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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I finished this seven years ago. This is just a drive-by.
Find your favorite Goodreads reviewer and check their review.
This novel has left me undone.
After this I'll be needing something soft and pliant in the way of reading material.
This was as complicated as The Vulgate.
But a far more rewarding read.
It's brilliant in its awfulness and it's the most psychedelic read I'll ever inhale.
Good luck to all potential readers.
Find your favorite Goodreads reviewer and check their review.
This novel has left me undone.
After this I'll be needing something soft and pliant in the way of reading material.
This was as complicated as The Vulgate.
But a far more rewarding read.
It's brilliant in its awfulness and it's the most psychedelic read I'll ever inhale.
Good luck to all potential readers.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Have you ever seen that episode of Friends when Joey uses a thesaurus on every single word to try and sound smarter?
Imagine if he’d used it to write a story about a group of guys endlessly riding through the desert to commit unspeakable violence and you’ve pretty much got the gist of Blood Meridian.
Imagine if he’d used it to write a story about a group of guys endlessly riding through the desert to commit unspeakable violence and you’ve pretty much got the gist of Blood Meridian.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Blood Meridian was excellent! While you need to mentally adjust to how different races are spoken about in this book, it's a thorough story about American colonization and genocide during the mid-1800s. The main theme in this story is the cycle of violence, and it is excruciatingly described. Blood Meridian goes into detail about life in Mexico for its citizens and does involve knowing Spanish for some of the dialogue. A fact that may impact reading is that the plot is based on a true story, and a number of characters are named after and inspired by real people.
I personally listened to the audiobook version of Blood Meridian, and I feel that this is the best format to experience the story!
I personally listened to the audiobook version of Blood Meridian, and I feel that this is the best format to experience the story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, War
Moderate: Animal death, Rape
Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Slavery
If any sort of content warning prevents you from reading a book, you should not read Blood Meridian. This book is extremely graphic in all kinds of ways.
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Don't know why I just could not get into this book, loved everything else of his that I've read but this one just didn't grab me.
adventurous
dark
relaxing
slow-paced
Blood Meridian is truly unlike any work of art I've ever experienced. With stories with incredibly violent themes, either with physical bloodshed or violence of an oppressive higher force, there is oftern something within the story that the person engaging with the art can see representing the concept of hope. Most mainstream films, TV shows, books, and other forms of art have a resolution that finalizes the themes that offer the most amount of conflict to the engager. Blood Meridian chooses to force the reader to immerse themselves into some of the most sickening concepts mankind is able to concieve, like mass murder, kidnappings, genocide, and other unspeakable levels of violence. In many ways, the lack of any hopeful symbols within this story serves as a harrowing reminder that warfare never truly has a peaceful resolution with those who experience it.
The themes of Christianity and the way it is used as a symbol of inhumanity in this novel was truly one of my favorite recurring themes within the story. Every church was the site of immense human suffering and violence, and the sites of worship, like alter-christs were marked by gruesome acts of violence. The firsr turly climactic scene shows the Judge coming to a pastor's lecture within a tent, and turning the sermon into a chaotic spectacle. With this portrayal of Godlessness, it truly elevates the themes of humanity's lust for war, and it makes the Judge one of the most intriguing characters within the story. The Judge's perspective on humanity's desire for violence makes warfare feel like a spiritual experience, with his portrayal of war as a battle between wills, acting as an omnipresent ritual that dictates the fate of humanity. And it is with man's love for war that allows for the dominion of man over others, from Glanton holding ownership of the men within his gang, to the Judge holding ownership of natural events that occur within them.
The Judge is portrayed masterfully and and it is stomach-turning to thinking about how the Judge is based on a real historical figure; it truly adds to the disturbing themes of war within this novel as something incredibly present in the lives of people's past, present and future. His dance, a representaton to the commitment and excellence in the trade of the war, offers an interesting perspective on how violence shapes society. His speeches and lectures about man's desire for ritual seems like a foundational reasoning for his mission to be the most effective in war. As he excels the most in dance, it represents his supremacy as an otherworldly "god of war", with his final promise alluding to his future to continue to perpetrate man's desire of violence.
