Stick to children’s books

Yeah expecting a video game story when going into friggin Blood Meridian was setting you up for failure.

This book shines a light on the BS of romanticizing the outlaw west. It’s meant to show how awful it really was. Calling Blood Meridian similar to Red Dead 2 is a bit of a stretch. I loved the book but you really need to dig McCarthy and his rather unflinching look at the genre.

You’re definitely not supposed to like the characters in this book. You are supposed to feel disgusted. This becomes especially true when you find out this is based off a true story.

I like how you said it was inconceivable to like the characters due to the violence but the one character you kinda liked was the most violent and despicable lol

The book is based on real history, so the way the babies died was attested to, and was rather grounded in reality

Me when Blood Meridian has no hard magic system or video game story >:(((

calling this edgy, comical and ridiculous over the top when it's a story based on true events with historical characters is crazy.

When was U.S. history ever meant to be read as "fun" tho

1) The kid is not the primary character 2) He disappears from the novel for a good deal of the book 3) The Judge is much more violent than the kid (And you liked him but not the kid?). 4) Maybe if you finish the book, you'll start to understand what is going on in the novel. I'm curious what you think of a book like Moby Dick? Or Light in August? Or Absalom Absalom?

I like that you claimed the baby scene was shock value for the sake of shock value that doesn't help the story when it, in fact, really happened and is integral to the novel's core themes of taking the sheen off the old west, but I don't think you actually approached this work with honesty if you listened to an audiobook of it sped up lmao

The scene that you mentioned with the infants is a Biblical allusion to Psalm 137:9. McCarthy didn't make that up just to be edgy.

How can you say you hated most of the characters because they were too evil and then say you like The Judge, easily the most evil one of the bunch?

I didn't hate the Kid because he grew up with no mother and a drunk and likely abusive father who he ended up running away from. Therefore, I understood why he's violent. Out of the entire Glanton gang, the Kid is the most humane, endangering his own life to help others, such as when he removed the arrow from David Brown or spared Shelby despite Glanton ordering to kill him. After Glanton's gang is killed off, the Kid tries to move on and become a better person, looking after those traveling Westward and carrying a Bible despite being illiterate. The Kid obviously isn't a good person, but is a saint compared to Glanton and the Judge.

I get that people have unique opinions and stuff, but I literally don’t understand how someone with media literacy can reach this conclusion about a book this good

One of my favorite books. I'm not very educated, so I wont bother trying to explain in depth why I feel it's so great. I don't feel like any explanation I give would suffice. I will say this, however. The book shed light on a part of American history I was previously unfamiliar with. I felt many strong emotions throughout. The savagery on display made me appreciate my life and how good I have it. I also felt a bit of shame and disgust, pertaining to the evil that men do to each other and the senslessness of it all. This really only scratches the surface of why I liked it. I just dont have a way to articulate any further. This book is special to me, is all i'll say.

The person who told you Blood Meridian is like Red Dead Redemption could not have been more wrong if they tried… I love Blood Meridian, but it takes a certain mindset going in and it also really needs to be read more than once to really grasp everything that is going on. I’m not at all saying anything about you with that statement, just that seems to be the consensus for how to tackle it. Books are always going to hit different for all readers, and that is the beauty of them. Every reader can have a unique experience compared to the next. If ya don’t like something, dnf and move forward. I’ve never gotten the mindset of people who will not quit a book, even if they hate it. McCarthy’s version of the west is probably one of the more accurate retellings. A few of the characters in this story are based on real people and they were absolute shit bags in real life so I don’t think McCarthy was going out of his way to add violence for shock value. They hunted Comanche scalps for financial gain. I think that statement speaks for itself about the type of world the west was in a not so far distant past.

I was laughing my ass off as soon as you said you expected this to be something similar to RDR2

this person is the type of guy to pick a book about unit 731 and get angry when he stumbles upon a vivid description of a baby being infected with tuberculosis. (it was for shock value in his opinion)

McCarthy was hugely influenced by Faulkner, who (much like Hemingway) understod that implied events/actions are oftentimes more impactful than those that are described in detail. There is so many horrifying little details that I only really picked up on my second or third read of this book. That being said, I can see why this prose style would be 'boring and pretentious' as you implied in your review if you went into this book expecting a RDR2-style western novel. I'd really recommend giving this book another try, while watching lectures/talks on both this book and the texts that inspired it - Blood Meridian is one of the greatest American novels ever written in my opinion!

