The late Cormac McCarthy is widely considered one of the greatest American authors, spanning everything from apocalyptic stories to Western works. His writing had a way of making the American Frontier feel both magnificent and deeply unsettling, with his most famous Western novels including No Country for Old Men, Cities of the Plain, and The Crossing. His characters often traveled through sprawling landscapes and endured brutal violence, and morality was never straightforward.

Fortunately, McCarthy isn't the only author to find something fascinating beneath the mythology of the Wild West. Some of the best Western novels share plenty of similarities with McCarthy's works, whether that's the brutal historical vision of Blood Meridian or the melancholy of All the Pretty Horses. So, for any McCarthy fan who's looking for the next Western book to sink their teeth into, these are the six best recommendations.

There's no telling how long we have to wait for Winds of Winter, but George R. R. Martin has recommended plenty of fantasy books in the meantime.

In True Grit, the elderly Mattie Ross recalls being 14 years old, seeking retribution after her father is murdered by Tom Chaney, a hired farmworker. Unwilling to leave justice to chance, the teenage Mattie sets out to track Chaney down and recruits Rooster Cogburn, a violent deputy marshal, to do the job. A Texas Ranger joins the pursuit, but Mattie's determination to see Chaney brought to justice makes it abundantly clear that she's not going to let either man run the show.

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