Absolutely fascinating to read. McCarthy strips his writing down to the absolute bare minimum (minus even dialogue marks) needed to keep the story going, to the point where Bell’s chapter-opening monologues feel breathlessly tense. I haven’t read anything like it (except maybe Hammett) and while it does take a lot of getting used to, it also perfectly fits the dry, wide-open setting. I almost wish I had a literature degree because I can feel all the subtext and allusions and deeper meanings I’m missing out on.

As a long-time SFF reader, I’m used to people going on tirades about how SFF books should be taken as seriously as “classic” literature, and I think this is a perfect counter argument. Even the best fantasy book left my head after an hour or so. No Country For Old Men is going to be rattling around in my brain for a long, long time to come.