The quote about the babies' heads being bashed on stones is a reference to the bible during the canonite genocide when the babies heads were, in fact, bashed on stone.

The story isn’t written for edgy teens it’s about human nature in general

My favorite part of this video is: "i don't only read fantasy. but my favorite series, which is fantasy, you can't understand without reading it many times, and I've only read it once. that and "mccarthy failed." good god man. even if you had an argument for trashing this book, you undercut yourself at every turn.

This is doing nothing for the stereotype of the modern fantasy fan who can't handle anything that doesn't have YA-like prose and/or structure. I really feel you could have made an effort to engage with this more critically.

"hey guys, I think Hitler was a good bloke. It's my opinion so it's completely valid". The violence in the book isn't "violence for the sake of shock value". McCarthy didn't sit there and think "hmm what is something violent I can think of". How can you have a passion centred around reviewing books and not be able to grasp such a basic concept? The violence in Blood Meridian isn't like other books where things build into violence or the violence is the stories climax, instead it becomes the mondain and acts like any other story telling device. It's fresh and fascinating. You have the right to say you didn't like it but you also can't bash the book because you didn't understand either. So don't make a half cooked review or make one from your perspective without sounding like a condescending, smug, lisping baby boy.

Senseless violence is historically accurate. Look at what they did to babies in Nanking. Books often demand reasons for violence when in real life, people are just evil because they want to be. But I understand everyone doesn’t read fiction for it to be realistic, I respect your take.

You can't go into realist literary fiction with fun video games expectations, you won't be able to read any classic literature. I had the exact opposite issue with the claim of Sanderson books as adult epic fantasy, what I got was ya fantasy with a middle grade comprehension level. I was bound to dnf it hard.

This guy thinks catcher in the rye is about how you should party

I don't know how you can do a review if you didn't finish it and give it one star partly because you were expecting something different, am I missing something? I'm currently re-reading it and enjoying it even more. I love how it feels like a journey through hell.

Calling the massacre of natives shock value is ridiculous. That actually happened. Read Empire of The Summer Moon, baby slaughter was routine in those days settler and native alike.

I have had a copy on my shelf for the past few months. This review really makes me want to pull it out and give it a go. Call me pretentious all you want but i like an author willing to use all the English language and doesn't just stick to the common folk words.

This just in! Local youtube book reviewer blatantly illustrates how he missed every conceivable theme a book had to offer!

It's the upbringing of America/Mexico......not supposed to be "fun" Edit: also, who the f---- is gonna read McCarthy with "fun" in mind?!...

Bro, you really should have finished the book. The Kid is actually the chosen one with amazing necromancer abilities, while The Judge is the epitome of evil, traveling through time to incite chaos and destruction. The journey from point A to point B in the barren landscape takes a surprising turn when our characters are revealed to be trapped in an infinite loop of crime and punishment, with The Judge keeping track in his notebook of every single divergence. The two babies that were killed by the Delaware dude, are none other than the Jacksons (black & white), who sacrificed their souls to The Judge and are condemned to endure their fate over and over as adults, trapped in a never-ending cycle of suffering.

You can't rate a book you didn't finish. That cut and dry. Especially with a book like Blood Meridian. Getting through the "pointless" violence for the ending sounds like a fruitless action, but when it comes to an ending as powerful as one like this it genuinely is something you have to try to suffer through, and that's the true beauty of Blood Meridian.

Hard disagree here, but that's ok. McCarthy was arguably America's greatest writer before he passed recently, and this was arguably his greatest novel. This might not be my favorite book I've ever read, but its probably the best. McCarthy's style definitely isn't for everyone.

This video may be the Nostalgia Critics "The Wall" of the book review world.

