You’ve read Cormac McCarthy’s 1985 novel and now you’re on the hunt for more books like Blood Meridian?
well, look no further than the list of compiled books below.
You are reading: Books like blood meridian
blood meridianset a new standard for the “Wild West” novel and for fans of this genre for the way it portrays war and the nonsensical excuses used by political leaders to start one, with the basis of the novel in historical events that make the narrative even more harrowing.
mccarthy takes us back to the 1850s along the mexican border. Here we meet ‘The Kid’, a boy who becomes entangled with the Glanton Killer Gang, a violent group that takes unhealthy pleasure in hunting and killing Native Americans. Led by the hulking Judge Holden, who has become somewhat of a famous literary character due to his size, abilities, intelligence, and the way he reflects on war.
The list of books like blood meridian that I’ve put together is just as epic, although sometimes they’re not the easiest to read, they’re written by some very talented authors who should certainly be on your radar.
8 books as blood meridian
the revenant, by michael punke
The novel the revenant explores revenge as a theme and is also based on true events, the perfect way to kick off our list of fierce books like blood meridian.
Michael Punke writes about savvy frontiersman Hugh Glass, taking readers back to 1823 and the Rocky Mountains. Glass was a trapper and part of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company when a mission goes awry and a grizzly bear brutally attacks Glass and the rest of his group waits for him to die.
Since no man should die alone, two men in the group are told to stay with Glass until their inevitable death, but fearing another attack, they steal Glass from his weaponry and leave him behind. Driven by a desire to take revenge on the two men who betrayed him, Glass embarks on a grueling three-thousand-mile journey across the Baron’s border.
While the harrowing bear attack scene gives the novel appeal to many, The Revenant is the definitive glass-wielding survival story that defeats death with true grit, determination, and a obsession with revenge.
the devil all the time, by donald ray pollock
inspiration for a recent netflix movie, the devil all the time follows a collection of different characters throughout rural ohio and west virginia, violence, grim tone And the southern gothic style of the narrative echoes McCarthy’s Meridian, making it a great read for fans.
The novel centers on troubled veteran Willard Russel, his dying wife Charlotte, and their son Arvin Eugene Russel who, while a good man, grows up to be incredibly violent. Then there’s Carl and Sandy Henderson, a husband-and-wife duo of depraved serial killers, a fake spider-dealing preacher named Roy, and his crippled cousin Theodore trying to escape the law.
Set just after the second world war during the 1960s, the novel unfolds as the lives of these characters, their pasts, present and future, converge and intertwine in the unfolding poetic sickening events. the devil all the time by donald ray pollock is certainly a haunting read for anyone who enjoys books similar to blood meridian.
moby dick, by herman melville
See Also: 12 best books on climate change, shared by climate activists
man vs. beast original is next on this list of novels as blood meridian is herman melville’s enduring moby dick. With a now very famous opening line, “Call me Ishmael,” we set sail aboard the Pequod with Captain Ahab and his crew as part of Ahab’s obsessive mission to get revenge on the giant sperm whale (Moby Dick) who attacked his ship and killed him. he bit the leg off on a previous expedition.
Ismael, a sailor also on board, recounts his adventures at sea and describes Ahab’s descent into madness as his obsession with Moby Dick begins to overtake him and puts them all in mortal danger.
Written with extensive and almost encyclopedic knowledge of whaling lore and legend, moby dick is more than an exploration into the deep blue sea, it’s also an exploration into character. , the nature of perception and faith mixed with Melville’s incomparable imagination. Just as McCarthy rewrote the Wild West genre, Melville also rewrote the adventure novel with Moby Dick
.
wise blood, by flannery o’connor
flannery o’connor’s first novel, wise blood, is up next, and while it’s quite disturbing in places, it’s also darkly comical and injects a bit of humor into the story. violent nature of this list of bloodthirsty books as blood meridian.
The novel follows Hazel Motes, a young woman who questions her faith and her religion. After deciding to be an atheist, Motes sets out to establish ‘Christless Church of God’ after falling under the spell of a street preacher named Asa Hawkes and his daughter Sabbath Lily and later in the book the eccentric Enoch Emery, whom Motes claims have “wise blood”.
