Swan Song Mass Market Paperback – July 26, 2016

I read this book years ago and I liked it as much as I did the first time. Swan, Josh, Sister and the people helping them in their travels are likeable humans. Their evil, selfish enemies are the type you love to hate. The journey of both sets of people is very interesting. It's a great supernatural story.

I came across this novel while browsing the Horror section on Amazon. This is something I do from time to time: I want a new novel, so I just wander aimlessly through genres until something catches my eye. Swan Song was on sale, and even at 99 cents, I was still a bit skeptical. I hadn't heard of the author, the plot sounded a bit The Stand-y, and mentions of a "psychic girl" (which is actually fairly inaccurate) made me rather skeptical. But I bought it anyway.And oh, wow. I read all 900 pages of this novel in two days. I read a lot of fiction, both as part of my profession and in my personal life. I can't recall the last time I was so engrossed in a novel that I stayed up well past my bedtime just to see what happens next. And when I shambled into work the next day, I immediately (and discreetly) pulled up my Kindle to eagerly finish the book. It is just that good, that engrossing, and that amazing.And I can't recall ever, in my adult life, being so struck by the horror elements of a novel like this one. From the tense discussions of nuclear war to the failed state scenery of a shambolic NYC, and all throughout McCammon's excellent portrayal of post-nuke America, there are myriad moments of brutality, gore, violence, degradation, and tension. This book does not pull punches; it earns its horror novel categorization, and it does so without being overly gratuitous or a simple bloodbath. The madness and inhumanity portrayed feels and seems real in a horrible way.Likewise, the moments of hope, optimism, and redemption complement the destruction, and are a bit folksy, but not hokey in the least. The characters are more black and-white than gray in terms of morality and actions, which could be considered a fault of the novel, but this works very well for post-apocalyptic fiction, especially in the hands of a capable author like McCammon. Speaking of his skill as a writer, the prose makes you realize why the man decided his aspirations lay beyond the horror genre, which is often looked down upon as being the purview of "hack" authors. McCammon writes very well, with appropriate metaphors and flourishes to add color, and very clear and creative diction for descriptions and actions.Dialogue, too, is a strength of his. I've often found Stephen King to be a bit too homespun with some of his characters' words; McCammon knows how to create distinct voices for his characters without going into the realm of cliched archetype. I bring up this King comparison because Swan Song is, obviously, quite similar to The Stand in some ways. I very much enjoyed The Stand, and though I enjoyed Swan Song much more (granted, it's been nearly ten years since I read The Stand), I wouldn't fault anyone for saying they enjoyed the earlier novel more. Reading both is a good use of your time.Again, I do have to emphasize that this is a true horror novel. There are gruesome deaths, disturbing imageries, painful flashbacks, and hard journeys in store for all of the characters. Nuclear winter is not a hospitable environment; McCannon even goes so far as to (light spoiler) kill some animals whom we all become attached to. I mention all this for two reasons. One: if you're looking for a truly horrifying novel, this is it. Two: A recent review said this is for "all ages." I'd have nightmares for weeks if I read this as a child.There are two major criticisms I've heard about this novel. One is that the characterizations are a bit too sketchy. I can understand a reader finding fault with some of the rushed love subplots, but since Swan Song is already 900 pages long, I definitely prefer a bit of instalove to a romance novella's worth of lovey dovey. The other criticism revolves around the supernatural elements that go unexplained. Not to be too much of an apologist, but, without giving too much away, this just wasn't on my mind when I was reading. The plot and characters more than compensate for any faults you might with the celestial tinges.Having read reviews and scoured the internet for more information, I feel like Swan Song is a bit of a cult novel. There are mentions, on Amazon and elsewhere, of people getting tattoos of the books cover, of fan adaptations using characters names, and of top-10 lists with this at the top.It doesn't make sense to rank a novel like Swan Song against, say, Gatsby or Middlemarch, or Twilight or Harry Potter for that matter, but I will say this. Among post-apocalyptic fiction, Swan Song deserves a place at the top. And among horror novels - which is a much broader and larger category - I really do think it is a top 5. Maybe it hasn't been as influential or well-known as some of the others, but it's definitely an accomplishment of a book. This is everything and more that I could hope for from genre fiction. And had someone told me I was about to take a wicked trip to the dark side, I would have gladly paid full price for this book. So I'm writing this review for you, ambivalent book-lover. Check this one out - then let me know what McCannon novel I should check out next. I just got Boy's Life, which I heard was his best. In any case, Swan Song will stick with me for a long, long time.