Another really amazing element in this story is how the concept of fate and destiny were explored, especially in Glanton's character arc. When his fortune was told with his experience with the Tarot cards, to me, it portrayed the idea that it is impossible to hold a monopoly on violence; the brutality one inflicts upon someone is returned to the brutalist in a manner unlike anything they may expect. The Judge establishes himself as an otherworldy figure when it comes to violence, and it clear that he is not of the physical world, and his description of how fate can only be managed by complete understanding and dominion of all phenomena. Glanton feeds into his destiny with every action of destruction he took. Simalarly, the concept of fortune telling added a more sinister layer to the plot of the story, since it foreshadowed many of the violent events in the story. McCarthy's ambiguity of whether the world is dictated by fate, as the Judge believes or by man's choice, as the Kid believes, makes for a very interesting conclusion.
The themes of Christianity and the way it is used as a symbol of inhumanity in this novel was truly one of my favorite recurring themes within the story. Every church was the site of immense human suffering and violence, and the sites of worship, like alter-christs were marked by gruesome acts of violence. The firsr turly climactic scene shows the Judge coming to a pastor's lecture within a tent, and turning the sermon into a chaotic spectacle. With this portrayal of Godlessness, it truly elevates the themes of humanity's lust for war, and it makes the Judge one of the most intriguing characters within the story. The Judge's perspective on humanity's desire for violence makes warfare feel like a spiritual experience, with his portrayal of war as a battle between wills, acting as an omnipresent ritual that dictates the fate of humanity. And it is with man's love for war that allows for the dominion of man over others, from Glanton holding ownership of the men within his gang, to the Judge holding ownership of natural events that occur within them.
The Judge is portrayed masterfully and and it is stomach-turning to thinking about how the Judge is based on a real historical figure; it truly adds to the disturbing themes of war within this novel as something incredibly present in the lives of people's past, present and future. His dance, a representaton to the commitment and excellence in the trade of the war, offers an interesting perspective on how violence shapes society. His speeches and lectures about man's desire for ritual seems like a foundational reasoning for his mission to be the most effective in war. As he excels the most in dance, it represents his supremacy as an otherworldly "god of war", with his final promise alluding to his future to continue to perpetrate man's desire of violence.
Another really amazing element in this story is how the concept of fate and destiny were explored, especially in Glanton's character arc. When his fortune was told with his experience with the Tarot cards, to me, it portrayed the idea that it is impossible to hold a monopoly on violence; the brutality one inflicts upon someone is returned to the brutalist in a manner unlike anything they may expect. The Judge establishes himself as an otherworldy figure when it comes to violence, and it clear that he is not of the physical world, and his description of how fate can only be managed by complete understanding and dominion of all phenomena. Glanton feeds into his destiny with every action of destruction he took. Simalarly, the concept of fortune telling added a more sinister layer to the plot of the story, since it foreshadowed many of the violent events in the story. McCarthy's ambiguity of whether the world is dictated by fate, as the Judge believes or by man's choice, as the Kid believes, makes for a very interesting conclusion.
I've always enjoyed a McCarthy novel but have to read them sparingly and with great pause between them, due to their severity. Blood Meridian is a pillar in the literary world, for good reason. I find that modernly we speak more candidly about blood and death and torture so the themes and illustrations throughout were difficult to endure but not impossible. I can only imagine trying to sit through this when it was published, though. As an Apache, of course most old-west books glean us as savages so it's not language I'm foreign to. I found it interesting though, themes around being saved or fed by other natives throughout the book.
There are strong themes associated throughout and historical and geographical accuracies tied into the book. I'm planning on reading through J. Sepich's explanation of the book in hopes to garner more meaning. I listened to Blood Meridian as an audio book and I'm not sure if I regret that or not. I'm considering buying a copy and giving it a read through as I found listening to it made bits much more intense and others much more dull.
It's overarchingly bleak and there are entire sections that just seem to eek on, but therein lies the point. Overall, 4/5. It's not one of my more favourite McCarthy novels but I do recognise the literary genius in how the book was constructed.
There are strong themes associated throughout and historical and geographical accuracies tied into the book. I'm planning on reading through J. Sepich's explanation of the book in hopes to garner more meaning. I listened to Blood Meridian as an audio book and I'm not sure if I regret that or not. I'm considering buying a copy and giving it a read through as I found listening to it made bits much more intense and others much more dull.
It's overarchingly bleak and there are entire sections that just seem to eek on, but therein lies the point. Overall, 4/5. It's not one of my more favourite McCarthy novels but I do recognise the literary genius in how the book was constructed.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No