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A review by lucius_gooseman
Blood Meridian: Or, the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy, Cormac McCarthy
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
"'Perhaps,' he called, 'Perhaps you have seen this place in a dream. That you would die here.' Then he descended the esker and passed once more across the boneyard led by the tethered fool until the two were shimmering and insubstantial in the waves of heat and then they were gone altogether."
McCarthy's prose is nightmarishly beautiful-- he expertly crafts a horrific narrative using the most eloquent, intelligent terms to illustrate some of the most deplorable acts put to paper since Marquis de Sade's jaunt into literature. Blood Meridian is very seldom a pleasant experience-- there is nothing remotely comical or any element to be found to add much needed levity. The only time you'll crack a smile is from realizing the sheer madness of the book's happenings. Seriously, I was sitting there, reading this and started laughing as a swathe of civilians were brutalized (described in the most visceral way) because I was just so beside myself.
Though based on real characters, McCarthy truly makes the historical "figures" (it's widely debated the identity and even existence of Judge Holden, though John Joel Glanton's existence is documented) into larger-than-life characters. The real standout is the aforementioned Judge-- whenever the man speaks, the reader's chest tightens. He is a character of mythical proportions, and his terror comes from the unknown. Just enough information is given for Holden to be a monstrous, mysterious figure. A child-raping, scalping, incredibly intelligent and well-spoken giant albino? I mean, Jesus fucking Christ.
Like I've said, this book is not enjoyable. At times, it's a mean-spirited tale full of unending depravity and violence. But, then again, that's what I signed up for so I can't degrade the book too much. Still, I would really need a while in-between another read, this is really a draining novel. The events that inspired this book are equally interesting, and I'll definitely be doing some more reading on Glanton's party and the existence of Judge Holden. And that ending? Shivers. The Judge quickly ascends the antagonist placement and becomes, as he it’s often referenced in the book, a God of war. An inescapable idea that permeates and ruins lives.
It should also be noted that the depictions of the Native Americans in this is probably not the best- there are no true "characters" besides the faceless baddies, a band of particularly bestial Native Americans with a penchant for rape and scalping. There are also a handful of Delaware scouts for Glanton's party (as well as a black man who is consistently referred to as a racial slur rather than his name) who have no agency or bearing on the story as a whole. The whole character of "The Fool" is pretty batshit crazy, too, but hey. This book checks every box of fucked-up-ness, and obviously, the portrayals of minorities and mentally handicapped people is right up there with rape and disemboweling. Get into it, I guess.
Anyway, this book is absolutely phenomenal. Read if you love Westerns (me), love brutality and nihilism (me), and have a hankering for history (me). But steer clear if you're sensitive to cruelty inflicted on animals and humans alike because... yeah. Of course it's here in spades.
McCarthy's prose is nightmarishly beautiful-- he expertly crafts a horrific narrative using the most eloquent, intelligent terms to illustrate some of the most deplorable acts put to paper since Marquis de Sade's jaunt into literature. Blood Meridian is very seldom a pleasant experience-- there is nothing remotely comical or any element to be found to add much needed levity. The only time you'll crack a smile is from realizing the sheer madness of the book's happenings. Seriously, I was sitting there, reading this and started laughing as a swathe of civilians were brutalized (described in the most visceral way) because I was just so beside myself.
Though based on real characters, McCarthy truly makes the historical "figures" (it's widely debated the identity and even existence of Judge Holden, though John Joel Glanton's existence is documented) into larger-than-life characters. The real standout is the aforementioned Judge-- whenever the man speaks, the reader's chest tightens. He is a character of mythical proportions, and his terror comes from the unknown. Just enough information is given for Holden to be a monstrous, mysterious figure. A child-raping, scalping, incredibly intelligent and well-spoken giant albino? I mean, Jesus fucking Christ.
Like I've said, this book is not enjoyable. At times, it's a mean-spirited tale full of unending depravity and violence. But, then again, that's what I signed up for so I can't degrade the book too much. Still, I would really need a while in-between another read, this is really a draining novel. The events that inspired this book are equally interesting, and I'll definitely be doing some more reading on Glanton's party and the existence of Judge Holden. And that ending? Shivers. The Judge quickly ascends the antagonist placement and becomes, as he it’s often referenced in the book, a God of war. An inescapable idea that permeates and ruins lives.
It should also be noted that the depictions of the Native Americans in this is probably not the best- there are no true "characters" besides the faceless baddies, a band of particularly bestial Native Americans with a penchant for rape and scalping. There are also a handful of Delaware scouts for Glanton's party (as well as a black man who is consistently referred to as a racial slur rather than his name) who have no agency or bearing on the story as a whole. The whole character of "The Fool" is pretty batshit crazy, too, but hey. This book checks every box of fucked-up-ness, and obviously, the portrayals of minorities and mentally handicapped people is right up there with rape and disemboweling. Get into it, I guess.
Anyway, this book is absolutely phenomenal. Read if you love Westerns (me), love brutality and nihilism (me), and have a hankering for history (me). But steer clear if you're sensitive to cruelty inflicted on animals and humans alike because... yeah. Of course it's here in spades.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, and Racism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Racial slurs, and Rape