I loved this read. Such a great story I feel like The Last of Us (the video game) unapologetically stole. Perhaps this was why I struggled with Blood Meridian so much because I read this first.
For me reading The Road was such a flashback to my childhood spent with a backpack behind my back, constantly hiking with my dad. He taught me survival skills since I was three and every summer brought me along to archaeological expeditions he did for the local museum where we spent a couple of months living in tents. So I kinda thought the book was a very comforting read.
Before reading suttree I recommend reading child of god. Short read, but I have never felt as empathetic yet disturbed by a protagonist in a story like I did with that book.
Loved this book so much…It is darker when you have kids huh? My wife gave me this book for fathers day a long time ago haha…his style does take some gettin used to, but I kind of love it now, all his rule breakin is punk rock haha Hope you like Suttree, just a really gd good story…not as completely desolate and fucked up as some of his other ones, but its probably my favorite.. read it three times so far
I'm definitely continuing my McCarthy journey. But, yes. Being a father makes the Road tough at times. But I really dig the change in pace. Getting punched in the gut is needed every now and then 😉 Miss ya brother
Of the three Cormac McCarthy I've read now, The Road is still my favourite and honestly I don't think its close. No Country for Old Men was more "enjoyable" but Blood Meridian i think has more meat on the bone so to speak, i just hope it ain't sranc.
Thanks for the video. I dnfd blood meridian so was hesitant on reading more of McCarthy's work. I do own a copy of The Road though, so I will put it back on my tbr based on your review. Cheers.
The Road is absolutely a fantastic story with such great characters you get so invested in. Also, even as a pretty short read with very few characters, the scope of the world The Road is set in feels HUGE and is super immersive... BUT... It's always been hard me to place The Road among my favorite reads, and that's as another big fan of the dark, grim, and violent stories! This is because: there are grim/bleak stories and then there's The Road! I've read plenty of books with very bleak outlooks and outcomes but NOTHING, from any form of media, had made me feel like The Road did! It's strange, from page to page it feels like a gripping/engaging read but after finishing it, i found myself thinking "Damn, that was really good, but idk if i ever want to feel like this again!" To this day, I STILL wonder if I even TRULY enjoyed The Road or if I was just so invested in it just waiting for ANY teenie-weenie, little ray if sunshine!! I'm a BIG Cormac McCarthy fan and have read almost all his novels twice or more. However, there's never been a time in the 8-9 years since I read The Road that I WANTED to read it again lol!! PS: obv i didn't interpret the shreds of hope the way you did haha!
You are following in my footsteps for Cormac. I only read a few brief pages and watched the movie of The Road. But it wasn't until after Bakker that I read Blood Meridian (for the obvious Slog of Slogs parallels,) and then onto > The Road. The Road made me ponder our planet in a different way. I later went into reading 'The Case for Space', and recognized how frail we are in the cosmos. But how also fucking cool it is that we are a spacefaring species now. I vote for either Suttree or Child of God next if you choose to do another Cormac. Suttree is one of those "great American novels", where as Child of God is literally... you can't get darker than that shit. Sure Blood Meridian describes the horrors of depravity in detail and at length, but NOT from the POV of the actor. Child of God is disgusting, because it so near. There are a few scenes where I had to simply stop and not continue until a day or two later. EDIT: I only have Cities of the Plain to finish now. I am 40 pages in or so. (The Border Trilogy is ridiculously good.)
The Border Trilogy, starting with All The Pretty Horses, is my favourite work of contemporary fiction, more grim than dark You’d probably really enjoy No Country For Old Men, full of bad asses
Any plans to watch the movie? Of course any adaptation will always miss some stuff and not be quite as good but I still liked it and it's worth it if you put the time in to read this.
The Road is actually one of my least favorite McCarthy works, meaning that it’s still good but it pales in comparison to Blood Meridian, NCFOM, The Border Trilogy, Suttree, and Child of God for me. Find it real interesting how it works as a sort of argument/a comparison against Blood Meridian’s themes of Gnosticism, Nietzsche, and Misanthropy with the main theme of hope in an awful world….if you know the ending, you know the ending, and what I imply there for mentioning that ending. McCarthy may hold a lot of pessimism, the Road is basically the argument of want men can achieve with and without hope.
You can, I just can't guarantee any kind of timeline of when I can get to it. I previously have a gigantic stack of stuff sent in, that I'm slowly getting through. My email is in the description
I loved this read. Such a great story I feel like The Last of Us (the video game) unapologetically stole. Perhaps this was why I struggled with Blood Meridian so much because I read this first.
Yeah I struggled with Blood Meridian as well. Brilliantly written, but I had a massive disconnect as far as emotional investment.
Really? You think the last of us just totally plagiarized this book? I’ve never played the game so I don’t know
After become a dad horror stories involving a family hit so much harder
Absolutely 💯
@Bobby have you read Pet Sematary?
For me reading The Road was such a flashback to my childhood spent with a backpack behind my back, constantly hiking with my dad. He taught me survival skills since I was three and every summer brought me along to archaeological expeditions he did for the local museum where we spent a couple of months living in tents. So I kinda thought the book was a very comforting read.
