All 12 Cormac McCarthy Books Ranked

American novelist Cormac McCarthy’s 12 books are widely regarded as some of the best literature in the modern canon, and he is often ranked among the greatest American writers of all time. Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr. was born in Providence, Rhode Island on July 20, 1933 and died on June 13, 2023. He began his career shortly after college, writing short stories for his student magazine (via British). He published his first novel in 1965. The guardian of the gardenwhich won the William Faulkner Foundation Prize in 1966, but his true acclaim did not come until he wrote All the pretty horses in 1992.

Along with his 12 novels, McCarthy wrote three short stories; an essay; five scripts, including one for the Ridley Scott film, the counselor; and two plays. McCarthy’s style is notable for being sparsely punctuated. There are no quotes and even less commas. Speakers are rarely indicated, but his clear voice control always makes it clear who is speaking. His novels are full of violence and could be considered nihilistic, although they often have a deeply moral undertone. Every book deserves a space on a shelf and everyone who has read McCarthy seems to have a favorite.

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12 Cities of the Plain (1998)

A smaller, but no less fierce, entry in the border trilogy

The final book in the “Frontier Trilogy” and the eighth novel by Cormac McCarthy, Plain Citiesis a reference to the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, giving a clue to the story within. In Plain CitiesJohn Grady Cole All the pretty horses and Billy Parham of The crossing work together on a cattle ranch near Alamogordo, New Mexico. Plain Cities Requires reading the first two books of the “Frontier Trilogy” to truly enjoy it. The abbreviated prose is a step away from his earlier books, but would become the standard for his modern works.

11 Outer Darkness (1968)

A darkly nihilistic look at sin

Fans have frequently asked for this dark and disturbing story to be adapted into a horror film. McCarthy’s second novel, outer darknessis set somewhere in Appalachia in the early 20th century. In this isolated, timeless world, a brother and sister have a child, only for the brother to leave the baby in the woods, where someone finds it. outer darkness sees a change of priorities for McCarthy, who abandons the chronology and humor, present in The guardian of the gardenfocusing instead on the desolation of the human condition and the power of sin.

10 The Orchard Keeper (1965)

A sign that McCarthy would be an icon

McCarthy’s first novel, The guardian of the gardenwas published in 1965 and is set between World War I and World War II in an isolated community in Tennessee. The novel follows the lives of three men; Uncle Arthur Ownby, a lonely woodcutter; John Wesley Rattner, a young man; and Marion Sylder, a smuggler, whose lives become entangled after a murder. As his first novel, McCarthy is still searching for the tone for which he would become known, but his beautiful, almost painterly descriptions make the sometimes directionless story feel incredibly powerful.

9 Son of God (1973)

Moral degradation in picturesque Sevier County, Tennessee

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Third novel by Cormac McCarthy, son of godfollows Lester Ballard, an abandoned and desperate man who turns to violence and serial murder as he loses control of his sanity. The story goes back and forth between Lester’s first-person view and anecdotes told by the townspeople about Lester’s shocking early life. son of god It is a disturbing read, filled with trauma and horrible acts of violence and degradation. Practical descriptions of murder and beautiful, vivid images combine to create a disturbing, yet completely engaging, juxtaposition.

8 The Passenger (2022)

A quiet and moving account of a young man’s regrets

Cormac McCarthy’s eleventh book, The passengerhe was released six weeks earlier Estela Mariswhich together make up books one and two of the “Passengers Series”. The passenger It follows Bobby and Alicia Western, whose father is responsible for the development of the American atomic bomb during World War II. McCarthy published The passenger and his partner in the late ’80s and their willingness to explore different stories and try different styles is a testament to their confidence and skill. The passenger It may not read exactly like McCarthy’s older books, but it still has the author’s heartbeat.