I respect your opinions, and fully understand why you didn't like the book, but to say that it 'failed' in subverting the themes of the old west period in history feels like you missed the point. Typical wild west stories romanticize the time period through use of black & white morality, with clearly defined heroes and villains to carry the narrative. Take RDR2 for instance; Arthur *is* a criminal, but the writers clearly intend for him to go on a redemption arc and prove him a good man. The only thing that changes that is if the player decides to do bad. If you need more examples look at pretty much every wild west movie made since the 1950's, maybe with the exception of Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven." As you said, the story of Blood Meridian is so violent and abhorrent to a normal person, as well as it's complete disregard for morality, that pretty much the only thing retained from the genre is the setting. There's a reason why there's dozens of western movies adapted from novels, but this one remains un-filmable (well there's more than one reason for that). Also, while the writing style obscured your understanding of what was happening, it's also kept the debate about this book going. It's also another reason why this would be hard to convert into a movie. Think back, the Kid was present for all of the violence that the Glanton gang committed, but does the book ever describe him participating? There's hints of his actions in some of the larger scenes, but McCarthy intentionally left his actions and level of participation vague, so that the reader would be forced to question the protagonists morality. Was he just a witness or did he embrace it? Sorry, didn't mean to accidentally type a novel. I finished this book a few months back and it's been on my mind ever since. I do implore you to finish it if you can, the payoff was worth it (to me).

Ok so in the 1st minute of this video you say you finished the book, then you said you didn't finish the book. Now after not finishing the story you want people to listen to what you have to say about the story you didn't read..... like a second grader giving a class presentation about a book he didn't read. I can't believe you made this video and thought it was a good idea. Honestly this isn't a review and rating it's a clear picture of the kind of reader and youtuber you are .

This book is meant for adults with a serious view of the old west.

Idk how violent of a person you are but the violence in this book while sensless didnt strike me as meaningless. Also I found the characters to be fleshed out as much as they needed to be for the story. I found a lot of the dialogue to be laugh out loud funny in unexpected ways with the setting of violence as a cold backdrop. I think this one just speaks to a certain kind of person.

Well in a world where we can’t see dislikes anymore, this was a huge time saver in discerning the quality of your channel. Godspeed bud.

Try turning your brain on first and then read it

Some of the comments people have left I think are unfairly rude. But I think for the sake of your own enjoyment it's worth taking a look at literature in some different ways. Malazan is complicated in so far as it's non-linear and creates a world with a massive scale. It's satisfying as the series goes on to piece the narrative together in your head, which gets you more and more invested in the plot. Equally the languge choice is pretty utilitarian, as the book wants you to engage directly with the story. Books like blood Meridian aren't being pretentious by using convoluted language, instead the purpose of each sentence is to engage the reader more directly with an idea. some sentences may require some attention to unpack, but they illustrate far more meaning than a straight forward description ever could. Sometimes the plot is frozen, but the pages can still go from dark to hot to cold to angry to hopeful to nihilistic etc And it needs to be this way to enage with the subject matter. The violence and misery isnt ridiculous, its all of our history and still some of our present. But as tragic as many of these stories are, people still experienced moments of beauty and peace and warmth just like the Kid in Blood Meridian. If you surrender to the writing and begin to feel all of the nuances of human experience against the abyss of value in the plot, i'm sure you'll start to love the book and other books with a more literary focus.

