I’m reading Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake.

It was mentioned almost in passing by Geddy Lee in his autobiography, My Effin’ Life. I imagine Alex and Neil reading paragraphs to one another as they went on their long bus rides from one concert to another. For his part, Geddy did not enjoy the books but acknowledged their role. Lyrical inspiration for Neil over the years.

I’ve mentioned before that some of the best things that I’ve read I’ve discovered through their mention in other books. This is usually Stephen King’s fault.

The writing is very Dickensian with long rambling descriptive paragraphs about mundane things.

Everyone that I’ve talked to about it who has actually read it says that it is just slow and plodding. So if you’re not a Dickens fan, you may not enjoy it, but I’m finding the prose to be poetic and descriptive, even while it is dark and ghastly.

I also discovered this morning that not only is there a TV series, but there’s also a final book that was released many years after the author died. (Titus Awakes, 2013)