Is The Road The Most Depressing Book Ever Written?

Is The Road The Most Depressing Book Ever Written?
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
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#sciencefiction #scifi #cormacmccarthy

[@MediaDeathCult]

Ironically, we had a lot of fun making this one. I know people will ask about the tunnel location, I saw it on the Alex Garland film "Men" and just had to go there. It's Hawthornes Tunnel in The Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, sometimes referred to as the Euroclydon Tunnel. We got lucky and found that the north entrance was open so explored for a while, amazing place.

[@deselby6669]

MDC ..You should perhaps give Steve Donoghue's critique of dude bros lit and this book a hearing..It is entertaining and a worthy observation of what is for some.,unfettered onanism..

[@IkeThermite]

Hahaha good timing. My Facebook memories just gave me my 2020 recommendation for improving your Covid lockdown experience through literature. “If your exile is starting to wear on you, I suggest you read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Its lighthearted prose and situational comedy will lift your spirits for the duration of your isolation”

[@VMSelvaggio]

Brilliantly shot, Moid! I love this! I started reading The Road about 4 months ago, and put it down to read Book of the New Sun (Yes, all of it) at your recommend. I am glad I did. I think it is time to pick up "The Road" again. Thanks for the awesome video!

[@davidmarrazzo774]

Cloud Cuckoo land by Anthony Doerr is a must read for this channel Moid. I can’t begin to tell you how much this channel has upgraded my reading experience. Thank you Moid🙏

[@joshsalwen]

A good friend who I never talk about books with pulled The Road off the shelf, bought it and handed it to me. “Read it,” he said. It was so out context that I knew I had to. My son was about 2 at the time. I read it during my commute each day. The day I finished, I was interrupted when the ferry arrived in the city. I was crying when we arrived. I worked my day, got back on the ferry and finished the book. More tears. My take away was that our children are on their own journey. We give them tools, we do our best for them, but in the end they (hopefully) they continue on without us. The Road is one of the most impactful books I’ve every read. A coworker at the time viewed it as a survival story. He imagined how he would try to get by in that world. In effect, we read different books. I wonder if he has re-read it now that he has kids.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Amazing comment, thank you

[@casinodelonge]

I made a similar point on an Amazon review of the book, I have a disabled child, he's my only child and I'm in my 50's. I try and keep fit and hope I can go on another 30 years but I worry constantly what will happen to him when I'm gone. That made The Road an almost unbearable read for me.

[@NJI-hy1pq]

​@@casinodelonge where do you live, luv?

[@casinodelonge]

@@NJI-hy1pq Dublin

[@mattbennett3589]

Man the BBC should cut you a check and put you on television. Great video.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Oh thanks Matt, that's very kind

[@Oldtortoise95]

@@MediaDeathCult Matt is right, very right.

[@cycklist]

It would be a CHEQUE though.

[@mattbennett3589]

@@cycklist no matter the spelling they cash the same. 🤝

[@ExecuMutant]

In 2009 a coworker handed me a paperback copy and said "you have to read it." It was one of the most oddly compelling novels I've ever read. I handed it off to someone else.

[@Pianodean]

I could NOT put it down. I read it in one sitting. The introspection it inspired...I don't have the words, but I just spent hours thinking about what I would do and how I'd survive and concluding I'd probably prefer the cataclysm just take me out.

[@Paul_Bond.]

Moid, your books reviews are becoming more and more accomplished, this and Blindsight have been both insightful and moving. Thanks.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks Paul

[@Prauwlet213]

I’m fascinated by this book but I don’t think I could read it in my current mental state

[@Paul_Bond.]

I can thoroughly understand this, as the father of a ten your old son now I think it would have broken me if I hadn't read it long before he was born. But any level of empathy will cause you trouble. Well it did me anyway, I wish you all the best.

[@jevinday]

Nothing wrong with that. I started reading Diary by Chuck Palahniuk once but I put it down after a couple pages because it just didn't feel right for me at the time. My dad had just killed himself and I think it was a good call on my part, as much as i like to be the person who can handle anything it's naive to not have limits.

[@Charlie_Lap]

The cinematography on this video is great

[@MediaDeathCult]

It'll do

[@dmbfreak123]

One of the best books ever written. Cormac McCarthy is a genius.

[@johnfoolery]

Two things from this novel have always stuck with me. When the boy asks his father what's the bravest thing he ever did and the father answers, "Waking up this morning." And the idea that you still have hope as long as your dreams are brutal and devoid of color. I mean, so bleak, but also oddly beautiful.

