Titus Awakes is the fourth and last novel in the Gormenghast series and was finished by Peake's widow, Maeve Gilmore. In this last novel, Titus has left the world of Gormenghast behind, but he remains haunted by memories of his former life. Journeying from snow-covered mountains and archipelagos strewn with coral reefs to woods and dusty roadsides, he awakens his senses but fails to conquer his aching sense of solitude. With a dog as his only companion, his encounters with strangers elicit a temporary sense of warmth and compassion. But Titus remains forever an onlooker. A mesmerising novel, Titus Awakes celebrates and mourns both the passing of Gormenghast Castle and the life of its creator, whilst remaining a compelling study of loss and discovery in itself.

Read by: Rupert Degas