This book is the third in Cormac's Border Trilogy about cowboys and Mexico and the old west and such:
All the Pretty Horses (1992) - 4 bill-stars
The Crossing (1994) - 4 bill-stars
Cities of the Plain (1998) - 2 bill-stars

The first two books of the trilogy were really, really great. This 3rd book is not strong. The beautiful writing style is there, but the plot is glacial and ultimately uninteresting. Cormac borrowed the two lead characters from the first two books (John Grady Cole and Billy Parham) for this book. It reminds me a little of a rock band reunion where the songs are slower and have less energy than the younger, original version.

"Cities" reminded me more of Cormac's rambling "No Country for Old Men" (williamt review). The end of "Cities" is brutal with a long dream within a dream dialogue between two old homeless guys under a bridge. Blap.

QOTD
I mean if you were lookin for somebody to give a shit I can tell you right now it sure as hell wasnt Gene. He didnt care if syrup went to thirty cents a sop.
- "Cities on the Plain", Cormac McCarthy

Some Cormac links du jour:

1. Cormac on wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy

2. And this is a (kind of dormant) fan site, I think: www.cormacmccarthy.com

3. "All the Pretty Horses" was a movie: www.imdb.com/title/tt0149624. That's the good news. The bad news: it stars Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz and totally bombed.

Next up. Cormac's "Blood Meridian" is highly-acclaimed and click click click... added to my Amazon cart.