As the first novel opens, Titus, heir to Lord Sepulchrave, has just been born, h
e stands to inherit the miles of rambling stone and mortar that stand for Gormen
ghast Castle. Inside, all events are predetermined by a complex ritual, lost in
history, understood only by Sourdust, Lord of the Library. There are tears and s
trange laughter; fierce births and deaths beneath umbrageous ceilings; dreams an
d violence and disenchantment contained within a labyrinth of stone.