A review by nincrony1
Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I found Cities of the Plain a little bit disappointing compared to the first two books. Thematically there’s a bit going on (ageing cowboys in the mid-20th century is ripe for that Death of the West trope I love so much) but I found the plot itself a bit plodding. The two returning lead characters from their respective books is a nice idea and the book effectively illustrates how they’ve aged. Older people but still very much the same in many ways; John Grady as the hopeless romantic and Billy Parham as the quieter plainsmen (with his love of animals). I feel there could be more to sow though from this concept and the plot that does emerge doesn’t quite click as naturally as the previous books (which were loose but allowed McCarthy to hang other things onto them). The previous books revel in the landscapes as much as the characters and obviously a lot of that is gone with the modernising of the world in this book. Thematically it’s all interesting but I think McCarthy struggles to make it engaging. The outcome to the tale is intentionally disappointing; John imagines a heroic rescue of a sex worker he had fallen in love with but it quickly goes south. I liked the Epilogue, with the rambling tale told by Death (?) a signpost to the infamous ending of No Country for Old Men and Sheriff Bell’s ruminations on his dreams. Cities of the Plain is still good and a nice cap-off to the trilogy but I was left wanting a bit more; but it’s also clearly a transitional novel.