Cities of the Plain

Two men marked by boyhood adventures now stand together, forced to confront a country changing beyond recognition. Cities of the Plain brings Cormac McCarthy's legendary Border Trilogy to its brutal, inevitable conclusion. 'The completed trilogy emerges as a landmark in American literature' – Guardian 1952, New Mexico. John Grady Cole, last seen in All the Pretty Horses, works as a ranch hands alongside Billy Parnham, of The Crossing. These are the dying days of the American frontier. From the north, the military encroaches upon the ranch. To the south are the mountains of Mexico, the pull of which prove irresistible to John Grady. And so it is that, when he falls in love with a sex worker south of the border, events are set into motion that will prove as dangerous as they are unstoppable. 'This haunting, deeply felt novel completes one of the literary masterworks of the 1990s' – Telegraph 'Like a slow-acting hallucinogen, the book has managed to transform a Texas boy of sixteen looking for adventure into a mysterious figure that augurs the destruction of the world' – Rachel Kushner, author of The Mars Room Cities of the Plain is the final novel in the Border Trilogy. It is preceded by the first two volumes: All the Pretty Horses and The Crossing . Praise for Cormac McCarthy ‘McCarthy worked close to some religious impulse, his books were terrifying and absolute’ – Anne Enright, author of The Green Road and The Wren, The Wren 'His prose takes on an almost biblical quality, hallucinatory in its effect and evangelical in its power' – Stephen King, author of The Shining and the Dark Tower series '[I]n presenting the darker human impulses in his rich prose, [McCarthy] showed readers the necessity of facing up to existence' – Annie Proulx , author of Brokeback Mountain Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

Two men marked by boyhood adventures now stand together, forced to confront a country changing beyond recognition. Cities of the Plain brings Cormac McCarthy's legendary Border Trilogy to its brutal, inevitable conclusion. 'The completed trilogy emerges as a landmark in American literature' – Guardian 1952, New Mexico. John Grady Cole, last seen in All the Pretty Horses, works as a ranch hands alongside Billy Parnham, of The Crossing. These are the dying days of the American frontier. From the north, the military encroaches upon the ranch. To the south are the mountains of Mexico, the pull of which prove irresistible to John Grady. And so it is that, when he falls in love with a sex worker south of the border, events are set into motion that will prove as dangerous as they are unstoppable. 'This haunting, deeply felt novel completes one of the literary masterworks of the 1990s' – Telegraph 'Like a slow-acting hallucinogen, the book has managed to transform a Texas boy of sixteen looking for adventure into a mysterious figure that augurs the destruction of the world' – Rachel Kushner, author of The Mars Room Cities of the Plain is the final novel in the Border Trilogy. It is preceded by the first two volumes: All the Pretty Horses and The Crossing . Praise for Cormac McCarthy ‘McCarthy worked close to some religious impulse, his books were terrifying and absolute’ – Anne Enright, author of The Green Road and The Wren, The Wren 'His prose takes on an almost biblical quality, hallucinatory in its effect and evangelical in its power' – Stephen King, author of The Shining and the Dark Tower series '[I]n presenting the darker human impulses in his rich prose, [McCarthy] showed readers the necessity of facing up to existence' – Annie Proulx , author of Brokeback Mountain Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

In this magnificent new novel, the National Book Award-winning author of All the Pretty Horses and The Crossing fashions a darkly beautiful elegy for the American frontier. The setting is New Mexico in 1952, where John Grady Cole and Billy Parham are working as ranch hands. To the North lie the proving grounds of Alamogordo; to the South, the twin cities of El Paso and Juarez, Mexico. Their life is made up of trail drives and horse auctions and stories told by campfire light. It is a life that is about to change forever, and John Grady and Billy both know it. The catalyst for that change appears in the form of a beautiful, ill-starred Mexican prostitute. When John Grady falls in love, Billy agrees--against his better judgment--to help him rescue the girl from her suavely brutal pimp. The ensuing events resonate with the violence and inevitability of classic tragedy. Hauntingly beautiful, filled with sorrow, humor and awe, Cities of the Plain is a genuine American epic.

In this magnificent new novel, the National Book Award-winning author of All the Pretty Horses and The Crossing fashions a darkly beautiful elegy for the American frontier. The setting is New Mexico in 1952, where John Grady Cole and Billy Parham are working as ranch hands. To the North lie the proving grounds of Alamogordo; to the South, the twin cities of El Paso and Juarez, Mexico. Their life is made up of trail drives and horse auctions and stories told by campfire light. It is a life that is about to change forever, and John Grady and Billy both know it. The catalyst for that change appears in the form of a beautiful, ill-starred Mexican prostitute. When John Grady falls in love, Billy agrees--against his better judgment--to help him rescue the girl from her suavely brutal pimp. The ensuing events resonate with the violence and inevitability of classic tragedy. Hauntingly beautiful, filled with sorrow, humor and awe, Cities of the Plain is a genuine American epic.