Cormac McCarthy's 1985 epic historical novel, Blood Meridian, is a brutal anti-Western set during the violent 1849–1850 period of the American frontier. The narrative follows a runaway teenager known only as "the kid" as he falls in with the real-life Glanton gang, a notoriously vicious group of scalp hunters who massacred Native Americans and others along the U.S.–Mexico border for bounty and sadistic pleasure. Throughout the kid's harrowing journey, the enigmatic and terrifying Judge Holden emerges as the primary antagonist—a physically massive, preternaturally skilled, and nihilistic figure who embodies relentless destruction. Though initially met with lukewarm reviews, Blood Meridian has since achieved widespread acclaim, now widely regarded as McCarthy's magnum opus and one of the greatest American novels ever written.