From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

The Road

Cormac McCarthy

Start date: April 1, 2013

Finish date: April 30, 2013

Discussion: Book Discussions

Discussion leader: Ruth

Why we're reading this: Group discussion for Contemporary Novel, April 2013
#63 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all time (2011 pol…more
[close] Group discussion for Contemporary Novel, April 2013
#63 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all time (2011 poll) http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/1390858...
#14 on Locus Magazines Best SciFi novels of the 21th century http://www.locusmag.com/2012/AllCentu...

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Jul 08, 2020 Carlex rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

A land devastated by a nuclear winter, or some kind of mass extinction? That is one of the keys to the book, the reader does not know what has happened. Apparently no one knows. Actually it does not matter, the case is a continent -or the whole planet? - absolutely ruined, without sun, without animals or plants, without food and cold, very cold... So nowadays this novel, with the knowledge we have and what we know we are not avoiding, gives us plenty to think about, both of what can happen and w A land devastated by a nuclear winter, or some kind of mass extinction? That is one of the keys to the book, the reader does not know what has happened. Apparently no one knows. Actually it does not matter, the case is a continent -or the whole planet? - absolutely ruined, without sun, without animals or plants, without food and cold, very cold... So nowadays this novel, with the knowledge we have and what we know we are not avoiding, gives us plenty to think about, both of what can happen and what we can lose.

The novel focuses on a father - a man, no matter what his name is - who tries to save his son. So the novel deals about paternity (or maternity of course) and what parents do/would do in a situation like this one (you also can imagine a war, in which you are forced to flee and seek refuge in another country, walking a great distance through a desert landscape or crossing a sea in a precarious boat). All of us who know what parenthood means are aware of that we would do anything to save our children and that we would face the most adverse circumstances, even - which is worse - if we have lost all hope. It is in our genes and it is in what makes us human.

During the journey, often the best answer the man can give at his son is "I don't know". The only certainties he has is that humanity has returned to a kind of hobbesian state of nature (or maybe worse) in which everyone seeks food and shelter, and they struggle to take it away from others because there is not enough for all; and that he tries to save him moving southward in a belief that the weather can be somewhat better.

Years ago on my blog I asked the readers to make a list of the best science fiction novels and to my surprise this one was the most valued. Of course I added it to my extensive list of pending to read books; although similar to another very crude novel such as Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, I waited years to have a suitable frame of mind to read it. Over time I discovered that this suitable state of mind does not exist, but in any case I recommend you to read this masterpiece if you have not yet.

If you have curiosity, this is the list of the best novels so far in the 21st century (the post is from 2014 and it is in Spanish): http://girotix.blogspot.com/2014/09/l...

And there is this review on the blog (please visit it!): http://girotix.blogspot.com/2020/07/t... ...more

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Aug 03, 2020 Nina rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-around-the-year-in-52-books, irritating

He pretty much lost me with the third sentence, but I trundled along anyway, hoping it would get better further down the road. I didn’t care for the writing style. Some of his metaphors are strained. Like a worm-ridden cabbage rinsed in a broken colander, as if cole slaw could expiate the multitudinous sins of mankind. It all seemed as pointless as a discarded pencil in the sock drawer of a dilletante sketch artist who was eaten alive by an unnamed beast with eyes like smoke. Mr. Pulitzer, I’d l ...more

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