[@whiphess7658]

I’m tired of people calling this book depressing. This is one of the most hope filled books I have ever read.

[@Gnaruto170]

Leave it to the Brits to misconstrue American Literature.

[@nefraial]

Wow. This is next level presenting. I feel like I've visited an art show and sat through a fully immersive documentary, walked out of the cinema as if I've been in there for hours, and am left astounded it's been less than 10 minutes.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank you, that means a lot to me

[@AshRolls]

One of the best books ever written. It hollowed me out, an absolute gut punch of a novel.

[@tishapatton7446]

"This is no country for old chapter numbers." Love it. (Note the use of quotes --- I'm old and I just can't stop using them.)

[@zdog34whatnow]

Moid, this is the best video you’ve ever made, imo. What a treat! You’ve got a real gift

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@seanwinter4784]

Scariest book I've ever read. Read it in one setting, couldn't put it down, it absolutely horrified and terrified me. Amazing book

[@terryfurlong518]

The most depressing book of all time - Margaret Thatcher: The Downing Street Years. An apocalypse we did to ourselves.

[@markcollins2704]

Doing so much better these days

[@stever8147]

That was absolutely superb! Great work Moid (and the rest of the gang). You've made me want to re-read this one, which I just thought was 'ok' first time around (albeit via audiobook).

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@TH3F4LC0Nx]

It sure depressed the heck outta me when I first tried reading it, so much so that I actually had to stop. And it was still depressing as heck when I finally finished it years later. 😅

[@jakelewis1752]

I just finished this the day before you posted and its like nothing I had ever read before but Wow was it powerful

[@mariettevanzyl8380]

This was brilliant! Also yes, this book was amazing. The fact that it was so bleak made it feel that much more realistic for the "what if". The ending killed me though.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@stephensmith8474]

Amazing video Moid and team! Absolutely loved it and it introduced me to a book I knew nothing about!

[@MediaDeathCult]

My pleasure, thank you

[@RitvijTiwari]

A video from my favorite channel about my favorite novel? The day is saved! Thank you. :)

[@MediaDeathCult]

Our pleasure

[@harrydale514]

Mr Lapworth introduced me to your videos and I’m glad he did. Quality all round! I read Blood Meridian last year. It was my first McCarthy book and I really struggled for the first few hours to adjust to his writing style. But I stuck with it and I’m glad I did. However, I’ve been wondering since WHY he writes like he does? You’ve provided the best explanation yet - he wants the reader to work in order to appreciate the words themselves. Thanks. The Road and All the Pretty Horses are high on my reading list. But first I’ll binge a few more of your vids!

[@leejlogan]

Not depressing at all. I can read it again and again. It's a warm blanket on a rainy day ⛈️

[@drunkenmcnulty8143]

Your new essay style of book reviews are spot on. You are a keeper of the fire

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks, I'm in a transition period, planning on making these the main thrust of the channel

[@OurRawHeart]

Only book that, as I got further into it, realised I had drifted slowly into an almost shock state. Rattled me. Love it.

[@RFEM520]

My father used to read this to me before I went to bed.

[@chrisw6164]

Superb overview and a nice jacket.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks, Marks and Spencers

[@tarrasacid1612]

Love the on location look.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@alans3023]

That was a really well thought out and written intro to this video. At least I assume it was written - if you did that off the cuff I am seriously impressed. Interesting video. Thank you.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks, It was written, the script is in my pocket

[@RedFuryBooks]

Fantastic review- thank you!

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks, my pleasure

[@jgingras2615]

Great review, great production, great video! Thanks Moid.

[@MediaDeathCult]

My pleasure, thanks

[@paulymorphous9958]

Really digging these recent reviews Moid. I love all your stuff, but this has been a nice way to add (even more) original touches to your reviews. You look well on top of your game.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@LiterateTexan]

I enjoyed this video. It's way more elaborate than anything I could imagine trying to produce. That's the thing about these apocalyptic novels, isn't it? Most people assume that they're going to be one of the survivors. When reading The Road, though, I'm pretty sure I don't even want to be one of the survivors. Great novel, though, and definitely depressing.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks Randy

[@ellery0909]

Amazing review!