It's fine if you don't like the book, and if you were looking for a "fun" read reminiscent of RDR or something then this isn't it, but it seems like you also aren't really giving it a fair shake and went into it with the wrong expectations. For example, you say that some of the violence was just for the sake of shock value, when a lot of the violence depicted was historically accurate to acts of violence that were really committed by the group that the novel follows, which was a real gang. What's he supposed to do, sugar coat it? It also sounds like you might have just had an image of the kid that was more violent than others, as one interesting detail of the book that some have noted is that in all of the violent scenes that you seem to dislike, it is never explicitly said whether or not the kid is participating, and it seems to be left to the reader to interpret whether he participates in the massacres or not. You seem to have adopted a darker image of the kid for whatever reason, which is interesting in itself, but the kid absolutely does not just commit "inexplicable violence" for the sake of "pure shock value." Even when/if the kid participates, it is definitely a lot more nuanced than that, and the nuance comes into play later in the book when the kid is shown to have more of a heart than the other members of the gang. You have to look at it from the perspective of this being a kid with nowhere to go that was forced into this life, he's not just killing people because he's evil (that more accurately describes the judge than the kid, which is ironically the character you claim to like the most). The book really turns into almost a religious/spiritual battle between the judge and the kid, as it is pretty strongly implied that the judge is the devil, either symbolically or, as some think (including myself), literally. It's fine if you did not enjoy the book because it was overly violent and didn't bubble wrap historical realities of war, or because it does not spoon feed the reader the themes and messages, but I don't think your criticism that this was a book filled with inexplicable violence for shock value written for an audience of edgy teenagers and academics (at the same time, somehow) is fair, and maybe you should finish the book before criticizing it (especially when you went into this thinking it was going to be an RDR2 style cowboy story with superficial themes and PG-13 watered down depictions of violence). It seems like you went in with the wrong expectations and were mad when the book did not bow down to that level.

I feel like the conversation between the man and the judge at the very end is something youd love , if you ever give the series a second chance get to the end . The judge is so terrifying

The fact that you brought up red dead redemption is interesting to me because I too discovered the book through my interest in that video game series, and I think that Blood Meridian almost feels like an anti-red dead redemption story. They both have similar set ups, of a gang on an expedition across the American west but are so opposite in tone. Blood meridian has an intentionality very emotionally detached story that depicts the repulsive brutality of the early American west whereas, rdr is very emotionally intense and sometimes comical, depicting the tragic downfall of the frontiersman and the west. But I feel like they have two very similar takeaways in terms of America’s history, neither attempt to romanticise it.

I recommended Blood Meridian widely after I read it and I still think highly of it but I would not recommend it nearly as indiscriminately as I did at the time because I think Matt's review speaks to how a lot of people would experience it. I didn't really think much about the violence as much as the excellent prose and philosophical passages.

>wants a book similar to a video game. >didnt like it. Lmao

Look everyone can read and enjoy whatever they want, but calling this a book just for academia and quoting a beautiful line and asking “how can anyone enjoy this” is absolutely wild to me. Don’t think of literary fiction as a video game or a marvel movie. Think of it as a slow burn movie. The enjoyment doesn’t come from plot itself, but from the feelings it invokes. Some lit fiction DOES invoke hope and beauty - this one doesn’t. This one shows the brutality of man. The reality of the idealized outlaw west. It shows the magic of the written word. It’s poetry. Breathe it in slowly over a month or two, don’t rush through it and give it a DNF.

Yes, finding out about a truly grim part of American history should have some shock value if you’ve been utterly ignorant to it. And yes, all that philosophy spewed out by the Judge was indeed written to appeal to edgy teenagers, because we all know teenagers are the target audience for philosophical fiction. Get a grip, man.

He got trolled into reading it and he's mad over it lmao

The thing about The Kid, is that he is essentially a blank slate for the audience to insert themselves into. The kid is rarely depicted as an active participant in the atrocities the Glantton gang commits, rather he serves more as a witness, and we as the reader can make him as active or passive a participate in the violence as our brains imagine. In my reading of the book I imagined him as more of a passive witness. It isn't until the end of the book where he begins to show more agency in the story. There are moments in the story where The Kid refuses to partake in the violence (such as when he refuses to kill the gang member that was shot in the hip) and I feel like these moments shed light on how The Kid hasn't lost all of his humanity yet unlike the rest of the gang. I totally understand why this book isn't for everybody. It's violence is relentless and it's depiction of racism and just absolute misery can be a slog to get through. But I feel like Blood Meridian is the antithesis of other western fiction. Unlike True Grit or RDR2, there is no glorification of the wild west, Blood Meridian is a perfect subversion of Wild West tropes, and while I agree that there are moments where the attention to detail is ridiculous and hard to follow without feeling like you are drowning, I personally found McCarthy's almost biblical writing style is incredibly addicting. Furthermore, this book IMO has some of the best monologues ever committed to the page. The judge is one of the most interesting (and horrifying) characters I've ever read in a book and I was hanging on every word he spoke. Again, I understand that this book isn't for everybody, but I feel like this is one that is worth pushing through. I also highly recommend the audiobook format! Lastly, if you don't want to commit to reading the book or listening to the 13-hour audio book, Wendigoon made a fantastic video analyzing the story and themes that is 100% worth your time if you even have a passing interest in the story.

