This is a deeply violent and horrible book, but it’s also kind of great in a mythic/philosophical way, a searching and epic novel of American expansion from the ground up. If you ever wanted to be a cowboy and fight Indians as a kid, this will scour that desire right out of your head. Only read this if you can stomach a lot of undeserved scalpings, rapes, and similar violence en route to the scene-stealing musings of The Judge.