7Stella Maris (2022)

Mathematics, Physics and Philosophy combine for McCarthy’s farewell

Estela Maris is the twelfth and final novel by Cormac McCarthy, and the final book in the “Passengers Series.” As tthe passenger, Estela Maris It follows Bobby and Alicia Western, whose father helped develop the atomic bomb. This novel centers on Alicia Western, a mathematics prodigy plagued by delusions. it’s hard to separate Estela Maris and The passengerbut Estela Maris It is a more philosophical and complicated story with stays in mathematics and physics. It feels as if Cormac McCarthy is speaking directly to the reader, trying to elucidate the entirety of his career as he nears the end.

6 No Country for Old Men (2005)

A thrilling and violent story about a drug deal gone wrong

Although many will recognize the Coen brothers’ adaptation of It’s not a country for old people As for Cormac McCarthy’s ninth novel, the book is just as exciting as the movie. The novel follows Llewelyn Moss, a Texas man who stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad and finds himself in the crosshairs of the force of nature that is Anton Chigurh. is in It’s not a country for old people that McCarthy begins to grapple with questions of morality, which may discourage readers who favored his nihilistic themes in previous books. It is a haunting and timeless story about greed and the unknowability of evil.

5 Suttree (1979)

McCarthy’s adventure story full of humor and desolation

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Suttree is Cormac McCarthy’s fourth novel, and here he moves away from the bleak bleakness of his previous novels toward something a little more humorous and sprawling. Cornelius Suttree comes from a privileged life, but decides he wants to throw away his past, including his wife and son, to become a poor fisherman on the Tennessee River. Suttree It is dense and its prose may be off-putting to those unfamiliar with McCarthy. However, it is also one of his most complete stories, as it incorporates aspects of human goodness along with evil that are part of his books.

4 The Crossing (1994)

Two brothers grow up and separate in the New Mexico wilderness

Cormac McCarthy’s seventh novel is also the second in the “Frontier Trilogy.” The crossing. In The crossingBilly Parham and his brother Boyd embark on a series of adventures near their farm in 20th century New Mexico. They experience the power of nature in all its forms and each of them changes, possibly for the worse, as they grow. Desolate and yet funny, The crossing It’s a slice-of-life story of sorts, albeit with McCarthy’s sense of doom and destiny. The mystical aspects of the novel can be daunting, but they are also incredibly rewarding.

3 All the Pretty Horses (1992)

A calm and beautifully written tale set in Mexico

The first book in the “Frontier Trilogy” and McCarthy’s sixth book overall, All the pretty horses It follows John Grady Cole, who travels to Mexico with his friend Lacey Rawlins to look for work. There, the duo meet Jimmy Blevins and become a trio, although the job proves difficult and dangerous. One of McCarthy’s lightest novels in terms of scope, it remains an incredibly detailed account of a cowboy’s life. The story is sad, moving and desperate at times, but the three children at the center are so well developed that it is difficult to put the book down.

2 The Road (2006)

A grim and desperate sci-fi thriller

Cormac McCarthy’s only book that takes place in a future setting still preserves the desolation of humanity, increasing the darkness more than ever. His tenth novel, The pathtakes place some years in the future, in a post-apocalyptic America where an unspecified event has turned the world into a gray, lifeless wasteland. There, a boy and his father travel to an unknown destination, desperate to live. The path It’s an incredibly bleak and visceral novel, but it’s also filled with intense moments of action and the occasional light at the end of the tunnel that makes it a must-read.

1 Blood Meridian (1985)

McCarthy’s masterpiece on violence, God and the West

The full title of Cormac McCarthy’s fifth book is Blood meridian; o Evening flush in the Westand takes place in the mid-19th century on the American frontier. A teenage runaway, known only as “The Boy,” encounters a group of Indian touts, the Glanton Gang, and their terrifying member, Judge Holden. Epic, brutal and full of religious themes, blood meridian It has often been ranked among the best books in American literature. McCarthy’s can be considered. masterpiece and the work that best expresses his worldview and control of form.

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