I'm new here, but I'm thinking that from this reviewer, I'll consider one star a recommendation

This book isn't about the protagonist.

One of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. Yes, every single character is at best not likable. The Kid is somewhat redeemed by the end.

No hating, but I think you're biased towards a more traditional, clear-cut story following basic principles of how-to-write-a-novel. This is just not it. The plot is not supposed to really be there. It's a vivid meditation on history. The characters are not supposed to be fleshed out in a standard way, given a bunch of qualities that make them morally grey and ambiguous. Instead, all characters in the Glanton's crew are generally more reminiscent of one huge cruel mass, bringing about destruction and horror everywhere they go, and also ultimately heading towards one destiny. There are some exceptions, with the Kid showing mercy, Black Jackson's implied chance at redemption or the Judge being the Judge. If you're just not into McCarthy's style, I get it, I really do. I struggle with his writing sometimes. But it really feels like you were either deceived into expecting standard storytelling or standard storytelling is the only way you like your books. All that being said, some people in this comment box are ridiculously salty and toxic. I think anyone who belittles someone else for "not getting true literature" is a little dull or blind. Art is about empathy, first and foremost. So they're missing the point too, in spite of presenting themselves as erudite. Peace out dude

Mccarthy writes in an omniscient POV. Especially with this book. You’re not just following the kid. IMO, the book is more about the Judge and Glanton. The kid is just a 3rd party POV you get to watch from time to time. Also, it’s southern gothic. Idk if you know this but… the south was not what you think it is if you don’t believe it was like this. Scalp Hunters were the nastiest gang of peoples to probably ever walk the earth. The violence is based on the history of what atrocities actually occurred during that period. It’s not for ‘shock’ value, it’s a depiction of how horrible the nature of mankind truly is. Cool side note, the Judge was an actual person. McCarthy just adds some almost fantastical elements to him. And lastly and most importantly, an author is not ‘pretentious’ for writing to his capabilities and NOT dumbing down his work. He’s a master of his craft and quite literally a genius. Why would you want an artist to write in a dumbed down manner and put chains upon himself just to appease those who don’t want to put forth the effort to understand? Because you could understand it. You’re a good reader. I’ve watched many of your videos. But you’re kind of sounding like a Sando fanboy who cherishes poor writing… but you got cudos back because Malazan is your favorite series, because same. If you don’t like it, that’s cool! But to say it’s pretentious is kind of ridiculous. Modern literature has ruined the craft of writing and prose and the use of themes to elevate a novel from being merely good to astounding.

Hey i wanna ask have you read the whole book?

In the TBR contest I predicted Matt would give it a 3*, and I even thought I might have been underestimating the score...😆

Anyone who hasn’t read the book, dont let this review dishearten you. BM is a must read

i hope this doesn’t sound harsh because i really like you and your channel, (and this discourse doesn’t really matter lmao) but i think it is unfair to judge this book on if the characters are likable or interesting. this is an exemplary book of ideas over story and character. it’s definitely not meant to be judged on the same level as a fantasy book. and trust me i love fantasy but i can fully recognize that a lot of (if not most) fantasy is written to be read for fun. and you said this book seems to be written to be studied by academics, and yes. that is exactly what it is. not every book is going to be understood by everyone. if every book was able to be understood by everyone and provide everyone with pleasure then the world would suck!! i just really don’t think this book was for you at all and that doesn’t make you dumb or anything at all, and it doesn’t make someone smart for liking this book. but like you said, you read to have fun, and this book wasn’t written for fun. so it’s a bit unfair for you to judge on the same level as other books you enjoy.

