when in the distance the factory explodes and then the small domed headed scientist runs off into the night crying after his life’s work

* Cheeta attempts to hurt Titus and claws his face but Jun0 who has appeared fights her off and she in turn runs screaming into the woods leaving the crowd of party goers getting angry and they call on the guards to kill Muzzlehatch

* Juno, her friend Anchor and Titus escape in a plane and after flying for many miles Titus parachutes out and then after walking for many months rediscovers Gormenghast but having satisfied himself he has not gone mad turns his back on his home and strides off into the wilderness

A review will be posted on Wednesday…