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank You

[@PaperlessWriter]

Just a fantastic job you've done here, some of YOUR descriptions are artful, poetic. Thanks for the vids you give us and for all the work that goes into making them:)

[@MediaDeathCult]

My pleasure, thank you

[@evanhovey2554]

Obviously love the content. But dude the shots and style of this video….. brilliant. Please do more of this!

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks Evan

[@e.matthews]

"Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not to be made right again. In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery." Finished it last weekend. So haunting and rich with depth. Great video!!

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks Ewan

[@joelswo]

Superb video, Moid! Great review!

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank You Joel

[@AStrang3r]

Great video. I found the book recently but haven't read it yet. I think I need to be in the right frame of mind to get through it. When I do find the right time I'm sure I'll love it - probably for all the good reasons you talked about in this very video. Thanks!

[@BenCloverfieldLane]

Excellent video, Moid. This cult is so great.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks Ben

[@elfboy29]

The language is also on a biblical level. Very beautiful prose about the utter obliivon of things, that's hopeful in itself, that humanity can make art of it. The father son thing is that: the human hope despite hope fading. It's hopeful to me.

[@mikerhodes9198]

Brilliant review. Your best.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks Mike

[@Morfeusm]

Love the spoken word parts! Cool video essay!

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@arminsoundandmusic]

Excellent review, and nicely produced. wow

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank you

[@Anne.T.Heroine]

I've had this book for a couple of years but avoided reading it because I think I need to be in the right mindset (as in not totally disgusted by people in general), but I don't know that I'll ever get there ~ hope springs eternal and all that, ya' know. You're my favorite BookTube person, love your reviews and interviews. Great job as always, dude. 😘

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank You Annet

[@ottolehikoinen6193]

The movie was great. A true description of a 15 year megadrought, no hope and all the structures of the civilization have transformed to uncivilized not even tribal mess of an anarchy.

[@davidthoma9909]

Moid. Seriously. You've got something cooking here buddy. The last... Several video essays/reviews have gotten so artistic and unique and powerful... You HAVE to keep this momentum and take it with you to the next level! Idk what that is, but I know you have ideas, and my GOD do I want to see it happen. You're helping turn a bunch of millennials and zoomers into genre readers and you're revitalizing an amazing region of the media landscape (SF literature) for a whole new generation. I've been watching KZbin as my primary entertainment medium for the entirety of my (albeit short) adult life, and You. Have. It. This year is the year of Moid, and it's going to be a wonderful, exhilarating ride Just like your mum

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank you David, that means a lot, the plan is to eventually make this style the core of the channel

[@santagrindlay1014]

Next level book review. Well done.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks Santa

[@ronsilva7394]

One of the most stirring books I have ever read .

[@horstbaur7797]

Very, very well spoken, Moid. Bravo. I saw the movie (which was excellent IMO) and for once am grateful I did not read the book. The movie left a lasting impression.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@YourBrainonBooks]

You did this book justice, fantastic review

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank You Baron

[@durwoodmaccool890]

I read this straight through one night. Not really because I was enjoying it so much but that if I stopped I wouldn't start again. What I found so sad wasn't the death of humanity, it was the destruction of the natural world. That was the true loss. Good review, really suits the mood of the book. Cool to see some location shots as well.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@shadowostrich]

Fantastic review! Wonderfully shot! Beautifully bleak book too

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank You

[@guttersnipe77]

Just started following your channel - great content. This would easily sit within the BBC’s iPlayer arts section.

[@with_the_power_of_weirdnes216]

This video is so underrated. Loved it as much as the book❤

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank You

[@mostafabinali7109]

and that is why youtube recommodation push his top post-apocalys vidoes into our screens

[@thedeepfriar745]

The whole message of the book is about keeping hope alive throughout the devastation. There is hope in the book and the relationship of the man and the boy.

[@tishapatton7446]

Liked this video immensely. Including the music.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank You

[@bobbosnap1693]

Loved your take on one of my favorite books from one of my favorite authors and the production value was amazing (maybe I should say favourite?). Anyway, great video!

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks Bob

[@josephkelly6681]

The movie has an amazing soundtrack too.

[@AnthonyMiller1]

I read The Road 10ish years ago and I still think about some of the scenes from it. A great video and critique of remarkable book.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank You Anthony

[@scottabc72]

I saw the movie version by chance not really knowing anything about it and it affected me deeply, especially as a new parent at that time. So I thought 'I have to read the book' but then I thought 'or maybe not', still havent made up my mind.

