“The boy nodded. He sat looking at the map. The man watched him. He thought he knew what that was about. He’d pored over maps as a child, keeping one finger on the town where he lived. Just as he would look up his family in the phone directory. Themselves among others, everything in its place. Justified in the world. Come on, he said. We should go.”
--Cormac McCarthy, The Road, 2006
“THERE! I SEE IT BENEATH ME–PULSATING–GLOWING! SO THIS IS WHAT MEN HAVE DIED FOR. I CAN SEE WHY! IT’S SO STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL–THROBBING AT MY TOUCH AS IF–BY THE SEVEN STARS! THE GEM IS–GROWING–SO LARGE I CAN NO LONGER HOLD IT–! IN SOME STRANGE MANNER, THE OMEGA-STONE IS REACTING TO MY TOUCH!”
--Len Wein, MARVEL TEAM-UP, Vol. 1, No. 16,
"Beware the Basilisk My Son" 1973
(Posted simultaneously to “Jelly-Town!”)
Discover more from Coffee for Two
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Coffee for Two 
What did you think of “The Road”? I just finished reading it last night. Initially had to get past Cormac McCarthy’s punctuation issues, but enjoyed his description of day-to-day life in post-apocalyptic America. Made me wonder what I would do if I was in that situation – something we all hope we never find out!
I think it’s fantastic. I’m continually amazed (and made somewhat jealous) by his ability to be so evocative with lean, minimalist language.
Luckily, I’d already read No County For Old Men so I was prepared for his distinctive approach to punctuation and other particulars of structure.
I’m a big McCarthy fan. My fav was “Blood Meridian”. “The Road” didn’t quite stand up for me. I prefer Gist’s latest novel “A Clearing of the Way”
I must admit that I’m a latecomer to McCarthy, starting with No Country after my curiosity was piqued when I knew the Coens planned to adapt it. I need to add Blood Meridian to my (long, unwieldy, never-to-be-completed) “To Read” list.