Tag: Blood Meridian

Despite all the unexplained violence, I was enjoying the narrative until the style shifted.
First it was the tale how Judge first appeared in front of a company of headhunters in order to lead them around volcanoe for a few days like Moses in order to produce crude gunpowder like a bunch of bloodthirsty Robinsons, so they could defeat the Indians. Then there’s a rambling by the Judge about one man killing another with a rock, which I assume is about Western and Indian civilizations.
I’m 3/4 of the book, and still not sure what am I reading. It’s a chain of atteocities, sometimes commited by the headhunters, and sometimes on them. First they massacre Indians, then peaceful Indians, then Mexicans, and even managed to sell Mexican scalps back to the Mexican governor. Then they are finally chased by the Mexican army.
It’s mostly grounded, except the story about Judge able to levitate a coin, unless it’s some known snake oil trick I’m not aware of.
Then there’s the subversion of expectations. I thought that the entire point of the Judge is that he’s a paedo, killing kids as he passes, and the entire point of the Idiot is to demonstrate that female compassion kills. But he ended up saving the Idiot?