Gormenghast /ˈɡɔːrmənˌɡɑːst/ is a fantasy series by British author Mervyn Peake, about the inhabitants of Castle Gormenghast, a sprawling, decaying, Gothic structure. Originally conceived as a single on-going novel, the series was ended by Peake's death and comprises three novels – Titus Groan (1946), Gormenghast (1950) and Titus Alone (1959) – and a novella, Boy in Darkness (1956), whose canonical status is debated. Peake was writing a fourth novel, Titus Awakes, at the time of his death in 1968; the book was later completed by Peake's widow Maeve Gilmore in the early 1970s. After it was discovered by their family, it was published in 2009.