Cormac McCarthy Ranked

I rank all 12 of Cormac McCarthy's novels.

[@buffyinthewalls6034]

I think the first sentence from Suttree is my favorite line from any book i've ever read.

[@TH3F4LC0Nx]

Interesting lineup! :) McCarthy is my favorite writer too. For me, The Passenger became #1. Rough around the edges at times, but damn did he really go for it with that book. Loved it so much. :D

[@mybatballz]

One of the best writers of our age.truely an iconic writer.

[@jasonuerkvitz3756]

I've read all of McCarthy's work except his latest two. I was saving them for a special break and knew they would be his last, I just wasn't expecting him to leave us so soon.
_Blood Meridian_ is certainly his greatest novel, closely followed by _All the Pretty Horses_ . Both books bear passages that left me contemplative for days. I considered the Border Trilogy a single book because I was given an Everyman's omnibus by my brother, but, if I had to choose one from it, it would be _All the Pretty Horses_ . My second reading of the Border Trilogy led me to the conclusion that John Grady Cole is the Fisher King and Billy Parham, Parcival. Vestigial lost lords of a dead age.
Then there is a tie, _The Outer Dark_ and _The Road_ both equal in my opinion.
_No Country for Old Men_ closely follows and then there's that woefully, melancholic flight from Death _Suttree_ that escape from burden that leads to greater sorrow, greater dread.
Ultimately, I think of the entire corpus of his work as a continuous dialogue with his readers, a study of existentialism and discussion of Man's place in the universe that could, potentially be Godless.
In the Nietzschean sense, God is potentially dead, and without Him, humanity is listless on a vast and colorless sea, onboard vessels riven with blood and harrowed by evil men, struggling in a nihilistic nightmare. I noticed a theme in his work of Judge Holdens and Anton Chigurhs, of bearded men who lead unholy trinities, outside morality, wanton, murderous, and horrifically brilliant--cunning geniuses carving out their own existences free of morality. The ubermensch. However, it's as if McCarthy disagreed with Nietzsche and believed that there was something greater a human being could be.
I've begin to call this character his "skilled man." John Grady Cole, Billy Parham, Llewelyn Moss, and the nameless man of _The Road_ . They represented true Humanity. Though in some senses these characters were pariahs, they still upheld that which defined humanity as a whole. They represented its pinnacle state. An argument against Nietzsche's unbermensch stating that each individual is not outside of humanity, not transcendent as this is not the individual's purpose. No, their duty is to bear knowledge, to keep the fire, to act as willing teachers of its tending and preservation, to pass it on with love to those who come after us.
Even Ed Tom knew this, knew his father was one of them, a man who awaited him in that distant dark, in those cold, unmapped mountains, tending the fire, waiting for Ed Tom's turn to follow him. We all must go there. And there they await us after our crossing.

[@jgrew]

This is a beautiful analysis of McCarthy and his work. Thank you for sharing!

[@jasonuerkvitz3756]

@@jgrew No, thank you for being a keeper of the fire. Thank you for spreading awareness of one of the greatest, if not _the_ greatest, American novelists to have lived and the brilliance he shared with us.

[@plaguepandemic5651]

A lot of people put Outer Dark pretty low on their list, but personally it's near the top of mine. Granted, I haven't read all of McCarthy's novels yet (I'm currently reading The Crossing and I have yet to read Cities of the Plain, The Passenger, or Stella Maris) but it was such an awesome read that really stuck with me. The nonstop avalanche of unfortunate events that befell Culla were some of the most entertaining passages I've read in a McCarthy book and the fireside chats with the three strangers will stick with me for a long, long time. Crazy how good it was, especially since it was the first thing he wrote after The Orchard Keeper (which I totally agree with you on, I did not like that book much)

[@andrewdyke5561]

I dont get why no one likes child of god , this is one of my favorites

[@joshuaclangevin9941]

I agree with you so much on this list I found myself shouting:several times and triggering my dog’s PTSD. I have read Blood Meridian (Or, The Evening Redness in the West) around a dozen times. The Boatder Trilogy is really about Billy. You’re doing good work.

[@MilesWilliams88]

For some reason my eyes immediately thought that cover of The Orchard Keeper was the similar looking cover for Blood Meridian. I thought damn, this guys going to start a riot coming out like that, haha.

[@jamespinkston7946]

Great list and enjoyed the video. Got the Border Trilogy on my TBR for next year. Favorites are No Country for Old Men and Blood Meridian.

[@erikcarrillo7649]

Great video!

[@jorgejribarra]

Just finished blood meridian and loved it. Already read no country for old men, what should i read next? Was thinking on the road or all the pretty horses. Rip Cormac McCarthy

[@jasonuerkvitz3756]

Yes, read either and never stop reading his works from there. Good luck with this amazing literary journey and I hope it brings you to such writers as William Faulkner and Thomas Wolfe.

[@dominictafoya2205]

r/CormacMcCarthy

[@Onche518]

The Crossing is my favourite

[@bluegregory6239]

The best writer in American history. Harold Bloom was a pompous douche, but I do agree with him about McCarthy. And 'Blood Meridian' is not only Mr. McCarthy's best work, but the greatest novel in the distinguished history of American literature.