Tag Archives: ” “Blood Meridian

Redneck dystopia

Finally, someone who despises No Country for Old Men as much as I do, even if he is a Marxist. The book, that is. I haven’t seen the movie, which this review disparages, sideswiping the book at the same time. He even has a followup, since he drew so much flak for the first one. (If I had a regular reading audience of any size, I might have been shelled more myself. But I don’t, so I wasn’t, especially.) Therein, also, he excoriates McCarthy’s Blood Meridian. As it should be. Faux literary pulp, both of them, with violence the only reason for being.

UPDATE: The battle goes on as Scott waits to see if his fav author’s movie wins an Oscar. Which goes to prove (see comments) that Scott is not a true redneck, because a true redneck would not care about the Oscars to being with. Which also proves that rednecks are smarter than a lot of intellectuals think, since not watching the Oscars is the norm now and, indeed, the wave of the future, a rejection of Hollyweird’s BS of which I heartily approve. Meanwhile, the flicker won four, which I do not find a surprise. McCarthy’s meaningless drivel is right up the industry’s nihilistic alley. 

Great books

Scott at the Fat Guy and I agree that Lonesome Dove is a great novel. One of the best, surely. But we part company on Blood Meridian. I enjoyed it, in a manner of speaking, but I don’t see how any novel about scalphunters could be considered great. Except that it’s probably alone in the category. I can’t think of another one. I would recommend The Brief History of The Dead. Meanwhile I’m enjoying Kavalier & Clay and looking forward to Rubicon, a much-praised non-fiction narrative of the fall of the Roman Republic.

Fiction

Just for once I’d like to find some happy fiction. That occurred to me after I began "No Country for Old Men," Cormac McCarthy’s violent story about drug running down around Sanderson, just east of the big bend country of West Texas. Knowing the area, I’m captivated by the story, and will set aside the other two books I was reading, "Imperial Grunts," a look at the far-flung action of the GWOT–in addition to Afghanistan and Iraq–by John D. Kaplan, and "Carnage and Culture," military history by Victor Davis Hanson. I’ll go back to them when I finish NCfOM. It’s got echoes of "Blood Meridian," probably the most violent story I ever read. I’m not talking about "Mary Poppins" but a happy tale now and then would be welcome. Got any recommendations?