Blood Meridian
Or the Evening Redness in the West
by Cormac McCarthy · first published 1985
54% recommend39% neutral7% critical
Why HN recommends it
Brutal, singular Western novel that turns the American frontier into a hellscape of inhuman violence, praised for its landscape prose and the unforgettable Judge; suits readers new to McCarthy who can stomach savagery.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
An epic novel of the violence and depravity that attended America's westward expansion, Blood Meridian brilliantly subverts the conventions of the Western novel and the mythology of the "wild west." Based on historical events that took place on the Texas-Mexico border in the 1850s, it traces the fortunes of the Kid, a fourteen-year-old Tennesseean who stumbles into the nightmarish world where Indians are being murdered and the market for their scalps is thriving.
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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Niall Ferguson's the Ascent of Money and Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. The former is extremely informative, the later is a work of art.
on “Ask HN: Read any good books lately?” ↗Blood Meridian (or The Evening Redness in the West) by Cormac McCarthy. Quickly became my favorite book after reading it a second time. I've never read a book with more effective language.
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗…of the ideas are really original (the Cthaeh!). Catch-22 was an amazing read as well. Watership Down, After Dark, The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, and Blood Meridian all dazzled me. Oh, and The Sandman, Watchmen, Maus, and Persepolis for graphic novels. For short stories: MMAcevedo (https://qntm.org/mmacevedo), The Last Question by Asimov, The Library of Babel by…
on “Ask HN: What are some must read books?” ↗Cormac McCarthy's abhorrence to using punctuation is the worst facet of his writing, and made the dialog in `Blood Meridian` practically unfollowable. No. His (lack of) use of punctuation in his work is mesmerising and beautiful, and part of what made Blood Meridian one of the greatest novels of the last century. Obviously…
on “Cormac McCarthy’s tips on how to write a great science paper (2019)” ↗Blood Meridian is absolutely not for everyone, but it's one of the best narrative books on the period that I've ever come across. I periodically recommend it on Askhistorians because it communicates the sheer chaos…
on “Crossing the Blood Meridian: Cormac McCarthy and American History” ↗Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy. Philosphical Investigations, Ludwig Witgenstein. The Analects. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Ableson and Sussman. The Hamet and The Town and The Mansion, William…
on “Ask HN: What are some good books?” ↗McCarthy's novel "Blood Meridian" [1] is one of my all time favorite novels and continues to be a source of inspiration. Its almost biblical in its prose and unrelating in its pace and violence. I even wrote a song based off it (shameless…
on “Cormac McCarthy Explains the Unconscious” ↗…known, but maybe they’re not actually read. Like, known bc people have heard the name, but are not read as much anymore. * Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson * Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon * Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy Actually unknown (but super good) domestic: * Stuff by Larry McMurtry (only famous for lonesome dove)
on “Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?” ↗…Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. "If Gucci can do it, you can do it". Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge. Thinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly,…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗> Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge. I actually started this while on vacation but took a break to read something else. I'm tempted to continue.
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…am so excited for his new books later this year. It's been so long since he wrote a new book, and statistically these are almost certain to be his final novels given his age (88). I found the prose of Blood Meridian and The Road absolutely extraordinary, so I'm eager for more of it. I haven't read his other past novels yet, don't ask why. Maybe because I saw the movie of No Country For Old Men, and I wasn't sure…
on “Cormac McCarthy’s tips on how to write a great science paper (2019)” ↗I recommend Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
on “'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle” ↗…indexing model of investing and this book helped crystallize my view point as well as provide an interesting overview of investment history. Plus I'll throw in one of my favorite, bloody gems of a book: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗Cormac McCarthy used his windfall to research and write the greatest (IMO) novel of the 20th century Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West
on “How MacArthur Geniuses Handle Their Windfalls” ↗Reread Blood Meridian. The newness of good books twenty years later is one of the benefits of getting older.
on “Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?” ↗