Welcome to literary fiction :) Books like these often don't focus on plot or characters but on ideas and even the writing itself. I will say whoever compared this to RDR2 definitely did the book diservice, this shouldn't be read like an ordinary western.

I feel like if you removed the things that bothered him it would ruin the book.

The existential dread of picturing a teen/young adult having this video playing as his first introduction to Blood Meridian But all jokes aside Im 99 percent sure that this is just Hate Money farming, especially being put out around the time Wendigoon release his giant essay on it

Funny - I finished all of the Cosmere stuff (ending with Tress and Yumi) and was at a loss of what I could read. I read a Three Body Problem which I did not enjoy at all and then went to Blood Meridian next (this is all within the last few weeks). I personally loved it though. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. Dark and twisted, but the writing style was nice.

This is the worst review I have ever seen. Media literacy is dead.

"My friend told me it'd be like RDR!" LOL. LMAO EVEN.

Also - Yes, me again - You've totally missed the point on violence in the novel. For example: You mention the Delaware smashing the babies against rocks as some teenager's violent fantasy? It's just not the case. It's a direct biblical reference: “Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem: who said, ‘Rase it, rase it: even to the foundation thereof’. O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed: happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.” (Psalm 137:7-9) That McCarthy is referencing on PURPOSE. It's not violence for violence's sake.

Imagine telling on yourself like this.

Never read Mccarthy, but I assume his books are good and enjoyable for people who like Ulysses. It is for people who like to read slowly, five-ten pages per sitting, thinking over every line and enjoying the complexity of prose as much as possible. Those types of story don’t have much plot in my experience. I don’t tend to enjoy them, but I can understand why someone would

If you ever feel like giving it another shot, I highly recommend reading it with an audio book. It addresses a few of your issues with it. Such as knowing who is talking. Cormacs' aversion to punctuation is frustrating. I also thought the ending really tied the whole thing together. It basically explains most of the subtext. Gratuitous violence is not something I usually go in for but it helps knowing the historical context. It's true that it's over the top but as far as I can tell, most of it is based in fact. There are a lot of archaic terms in the book, that is true. I enjoyed listening even though I disagree with some of it.

Blood Meridian is an exceptionally well written book about the intrinsic darkness that lies within the human soul. The story asks us to take an unflinching look at the often mindless savagery and violence of our history. Your comparison of the worst of human nature to Malazan and other so called grim dark is downright childish. It is the difference between fantasy and reality. It is not my intention to be mean to you, but grow up. If you can't stomach adult literature, stick to the kids' stuff.

Man this is just a bad review and a terrible opinion.

As someone who loved this book's abstract, poetic, brutal meandering theme, I'm surprised there aren't more 1 star reviews. This book is NOT intended for your average audience.

First time I’ve come across your channel. I really like the book even though I still haven’t finished it😅. And while I disagree about it being bad, I do understand where you’re coming from. It’s so different from everything that I’ve read that I just think that either you love it or you hate it 😂. Still, really enjoyed your review and sorry that you didn’t enjoy it.

Ridiculous?? Ok… that’s kind of annoying. Maybe you’ve never read books about the trail of tears, and the stories of the men dashing crying babies on trees to shut them up. This book is meant to smash in your face how bloody horrible it was.

I don't understand rating a book that you don't finish, how can you give your opinion if you don't complete the work? Also, I can't imagine this as an audiobook, I think this one needs to be read (just my opinion). In the end people can do whatever they want.

Judge Holden: Such a shame you don't like my book. After all, I'm the reason why the book exists. War is god, my friend. I cannot die. I'll never die.

How does one review a book when they haven't even finished it? The absolute boldness of doing so, my God.

Lmfaoo which one of you guys told him the book reads like red dead redemption 😭

I really like the kid, I dont think he’s a monster, even though the book goes through some really monstrous things. You’ll notice there’s never actually mention of the kid taking part of any of it, o don’t mean getting in fights, I mean genocide and murder, he may have, or he may not have, I think scenes like refilling Shelby’s water instead of killing him and trying to save the old Indian woman point to the moral character of the kid. I think his refusal at the end to accept the judges invitation to “the dance” which I think of as war is him rejecting everything the glanton gang stood for and did. If it makes you feel any better he gets raped and killed at the end so

Have you read The Road? I would be intrigued to get your opinion on McCarthy's later body of work.

