I hit my reading goal!!! It only took the last day. This was my last book and wow. I have no words. It was majestic. It was supernatural. It was brutal.
I picked up this book when the author passed away and I wanted to tackle a western.
At first I respected the prose, the detailed pages of landscapes, seeing the riders go through lightning and come across different characters. Just felt like a slow burn to the action.
It was a difficult read I had to pay attention to make sure who was the one talking when it came to dialogue.
The strongest parts for me were the beginning and the end. The beginning of the prayer service fight them escaping, toad vine fight, and hotel blow up. The judge smiling back. Wow.
Then came the gang, the ex priest was the coolest guy. He had this overall self awareness of the tribe. My favorite moment was when the kid asked why do they call him the judge and the ex priest was like be careful he will hear you.
You expected more from Toadvine but enjoyed he had some sense of the brutality they were up to. Glanton reminded me of Dutch from red dead redemption and the general in apocalypse now. His descent into madness with killing anyone. Him sticking up for Black Jackson at most parts. He went out like a G when the yumas attacked.
The judge was the craziest character I have witnessed. I was scared of what he was going to do at most times. Him just murdering whatever young person came by him, the stark walking naked in the night, how the gang found him, him bringing the imbecile to his side, and the hunt of the kid and ex priest was just really well done.
I treated the last chapter like an Episode of Deadwood. The music. The cinematography in my head. The kid now the man. The man killing a kid. Meeting the judge again.
But first time of my life I didn’t know what ending to give it. Did the kid die in the outhouse. Or did the kid kill someone else. Becoming the judge.
Then the final description of the judge dancing naked in the whore house.
I tossed and turned all night thinking about this ending.
This needs to be a HBO show.
Overall glad I picked this up.
by moneysingh300