I liked this a lot but in my opinion Boy’s Life is far superior. The last chapter helps to resolve some things but in a way this fits well into the post apocalyptic lit. The Stand is preferable to me but I love McCammon.

Excellent book filled with great imagery and storytelling. It’s crazily prophetic not be reading in these days of his 2nd presidency where much is echoing the storyline of the book. Bit of a bummer at times but contrasting very magical. Solid writing

Wow, just WOW!!! My husband has been researching nuclear war for months due to the conflict in Ukraine and the present-day threats from Vladimir Putin. We have both watched multiple documentaries on nuclear weapons to increase our knowledge and to familiarize ourselves with what would happen if nuclear war became a reality (it is absolutely terrifying). He had a dear friend who suggested I read this book, and I am so thankful for the suggestion. It is eerie how realistic the event was portrayed by the author. Aside from the magical realism, this book could very well be what life would be like after nuclear war. It was written in 1987 and as a fan of the 80’s, that made it even more enjoyable for me.The book begins with the apocalypse…the U.S. and Russia bombing each other…the U.S. is now a wasteland and those that survived the multiple missile attacks have a very long and hard journey ahead of them. From there, the book is divided into sections describing the journey multiple groups of people are on; GOOD AND EVIL. All of these groups will eventually face one another. There is Sister Creep, one of the toughest characters you will come across in a book. Her journey starts out as a homeless woman in the NY city subway system. After the apocalypse, while traveling the streets of Manhattan, she acquires a mysterious beautiful ring of glass that gives her the ability to see into the future. There is Swan, who is a young girl who starts her journey with a man named Josh Hutchins, previously known as the Black Frankenstein, from his wrestling days. Josh’s main mission is to now protect Swan due to her special capabilities and powers. Then, there is the pure evil Army of Excellence, which is ran by Colonel Macklin and his protégé, Roland Croninger. The things they do along their journey are disgusting and sickening. Then of course, there is the man of many faces, aka the man with the Scarlet Eye. His mission is to destroy Swan because with her magical abilities, she may be able to just save the world.The writing in this book was outstanding and engaging. You quickly will learn which characters to love and hate. McCammon did an excellent job of portraying what you would have to rely on for food sources after nuclear war, what the environmental conditions would be like (nuclear winter), even going as far as having characters with Job’s Mask, which is black growths and warts caused from radiation that consumed the entire faces of many characters. There is the involvement of wildlife and what it would be like for wolves to go hungry and the impact that had on the remaining human life. He took into consideration vehicles no longer having access to gasoline, people no longer having fresh water and how that impacted their bodies and day to day life. Of course, there is the mental illness factor. Some people transform into completely different individuals based off of just trying to survive. There are the groups that form and the mistrust you feel when initially coming across a new group and having to ask and depend on them for food and water. The details just go on and on and were just incredible. To say I was impressed with the book would be an understatement. If you are into post-apocalyptic books, this one is the cream of the crop!Even though this book is a whopping 956 pages, do not let that deter you from picking up this GEM! It reads quickly and keeps you engaged throughout the entire book. It took me about a month to get through it, but that is only because I had so many work projects going on that were consuming all of my time. Do yourself a favor and read this masterpiece!

Excellent story! The development and back stories of the charecters truly makes you feel what they are feeling. I’ve heard many questions of which book is better, Swan Song or The Stand. Swan song deserves the 5 star rating and is amazing. However, The Stand is still (and quite possibly always be) the greatest dystopian novel ever written.