[@kablamowitz2347]

Maybe do some of these "on-site" reviews for the upcoming Night's Dawn readalong?

[@enoqbreaksit]

Good show, mate.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@rachelpsmith3129]

Blood Meridian isn't sf but it's more horrific than The Road. All hope is squelched. After that I guess McCarthy was free to add just a dash of hope to some of his work. Fantastic review of probably the best living writer of English prose.

[@MediaDeathCult]

I kind of agree and thought about talking about Blood Meridian in the video, but I thought I would let The Road have it's moment, thanks

[@davidmarrazzo774]

Cloud Cuckoo land is a must read for this channel ✌️

[@hermanmelville3871]

When asked about his lack of quotation marks McCarthy responded, “I don’t like a lot of extra garbage on the page.” Also, the inspiration of Byron, in particular his poem “Darkness,” needs to be mentioned.

[@Morf3000]

Moid taking MDC out on "The Road" is a great change up. Love this book. The writing is transfixing.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@mikkelbirkegaard3457]

Masterwork

[@harrisonmccartney4878]

I think the best part about the ending of The Road is that it symbolizes exactly what the father must have hoped for in carrying on with his son through all the hardship. You as the reader only have the hope that as the boy goes off into the world with the family that found him, he will he okay. You're deeply invested in him and his future because you've gotten to know him throughout the story, but you're given an ambiguous answer to what happens next. In that way you're like the father, who hoped to give everything he could to further his son's survival but is no longer around to see if he's really prepared to face the world or doomed to die in it. As the reader who gets to see the boy fall in with the family, you have at least that much more hope for a good ending that the father surely didn't have before he died, but you also don't get to carry on to see what becomes of the boy. You're left in the exact same hopeful but unknowing condition that comes when parents die and leave their children behind. They can really only hope that their child can make it in the world, cruel and depressing though it is.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Great comment, thanks

[@chrismantonuk]

May I suggest that the most depressing book ever written is “On the Beach” by Neville Shute

[@JLchevz]

Excellent

[@adambeckettart]

Might be your best review yet

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank you

[@YippieKiAy]

I had to read this book in college and write an annotation on it. I had many unpopular comments about it. I saw too many loopholes and was often taken out of the suspension of disbelief. Especially when it came to food. Many wild sources existed like mushrooms. And if poison ones grew, so did edible mushrooms. And the food they found in canned jars would not just make one sick like the story said. Usually, if bad, home canned food would be tainted with botulism, which would kill you - period. The jars of food were said to be very old, yet there were apples rotting on the ground. Apples fall in various stages from trees with some rotting on the ground while nice apples still hang on the tree late into the fall. Often pecked on by birds. And if there are apples rotting on the ground, that means the trees are still producing, and it wouldn't have been so long since the apple trees produced. And I'd eat rotten apples on the ground, they'd be like applesauce. Especially if in an apocalypse I'd slurp them up. Apples just break down, turn brown. I did not find it the most depressing book. I found it comical. McCormack just used canned stock shock factors and the book is overated. It's his name that created the mass "we like it" mentality. It's not a good book to me. It's lazy not to get facts right and not to write a realistic existence in the type of world he created.

[@TheDMFW62]

"It's not death metal, it's Radiohead." That's a perfect summary... I've read my share of post apocalyptic novels and they probably aren't my favourite sub-genre of science fiction for many reasons, not all of which I am sure I can analyse, but at least partly it is because they often feel like teenage wish fulfilment with a "wouldn't it be great if there were no adults" kind of unspoken subtext going on, and with all the survivalists, ultra libertarians and general extreme rightwing nutters that seem to be half cheering for an apocalypse these days, I just feel uneasy about giving them the satisfaction of one, even if it is only in fiction 🙂But enough of my peculiar hang ups! The Road isn't one of those books and it's certainly uniquely memorable in a very bleak way. It's a piece of fiction I am pleased to have read but I don't think I'll go back to re-reading it any time soon. There's only so much unrelenting depression I can take!

[@MediaDeathCult]

Great comment, thank you

[@durwoodmaccool890]

Yeah, I've said before about dystopia's, that the old one were more warning while the new ones seem to be saying get used to it.

[@fordprefect80]

It's not a book I could re-read over and over again that's for sure. I'm rather hesitant in re-watching the film as well.

