mourn_area's reviews
6 reviews

Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Céline

adventurous challenging dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

* * * * * * 8/10 * * * * * *
        (MASTERPIECE)

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

* * * * * * 6.5/10 * * * * * *
The Road seems like an exemplary case of the emperor's new clothes by a relatively famous author who was already 14 years past his prime at the time when this book was published. Many people praise it as one of McCarthy's literary masterpieces, when really it is just underwhelming at best compared to his prior works (never mind when compared to his magnum opus, Blood Meridian, which makes this book seem like an amatuerishly-written YA novel in comparison).

Aside from the (albeit sparse) occasional brutality that one would find in his other novels, there's very little-to-no memorable moments to be found throughout this entire book's plot, and the dialogue is just straight-up abysmal at times. Really makes you wonder if McCarthy was just phoning it in during the writing process, trying to slog out a second novel a year after No Country as a sort of money-grab complementary one-two combo for his fans.

That being said, on its own it's a fairly solid post-apocalyptic novel. McCarthy did pretty good job creating a sort of empty, nihilistic, low-key atmosphere that fits nicely onto the plot of this book. You'll also find McCarthy's usual trademark writing style littered throughout, though not as verbose or in-your-face as one would find in Blood Meridian, which is also very fitting for a book of this particular genre.

All in all, not the literary masterpiece or the high-point in McCarthy's bibliography that others make it out to be, but still a solid addition in the post-apocalyptic survival genre, and an oddly comfy read nonetheless.

The Coiled Serpent: A Philosophy of Conservation and Transmutation of Reproductive Energy by C. J. Van Vliet

informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

* * * * * * 7/10 * * * * * *
      (OUTSTANDING)

Liber Lix Tetrax: A Discourse on Suffering by Arioch

hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

3.5

* * * * * * 6.5/10 * * * * * *
           

Blood Meridian, or The Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

* * * * * * 10/10 * * * * * *
  (ALL-TIME FAVORITE)

The quintessential American western novel. Nothing short of transcendental. Perhaps one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, if not of all time.

The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

4.0

* * * * * * 7.5/10 * * * * * *
  (NEAR-MASTERPIECE)