Which Cormac McCarthy novel(s) to read first?

[kalrith]

I want 1 or 2 stand-alone novels to read before diving into another series. The novels by Cormac McCarthy (esp. The Road and No Country for Old Men) seem to be very well-reputed. Which one(s) would you recommend reading first?

If you have any other stand-alone novels to recommend, that's fine too. I typically read sci-fi and fantasy, but I'm open to any fiction genre.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Either will do.

 

[scott916]

Haven't read The Road yet, but I highly recommend NCFOM. The movie did a great job, but there were some interesting parts omitted, especially the ending.

 

[kalrith]

I went ahead and placed both on hold at my library. I guess I'll read whichever comes in first

 

[SphinxnihpS]

All the Pretty Horses

This must be read first to understand the analogy of the coin which is continued in his other works.

Herman Hesse is better. Demian, Narzis and Goldmund, Steppenwolf, Siddhartha...

 

[Sho'Nuff]

NCFOM. The Road is . . . odd. And strangely unsatisfying. The entire story can be summed up as follows:

Spoiler

There was a shitload of ash everywhere. I'm not gonna tell you where it came from. But its everywhere. The man felt sick as shit. And for some reason he's got this little punk kid with him. Oh wait . . . right . . . the punk is his kid. SHIT! Some other people are around. Run or those MF'ers might eat us. Or rape us. Or rape us and then eat us. Or worse. Holy crap! I found a can of coke and a boat! Man, WTF is up with this ash? Hey kid, wanna go for a walk? OK. Just watch out for the ash and cannibalistic rapists. Oh! Dammit. The man died. But its ok. There are some non-ass-rapists around who will take care of the kid . . . I think. The end.

 

[kalrith]

All the Pretty Horses

This must be read first to understand the analogy of the coin which is continued in his other works.

If I read that, then I'd want to read all three books from the Border Trilogy, which I don't really want to do right now. While I might miss the analogy, making All the Pretty Horses a prerequisite will postpone my reading of NCFOM indefinitely (as there are other series I'd rather read first).

 

[SphinxnihpS]

If I read that, then I'd want to read all three books from the Border Trilogy, which I don't really want to do right now. While I might miss the analogy, making All the Pretty Horses a prerequisite will postpone my reading of NCFOM indefinitely (as there are other series I'd rather read first).

No. AtPH stands alone just fine. There is no cliffhanger at the end like in Lord of the Rings. Nothing about it makes you think, 'there should be a sequel.' However, not reading it, and then reading either of the other Border books or No Country is doing yourself a disservice.

So let's say you read it, and do in fact want to read the other two by virtue of AtPH being awesome, how do you lose? Also, if you have to read one of his books, AtPH is BY FAR FAR FAR the best thing he's written.

 

[kalrith]

No. AtPH stands alone just fine. There is no cliffhanger at the end like in Lord of the Rings. Nothing about it makes you think, 'there should be a sequel.' However, not reading it, and then reading either of the other Border books or No Country is doing yourself a disservice.

So let's say you read it, and do in fact want to read the other two by virtue of AtPH being awesome, how do you lose? Also, if you have to read one of his books, AtPH is BY FAR FAR FAR the best thing he's written.

OK, you've convinced me . Even though I walked 2 miles to get NCFOM (had nothing better to do on my lunch break), I just reserved ATPH. At worst I'll read just that one book and then look for another series to read (I have several on my want-to-read list already). At best, I'll really like it and want to read the rest of McCarthy's books.

For whatever reason I keep thinking McCarthy's a woman. I don't think that will affect reading the book at all, but I thought I'd mention it anyways .

 

[SphinxnihpS]

 

[GrantMeThePower]

I would actually say either The Road or Blood Meridian