(3.5 stars)

I had avoided reading this book for two reasons: 1) I thought it was a western and I don't like reading westerns because everything is so dusty and dry and dirty, and 2.) I though it was full of gratuitous violence. I was right on two counts, but I still enjoyed (well, not really enjoyed) reading the book till the end.

Blood Meridian is a hard book to read in terms of prose and subject. Sentences can go on for miles and some paragraphs just don't make much sense. Then there's the before-mentioned gratuitous violence, which wasn't really that bad despite all the warnings I got from other readers. Really, all the people-on-people violence didn't make me bat an eye, but I did feel very uncomfortable with the animal cruelty going on. I don't think I'll be able to get that image of a dog dragging its smoking, charred body out of a fire for a long time. Despite the extra dose of violence, it does serve its purpose, which I guess makes it justified.

I mainly kept reading because of the judge and the kid. I've heard people say that the kid was morally ambiguous, which I disagree with. The entire book seemed like a story about how to corrupt an innocent and in the end, he was incorruptible. I guess I wanted good to triumph over evil, but I did like that the book ended the way it did. The judge will now go in my list of top 10 book antagonists. He's just such an awesome character and says things like this:

War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner. That is the way it was and will be.

I can't really recommend this book to anyone. It's like telling someone they should go watch Schindler's List. It's not really an enjoyable experience, but it is a memorable one. I hated it when I first started reading because I couldn't get into the rhythm of the prose, but after a while, it finally clicked, so for anyone struggling with it, just keep on truckin'