Boy in Darkness

infobox Book |
name = Boy in Darkness
author = Mervyn Peake
illustrator = P. J. Lynch
cover_artist = P. J. Lynch
country = Great Britain
language = English
genre = Horror
publisher = Eyre & Spottiswoode and Hodder Children’s Books
release_date = 1956
pages = 114
isbn = ISBN 0340683236

"Boy in Darkness" is a horror novella written by Mervyn Peake and first published in 1956 by Eyre & Spottiswoode as part of the anthology "". "Boy in Darkness" has also been published separately in the United Kingdom and has recently become available again in the United States in an anthology entitled "Boy in Darkness and Other Stories", which includes works by Joanne Harris and Sebastian Peake. "Boy in Darkness" is pendant to the Gormenghast series, albeit not well-known.

Upon publication of the work in 1956, a "Glasgow Herald" reviewer called it "completely hair-raising". The story was one of Mervyn Peake's final major works before his death in 1968.

Plot summary

The story concerns a boy (clearly Titus Groan, referred to once or twice as Titus but mostly as "the Boy"), who, yearning for freedom from his ceaseless duties as 77th Earl of Gormenghast, escapes the ancient castle and encounters the nightmare world outside the keep. It takes place during the period covered by the second novel in the series, "Gormenghast".

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

"Boy in Darkness" was made into a short film in 2000. Created by the BBC Drama Lab, it utilized computer generated imagery and was set in a virtual world. The film starred Jack Ryder and Terry Jones.