Cormac McCarthy.

[Mobius]

So gutted about this :(

he won't be writing that movie then...

[bgmnts]

Trippy!

RIP to the fella.

[13 schoolyards]

So gutted about this :(

he won't be writing that movie then...

It sounded like he may have written at least one version of a movie script for it a while back

[Sex Festival Organizer]

Crap. I knew he was old, but this is still shitty news, as he's probably my favourite writer ever, and I was hoping for at least one more book from him. I still haven't read his last two, but before I do that, I will re-read his entire oeuvre in chronological order, which seems like a fitting tribute. Rest in peace, you ornery, beautiful old (but not bald, never bald) bastard.

Anyway, this calls for a list, I think:

God Tier:

Blood Meridian; or, The Evening Redness in the West (You really need the whole title to convey just how fucking epic this book is. My favourite book ever, just for the writing alone.)

Great:

Outer Dark (I almost added this to the God Tier, but I figured there can only be one with such an exalted status. Still, it's incredible stuff.)

The Crossing

The Road (The "cellar scene", Jesus, my palms have never been as sweaty and clammy as when I read that. Yes, not even when wanking, such is the suspense!)

Suttree (One of the few books I've only read the once. Really looking forward to the re-read.)

Child of God (Poor old Lester, a Legend Lester of another time.)

Very good to good:

No Country for Old Men (I actually think the movie's better.)

All the Pretty Horses (I even like the much-maligned movie.)

Cities of the Plain

OK, I guess:

The Orchard Keeper (Only read the once, but I doubt it'll improve when I re-read it.)

[AngryGazelle]

Just finished reading Blood Meridian (my first McCarthy book) and absolutely loved it.

One of the best books I've ever read, it brought such vivid imagery to my mind. Will be reading this again in the future because there is no way I understood it all.

[Mobius]

Just finished reading Blood Meridian (my first McCarthy book) and absolutely loved it.

One of the best books I've ever read, it brought such vivid imagery to my mind. Will be reading this again in the future because there is no way I understood it all.

Nice one. Yep, definitely my favourite book ever. Never read anything like it.

Reckon you'll do another Cormac? Outer Dark / Child Of God have a bit of a similar vibe - his other works are a bit less nightmarish.

[Magnum Valentino]

I actually couldn't finish Blood Meridian, but have read five others. It felt too much like hard work and I started it during an awful time in my life and couldn't separate the two when I tried to revisit it.

Outer Dark gets my vote over Child of God but both are worth the read.

[AngryGazelle]

Reckon you'll do another Cormac? Outer Dark / Child Of God have a bit of a similar vibe - his other works are a bit less nightmarish.

I've requested Outer Dark from the library. I have All The Pretty Horses sitting on my shelf too but Outer Dark feels like it will be more to my tastes.

I really loved Blood Meridian, I am going to read it again but want to wait a while, so I don't spoil it.

[kalowski]

Read The Road, but be prepared each night to cry yourself to sleep with horror.

[Magnum Valentino]

Or do what I did, read it on a bus that's broken down in a blizzard in an area with no mobile signal so you've nothing ELSE to do, and cry yourself to sleep with horror.

[Mobius]

Oh yes totally forgot The Road in the list of Cormac's grimmer works. Blood Meridian/Outer Dark/Child Of God/The Road are my favourites of course.

There's a movie version of Child of God which isn't great, but worth a look out of curiousity.

I have pretty much been alternating between reading Blood Meridian and then listening to the audiobook for the last few years. I love it so much, can basically recite whole bits now.

[PlanktonSideburns]

Oh yes totally forgot The Road in the list of Cormac's grimmer works. Blood Meridian/Outer Dark/Child Of God/The Road are my favourites of course.

There's a movie version of Child of God which isn't great, but worth a look out of curiousity.

I have pretty much been alternating between reading Blood Meridian and then listening to the audiobook for the last few years. I love it so much, can basically recite whole bits now.

Go on then

Vocaroo, in the style of Brucie please

[H-O-W-L]

Finished The Road last night and by god it was fantastic. Seen scenes of the film and I think it looks shite; the desolation I imagined was far greater and all-encompassing. Just dunno how you can even capture the kind of huge vistas of apocalypse and ashdrift that McCarthy describes.

[H-O-W-L]

Hell, I dunno, it feels kind of wrong to give that film an adaptation with speech and dialogue. It feels like it's all what the Boy and the Man are hearing, rather than what is actually being verbally said. The lack of quotes makes it feel completely unspoken. I could only really imagine the book in these grand, sweeping, apocalyptic movements of sound and color and hellishness. Cracked, paneless windowframes and shotgun houses with no door fore or aft. Just absolute decrepitude and abyss yawning forever for everyone to fall into it. Just really do not get why they tried to film it -- especially not as the kind of... standard-broken-cars-everywhere-bit-dirty-innit-desaturated 2000s apocalypse movie.

[Shaky]

I thought the film was good but I know what you mean re dialogue. It's muted and almost ambient on the page, giving a really unique, intimate sense of how dwarved yet stoic these individuals have become by the vastness of what's happened to the world. Impossible to entirely replicate that in another medium.

[H-O-W-L]

I can really only see an audiobook/storytime style delivery of the dialogue working, honestly.

[Mobius]

If you've never heard of the book I would imagine the movie is just a decent post-apoc flick, but yeah otherwise it's unnecessary

[AngryGazelle]

I read Outer Dark last week. It was good but I didn't love it like I did Blood Meridian.

[kalowski]

I recently re-read The Road. Just as stunning and desolate as the last time.