American novelist Cormac McCarthyJohn's 12 books are widely considered some of the best literature in the modern canon, and he is often ranked among the greatest American writers of all time. was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on July 20, 1933, and died on June 13, 2023. He began his career right after college, writing short stories for his student magazine (via British). His first novel was published in 1965, The Orchard Guardianwho won the William Faulkner Foundation Award in 1966, but his true acclaim did not come until he wrote All the beautiful horses in 1992.
Along with his 12 novels, McCarthy wrote three short stories; an essay; five scripts, including one for the Ridley Scott film, The counselor; and two pieces. McCarthy's style is notable for being sparsely punctuated. There are no quotation marks and there are fewer commas. The speakers are also rarely indicated, but their clear voice control always makes it clear who is speaking. His novels are full of violence and can be considered nihilistic, although they often have deeply moral tendencies. Every book deserves space on the shelf, and Everyone who has read McCarthy seems to have a favorite.
12
Plain Cities (1998)
A smaller but no less fierce entry in the Border trilogy
The final book in the “Border Trilogy” and eighth novel by Cormac McCarthy, Plain Citiesis a reference to the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, giving a hint about the inner story. In Plain CitiesJohn Grady Cole All the beautiful horses and Billy Parham from The Crossing they work together on a cattle ranch near Alamogordo, New Mexico. Plain Cities requires reading the first two books in the “Border Trilogy” to truly enjoy. The abbreviated prose is a step up from his earlier books, but would become the standard for his modern works.
11
Outer Darkness (1968)
A darkly nihilistic view of sin
This dark and disturbing story has often been requested by fans to be adapted into a horror film. McCarthy's second novel, Outer Darknessis set somewhere in Appalachia around the turn of the 20th century. In this isolated and timeless world, a brother and sister give birth to a child, but the brother leaves the baby in the forest, where it is found by someone. Outer Darkness sees a change in McCarthy's priorities, which abandons chronology and humor, present in The Orchard Guardianfocusing instead on the desolation of the human condition and the power of sin.
10
The Guardian of the Orchard (1965)
A sign that McCarthy would be an icon
McCarthy's first novel, The Orchard Guardianwas published in 1965 and is set between World War I and World War II in an isolated community in Tennessee. The novel follows the lives of three men; Uncle Arthur Ownby, a lonely woodcutter; John Wesley Rattner, a boy; and Marion Sylder, a smuggler, whose lives become complicated after a murder. Like his first novel, McCarthy is still searching for the tone he would become known forbut already, his beautiful, almost painterly descriptions make the occasionally aimless story feel incredibly powerful.
9
Son of God (1973)
Moral degradation in picturesque Sevier County, Tennessee
Cormac McCarthy's third novel, Son of Godfollows Lester Ballard, an abandoned and hopeless man who turns to violence and serial murder as he loses control of his sanity. The story goes back and forth between Lester's first-person view and anecdotes told by the townspeople about Lester's shocking childhood. Son of God It's an unsettling read, full of trauma and horrific acts of violence and degradation. Matter-of-fact descriptions of murder and beautiful, vivid imagery combine for an unnerving yet completely engaging juxtaposition.
8
The Passenger (2022)
A quiet, moving account of a young man's regrets
11th book by Cormac McCarthy, The passengerwas released six weeks before Stella Mariswhich together make up books one and two of the “Passagengers Series”. The passenger follows Bobby and Alicia Western, whose father is responsible for developing the American atomic bomb during World War II. McCarthy published The passenger and his partner in the late 80s and her willingness to explore different stories and experiment with different styles at such a late age is a testament to her confidence and skill. The passenger It may not be exactly like McCarthy's older books, but it still has the author's pulse.
7
Stella Maris (2022)
Mathematics, physics and philosophy combine for McCarthy's farewell
Stella Maris is the 12th and final novel by Cormac McCarthy and the last book in the “Passengers Series”. As The is a passenger, Stella Maris follows Bobby and Alicia Western, whose father helped develop the atomic bomb. This novel focuses on Alicia Western, a math prodigy wracked by delusions. It's hard to separate Stella Maris and The passengerbut Stella Maris It is a more philosophical and complicated story, with passages through mathematics and physics. It appears that Cormac McCarthy is speaking directly to the readertrying to elucidate his entire career as he approached the end of it.
6
No Country for Old Men (2005)
A gripping and violent story of a drug deal gone wrong
Although many recognize the Coen brothers' adaptation of There is no country for old people about Cormac McCarthy's ninth novel, the book is as exciting as the film. The novel follows Llewelyn Moss, a Texas man who stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and finds himself in the crosshairs of the force of nature that is Anton Chigurh. It's in There is no country for old people that McCarthy begins to face questions of moralitywhich may turn off readers who favored his nihilistic themes in previous books. It is an unsettling and timeless story about greed and the unknowability of evil.
5
Suttree (1979)
McCarthy's adventure story filled with humor and desolation
Suttree is Cormac McCarthy's fourth novel, and here he moves away from the bleak bleakness of his previous novels to something just a little more humorous and extended. Cornelius Suttree comes from a privileged life, but decides he wants to abandon his past, including his wife and son, to become a poor fisherman on the Tennessee River. Suttree is dense, and his prose can be off-putting to those unfamiliar with McCarthy. However, it is also one of his most complete stories, bringing aspects of human kindness along with the evil that are part of his books.
4
The Crossing (1994)
Two brothers grow up apart in the wilds of New Mexico
Cormac McCarthy's seventh novel is also the second in the “Border Trilogy”, The Crossing. In The CrossingBilly Parham and his brother Boyd embark on a series of adventures near their estate in 20th century New Mexico. They experience the power of nature in all its forms and each of them changes, possibly for the worse, as they grow up. Dark, but still good-natured, The Crossing is a slice-of-life novel of sorts, albeit with McCarthy's sense of destruction and destiny. The mystical aspects of romance can be scary, but they are also incredibly rewarding to overcome.
3
All the Pretty Horses (1992)
A calm, well-written story set in Mexico
The first book in the “Border Trilogy” and McCarthy's sixth book overall, All the beautiful horses follows John Grady Cole, who travels to Mexico with his friend Lacey Rawlins in search of work. There, the pair meet Jimmy Blevins and become a trio, although the work is difficult and dangerous. One of McCarthy's lightest novels in terms of scope, it is still an incredibly detailed account of a cowboy's life. The story is sad, moving, and at times hopeless, but the three boys at the center are so well-crafted that it's hard to put the book down.
2
The Road (2006)
A dark and hopeless sci-fi thriller
Cormac McCarthy's only book set in a future setting still maintains the desolation of humanity, increasing the darkness more than ever. His tenth novel, The roadtakes place a few years in the future, in a post-apocalyptic America, where an unspecified event has turned the world into a gray, lifeless wasteland. There, a boy and his father travel to some unknown destination, desperate to live. The road is an incredibly dark and visceral novel, but it's also packed with intense moments of action and the occasional light at the end of the tunnel to make it a must-read.
1
Blood Meridian (1985)
McCarthy's Magnum Opus on Violence, God and the West
The full title of Cormac McCarthyThe fifth book of is Blood Meridian; or, The nocturnal redness in the Westand is set in the mid-19th century on the American frontier. A teenage runaway, known only as “The Kid,” encounters a group of Indian money changers, the Glanton Gang, and their terrifying member, Judge Holden. Epic, brutal and steeped in religious themes, Blood Meridian has frequently been ranked among the best books in American literature. It can be considered McCarthy's magnum opus and the work that best expresses his worldview and control of form.