This tale is dark and bloody, and ultimately one of the most innovative books in Cormac McCarthy’s array of challenging reads. Though it might not appeal to all, Blood Meridian does take language to a level where readers have the chance to fall into it and be dazzled by the poetic lines on offer.
McCarthy places his mind into this, delivering epic prose that doesn’t adhere to rules or a template. Some readers may feel alienated by the lack of punctuation and quotation marks, but if they can dismiss this, then they’re in for a ride into a blood-soaked saga worthy of the highest praise.
The book doesn’t really have a distinctive plot, like McCarthy’s other novels, but there is substance and a solid foundation. It follows a character called ‘The Kid’ and some unsavoury characters like the blood-craving Priest and a judge named Holden. These men aren’t built for joy; they’re like rapid animals looking for blood and guts, severed heads and other disgusting things to feed their addictions.
Every piece of this story has been meticulously created, and even though it’s dark, the prose is remarkable and unmatched. McCarthy writes like someone who can design hazardous worlds, places where there are some idyllic surroundings and beautiful landscapes, but interweaved with catastrophic elements which deliver grit and sorrow.
The story begins to unravel when the book becomes this dark edge, as The Kid joins this Indian tribe who set out to deliver Apache scalps for a pretty penny. This is when The Kid sees congealed blood, the enemy, and these hunters’ true intentions.
It is a dark book, Blood Meridian, even callous at times, giving the reader some things to think about. The reader should take their time to read and even analyse what they’re taking in, as the book doesn’t get any lighter. From the beginning to the end, this magnum opus truly examines the human condition and how it was back in the 1880s.
There is blood, so much blood, evil, so much evil, grit, so much grit, but the prose is innovative, and McCarthy has joined the novel’s words, committed to his style in his depiction of a world which is unapologetic and fierce. If the reader is new to his masterful works, then they may feel overwhelmed at first, but over-awed at the end.
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Verdict - 9/10
9/10