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Blood Meridian follows the life of "The Kid", a fourteen year old young man from Tennessee who leaves his home in hopes of finding adventure in the Southwest United States. He meets up with U.S. Army groups and later joins Joel Glanton and the mysterious Judge Holden as they wage war against the Native Americans in the southwest.
It is set during the 1850s in the Southwest United States, particularly around the Mexican border. The setting plays out amidst the tension between settlers moving out west versus the local natives fighting back. The story displays the cruelty of how the United States fought against the Natives and how many soldiers killed Native Americans gruesomely for their scalps, which could be traded in for profit. The main conflict of the novel is how these events shape The Kid's character and development into a man.
I rate this novel four out of five stars because it is excellently written and it exposes the cruelty of mid 1800s Western America. What is unique about this novel, unlike most Westerns, which are set during the 1870s-1890s, this novel is set during the 1850s, right before the Civil War. That being said, this is a great novel which most people, especially those interested in history, will enjoy. Those who don't share that interest in history, or those who have an aversion to violence and its graphic details, shouldn't read this book.