I feel you, man. Took me 3 years of false starts to get through this because I hated the kid so much. It's a punishing read, especially because of the writing style (which requires the cognitive equivalent of a constant kegel). BUT I don't think it's pretentious. It's historical fiction. The writing is the main character. It's gorgeous and horrific and changed me in ways I can't yet describe. As Vince Staples said, "Ain't shit wrong with the truth."

"Only now is Matt finally divested of all that he has been. His origins are become remote as is his destiny and not again in all the 'Tube's viewing will there be videos so provocative and inciting to try whether Cormac has succeeded in channeling man's will or whether he really should have used commas to aid in the reading of such runny prose." They rode on.

The vibe i got so far is much more like a barbarian story, where the ground is always muddy and the people closer to beasts than men

It hurts me that you didn’t get to the ending, because it literally ties the “antagonist” to the entire story. The story of the kid and the Judge, and kind of the threat that is literally feet away from the kid at all times. Truly my favorite book, and ending of all time!

Never take a review seriously from anyone who goes into a book with the entirely WRONG mindset and also doesn’t even bother finishing it. Why even post a review? it’s fine not to finish a book, but don’t make a review and subject everyone else to your failure to grasp literature.

My favourite non sff book of all time along with The Portrait Of An Artist As A Young Man and Demons/The Devils/The Possessed

Few years ago I borrowed that book from a library to make a train journey a little less boring and oh boy, that was The Big Mistake. That was a type of literature that DOES NOT go well with travelling or commuting or staying in a hotel. It's a book for reading and making its own analysis at home or at the college. Very specific style, very "dirty and unpleasant" way of describing the world, unlikable characters etc. etc. Didn't finish it and got it back to the library after my trip. I don't think it's a bad book but it's not to every taste and not for reading in every circumstances. It's still possible I'll come back to it one day but need to be: a) not in a hurry, b) in an appropriate mood.

Amazing book and the audiobook narration by Richard Poe is incredible. Besides if you didn’t finish it your review is negated.

I hated this book, the magic system was too soft and I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. Cormac has nothing on the Great American Writers like Paolini and Sanderson, writers who understand that a book’s worth is determined not by the quality of its writing nor its thematic development but by the likeability of its protagonist, the coolness of the cover art, the speed at which it is shat out into our eager waiting mouths. Cormac will never be a great writer because he fundamentally does not, can not grasp these basic tenets. He instead wallows in pretentiousness (a word used by intelligent people to describe meritless “art” which they merely incidentally do not understand) in the vain hope that through its catastrophic misinterpretation as talent he might acquire some meagre audience. Anyway, I think you’d really enjoy Ulysses! It has storming great worldbuilding, epic action scenes, and a relatable MC who isn’t a Mary Sue!

Talk about missing the mark. The story is a subversion of the “cowboy hero” of the 80’s, it’s based on a true story, and written with a character (The Judge) who is the presence of evil.

You should really finish the book before posting a review about it having no story my man. As for the characters being unlikable they're scalp hunters i don't know what you expect, also wild to say you disliked the characters because the violence and then pick The Judge as someone you liked Not everyone is going to enjoy every book and you do actually have some good points but as a whole you expected Blood Meridian to be a Rockstar game I'd probably just play RDR2 a fourth time if i was you. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never finish the book

I dont know why, but this made me love this book more lol

‘Reads the most historically accurate fictional book ever written about the American west’ “Yea guys this is ridiculous.” Lol

Bro... you recorded this, edited this, and still thought this was something you were proud to post online? Yeesh...

You went into a candidate for the American novel with expectations about a video game. “How do you like a book where you don’t like any characters?” Just don’t review books if you think that. Holy shit…the one character I kind of liked was the judge?!?! Gtfo Don’t read literature without prepping to read literature

Oh yay, the comments are back on. This is still a horrendous review lol.

You’re entitled to your wrong opinion.