If Bakker pulled heavily from Blood Meridian for Aspect-Emperor, safe to say No-God could be his take on The Road 💀
That seen in the basement...
Read No Country too. There were some bad dudes in that one.
Yeah, im very interested in that one. Probably will be the next one of his books I grab
The road is an amazing novel. Just reread it last week. One of my alltime favorites !!!
Great review, thank you.
Before reading suttree I recommend reading child of god. Short read, but I have never felt as empathetic yet disturbed by a protagonist in a story like I did with that book.
I'll check it out, thanks 🙏
I'm planning on reading this book this summer hopefully I will like this I have only read one book written by cormac McCarthy blood meridian
Loved this book so much…It is darker when you have kids huh? My wife gave me this book for fathers day a long time ago haha…his style does take some gettin used to, but I kind of love it now, all his rule breakin is punk rock haha Hope you like Suttree, just a really gd good story…not as completely desolate and fucked up as some of his other ones, but its probably my favorite.. read it three times so far
I'm definitely continuing my McCarthy journey. But, yes. Being a father makes the Road tough at times. But I really dig the change in pace. Getting punched in the gut is needed every now and then 😉
Miss ya brother
I’ve had the road on my kindle for a while now. I really do need to give it a go.
I felt it was very worthwhile. 👍
Child of god
Love The Road, hated Blood Meridian.
You too?
Of the three Cormac McCarthy I've read now, The Road is still my favourite and honestly I don't think its close.
No Country for Old Men was more "enjoyable" but Blood Meridian i think has more meat on the bone so to speak, i just hope it ain't sranc.
Thanks for the video. I dnfd blood meridian so was hesitant on reading more of McCarthy's work. I do own a copy of The Road though, so I will put it back on my tbr based on your review. Cheers.
Cheers, brother 🙏
The Road is absolutely a fantastic story with such great characters you get so invested in. Also, even as a pretty short read with very few characters, the scope of the world The Road is set in feels HUGE and is super immersive...
BUT... It's always been hard me to place The Road among my favorite reads, and that's as another big fan of the dark, grim, and violent stories!
This is because: there are grim/bleak stories and then there's The Road! I've read plenty of books with very bleak outlooks and outcomes but NOTHING, from any form of media, had made me feel like The Road did! It's strange, from page to page it feels like a gripping/engaging read but after finishing it, i found myself thinking "Damn, that was really good, but idk if i ever want to feel like this again!"
To this day, I STILL wonder if I even TRULY enjoyed The Road or if I was just so invested in it just waiting for ANY teenie-weenie, little ray if sunshine!!
I'm a BIG Cormac McCarthy fan and have read almost all his novels twice or more. However, there's never been a time in the 8-9 years since I read The Road that I WANTED to read it again lol!!
PS: obv i didn't interpret the shreds of hope the way you did haha!
Hahaha, it's definitely dark. And I wonder if I'm alone on the hope prospect... lol
You are following in my footsteps for Cormac. I only read a few brief pages and watched the movie of The Road. But it wasn't until after Bakker that I read Blood Meridian (for the obvious Slog of Slogs parallels,) and then onto > The Road. The Road made me ponder our planet in a different way. I later went into reading 'The Case for Space', and recognized how frail we are in the cosmos. But how also fucking cool it is that we are a spacefaring species now.
I vote for either Suttree or Child of God next if you choose to do another Cormac. Suttree is one of those "great American novels", where as Child of God is literally... you can't get darker than that shit. Sure Blood Meridian describes the horrors of depravity in detail and at length, but NOT from the POV of the actor. Child of God is disgusting, because it so near. There are a few scenes where I had to simply stop and not continue until a day or two later.
EDIT: I only have Cities of the Plain to finish now. I am 40 pages in or so. (The Border Trilogy is ridiculously good.)
I've been hearing things about Child of God!! I'm definitely picking up sutree and no country
The Border Trilogy, starting with All The Pretty Horses, is my favourite work of contemporary fiction, more grim than dark
You’d probably really enjoy No Country For Old Men, full of bad asses
Any plans to watch the movie? Of course any adaptation will always miss some stuff and not be quite as good but I still liked it and it's worth it if you put the time in to read this.
I actually watched it when it came out. I need to revisit it
Child of God is worth the time
My good buddy just mailed it to me!!
By the way, you should check out his novel "child of god" that's pretty dark as well.
The Road is actually one of my least favorite McCarthy works, meaning that it’s still good but it pales in comparison to Blood Meridian, NCFOM, The Border Trilogy, Suttree, and Child of God for me. Find it real interesting how it works as a sort of argument/a comparison against Blood Meridian’s themes of Gnosticism, Nietzsche, and Misanthropy with the main theme of hope in an awful world….if you know the ending, you know the ending, and what I imply there for mentioning that ending. McCarthy may hold a lot of pessimism, the Road is basically the argument of want men can achieve with and without hope.
Hey man how can i give you my book for a review?
You can, I just can't guarantee any kind of timeline of when I can get to it. I previously have a gigantic stack of stuff sent in, that I'm slowly getting through.
My email is in the description