[@Larkinchance]

From my memory.. The boy looks at his father, "That because we're the good guys." You've restored my faith in modern humans. On KZbin, I watched a very bad review of this book by 2 guys who spent the entire video trying to figure how the world got this way. Was it climate change or a nuclear war? Would it be temporary or forever? I commented, "You guys missed the point! It was about a father's desperate and doomed attempt to keep the boy safe. The terrible circumstances were secondary to the relationship of the father and his son. I read the book long before the film and I was thinking, "It should be filmed in B+W". They met me halfway with desaturated color Your review is excellent and now you have a new sub

[@oberstul1941]

Loved the movie; loved the book; loved this review. Bloody well done, nicely scripted, recorded and lighted. And IMHO I think it's not the most depressing book ever - that award goes to its big brother, Blood Meridian. Cheers, Cult Leader!

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank you

[@personmcpersonperson2893]

Great video on a great book

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@JT9554]

This is my favorite book.

[@jordanpoole5482]

Cracking video my friend

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks Jordan

[@zetectic7968]

Hi Moid, enjoyed the video & your review o the book. I think I got more from it than I could the book (which I haven't read). I found the film depressing & the boy constantly repeating "Papa" so annoying that I wanted him to die just to shut him up. I doubt I will ever be in the right state of mind to appreciate the book (life in the here & now is too bleak already for me). Thanks for the effort you put into this.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@reynoldsmathey]

Depressing, but beautiful. You ended on a hopeful note.

[@MediaDeathCult]

We did indeed go to the pub, it was good

[@Verlopil]

Great video! They keep getting better. Other books that have greatly depressed me, in case you're into that: When Heaven Fell by William Barton (science fiction that's bleak as fuck), Johnny Got his Gun by Dalton Trumbo, every book by Thomas Hardy (OK not ALL but Jude and Tess at least), and Job (not the Heinlein-- the literal book of Job in the Bible).

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank You

[@emilynewhart7648]

😮 Love the new format! Must have been a lot of work, but it was definitely worth it! I also agree. 'The Road', even though the themes and depictions in the book are depressing and awful, I feel has a smidge of Hope at the end. It's been a few years since I've read it, so maybe a re-read is on the table.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks

[@rvantong]

Bloody good book. Bloody good video

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank you

[@paulprice7482]

Cracking video Miod, i cant see me ever reading it for the very reasons you love it...the movie was trauma enough

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank you, I understand

[@JLchevz]

5:23 could be a black metal album cover lmao

[@robawinters]

Love it. How do we get Moid on the telly box?

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank you Rob

[@jonbeavis8963]

Yes I still have nightmares after reading it

[@seymourtoa]

To appreciate, one should eat of the crumbs from the depression table wherest this master writes. Stand up thereafter, dust off, and stumble off into the grey end of meaningless humanity.

[@jeremymahrer1832]

THE ROAD, was a brilliant read and without being controversial the film adaptation was as good, unlike the adaptation of ALL THE PRETTY HORSES...I love Cormac McCarthy. But very strange to see you without your whisky and home, but thank you for the effort....and you did'nt fucking swear !!! I thought Solaris by LEM was far more depressing. The Moomins are never depressing !!!

[@ctcv-to8kq]

For those who crave depressing books I can heartily recommend "Angela's Ashes".

[@tjonas1986]

Great vid. I loved The Road, for all its devastation (big CM fan anyway, particularly of his punctuation choices). I actually think Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ is the most depressing book, because it’s real (I had to read it in my local botanical gardens to keep myself sane), but The Road is like an awful sequel.

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thanks Toby

[@BullGooseTV]

Whenever you tell someone you're reading this book they always say "oh man, that books is bleak" and its often held up as like some testament to depressing writing, but honestly I thought it was actually a hopeful book (don't want to give spoilers but think about the ending). I think the book is a great metaphor about how we as humans operate in a world where history is seemingly dead, the future is unthinkable, and what keeps us going. There are way more depressing books than this one, I think the depressing label is over blown on it.

[@Algernon1979]

I always loved this book but after watching this review I realized I didn't love it quite enough :) btw who's narrating? Sounds amazing

[@MediaDeathCult]

Thank you, that's my wife

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

🔥🔥🔥

[@johntowers1213]

Was given this as a present a few years back and it claims the top spot on my DNF list..which is a list I can count on one hand in 50 years as an avid reader.. I managed about 3/4's of it before I checked out..I know misery porn is a popular genre..but this is on its own level of grim..

[@NJI-hy1pq]

Read The Archipel Gulag maybe, in case you haven't already...