Engaging adventures follow with a fascinating collection of characters that permeate the pages of O’Connor’s now classic novel of retribution, belief, religion, freedom, life and death. Published in 1952, wise blood is a fantastic read that will leave you with a lot to think about when you’re done.
no country for old men, by cormac mccarthy
if anything, reading the blood meridian may have whetted a new appetite for other cormac mccarthy works, so next on the list is one of my personal favorites from the pulitzer prize winning author, no country for old men.
the novel is set on the texas-mexico border, where we meet the character llewellyn moss, who stumbles upon an abandoned truck surrounded by dead men, with a lot of heroin inside and two million dollars in cash. Moss takes the money and in doing so sets off a series of violent events that not even the local sheriff can control.
Moss becomes the target of Anton Chigurh, a mysterious hit man who flips a coin for human lives (played expertly by Javier Bardem in the 2007 film of the same name). McCarthy has rewritten another genre this time in the form of the American crime novel no country for old menit truly is a triumph, and a novel that is sure to please fans of novels like blood meridian.
See Also: 13 Best Happiness Books For Living A Happier Life – Lifehack
are you a fan of cormac mccarthy? check out our list for more books like the road!
american meteorite, by norman lock
If you like Blood Meridian for its exploration of America’s murderous history, you’ll also like these aspects of Norman Lock’s second novel, American Meteor.
The novel centers on protagonist Stephen Moran in this fast-paced coming-of-age adventure narrative. As events unfold, we see Moran injured in the Civil War, befriending the poet Walt Whitman, working on the railroads with Thomas Durant, playing the bugle for President Lincoln’s funeral train, and becoming an apprentice photographer. for william henry jackson, among other historically notable people and events.
With an imaginative cast of characters ranging from doctors to poets to presidents, Moran even comes face-to-face with the boss of the crazy horses in the Battle of Little Big Horn, and though he escapes with his life, his dreams remain haunted. forever spinning american meteorite in an almost visionary tale. As comical at times as sad at others, Locke’s novel will take you through it at a mile a minute.
great value, by charles portis
True Grit, the 1968 novel by Charles Portis, has inspired many remakes over the years with a film that earned John Wayne his Oscar. The narrative is told retrospectively by elderly spinster Mattie Ross who reminisces about her teenage years and her journey to get revenge on the man who murdered her father, the infamous Tom Chaney.
Leaving her farm in Arkansas behind, she boldly (unusually for most other fourteen-year-old girls) embarks on her quest for revenge. She soon meets Chaney’s nemesis, one-eyed quarterback Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn (Waynes’s character in the 1969 film) and a Texas Ranger named Laboeuf and together they decide to take down Chaney once and for all.
There’s gunfights, gangs, saloons, violence and reprisals in the Wild West, True Grit is a true classic American novel that is sure to thrill any fan of Blood Meridian-like books.
riders of the purple sage, by zane grey
if you find other western books like blood meridian too violent, then riders of the purple sage might be your next read as it’s a bit easier to digest. it’s easy to see why it’s been coined a classic within the western genre, there’s cattle rustling, horse theft, kidnapping and gunfights galore!
Set in 1817, the story follows the Avenger Lassiter, a gunslinger dressed in black, on a mission to find his sister, who has been kidnapped from their Texas hometown. While searching, he turns up in a small remote town in Utah, the fictional Alamos, just at the right time to save Jane Withersteen, a beautiful young rancher, from being forced to marry the elderly Mormon Tull.
zane gray has long since proven that he is the master storyteller and riders of the purple sage is the perfect mix of action and adventure, crisis and conflict, violence and sentimentality and the perfect novel for end up. off our list.
It is not difficult to find books like blood meridian, apart from the graphic scenes of violence there are also reflections on war, human nature and beliefs, for example, providing a multidimensional narrative that readers of different genres will find . extremely nice.
Are you looking for more books like blood meridian? Do you have any recommendations that are not on the list? tell us in the comments!
See Also: A Suggested Reading Order of the Bible (and Why) – Christianity FAQ