- Mass Market Paperback: 295 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reissue edition (1 Jun 1987)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0671741039
- ISBN-13: 978-0671741037
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.7 x 4.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 376,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Swan Song
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Product Description
Review
"Publishers Weekly"Compelling....Long, Satisfying Look At Hell And Salvation.
Product Description
“We’re about to cross the point of no return. God help us; we’re flying in the dark and we don’t know where the hell we’re going.”
Facing down an unprecedented malevolent enemy, the government responds with a nuclear attack. America as it was is gone forever, and now every citizen—from the President of the United States to the homeless on the streets of New York City—will fight for survival.
Swan Song is Robert McCammon’s prescient and “shocking” (John Saul) vision of a post- Apocalyptic nation, a grand epic of terror and, ultimately, renewal.
In a wasteland born of rage and fear, populated by monstrous creatures and marauding armies, earth’s last survivors have been drawn into the final battle between good and evil, that will decide the fate of humanity: Sister, who discovers a strange and transformative glass artifact in the destroyed Manhattan streets . . . Joshua Hutchins, the pro wrestler who takes refuge from the nuclear fallout at a Nebraska gas station . . . And Swan, a young girl possessing special powers, who travels alongside Josh to a Missouri town where healing and recovery can begin with Swan’s gifts. But the ancient force behind earth’s devastation is scouring the walking wounded for recruits for its relentless army, beginning with Swan herself. . . . --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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First Sentence
Once upon a time we had a love affair with fire, the president of the United States thought as the match that he'd just struck to light his pipe flared beneath his fingers. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Once upon a time we had a love affair with fire, the president of the United States thought as the match that he'd just struck to light his pipe flared beneath his fingers. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the first book I have ready by Robert McCammon and I look forward to reading more.
In common with some other commentators here, I was drawn into this book thoroughly. It is a long book at 850 odd pages, but being one of those rare books which are hard to put down, the pages zip by: especially once the story gets going.
The story mixes the realities of a post-nuclear war that has experienced MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) between Russia and the USA with the fantasies of the powers of good and evil, where evil is having a party. The story is set in the US and moves from the immediate pre-war situation into the plight of three key groups of survivors whose lives are scattered between New York - near Wichita, Kansas - and a mountain refuge in Idaho. McCammon initially focuses upon the usual post-nuclear exchange devastation; the skeletons of buildings, grey clouded skies, incessant storms and plunging temperatures that mark the nuclear winter. So far one can anticipate the usual stories of survival in this harsh landscape with people forced to choose between trying to maintain some of the codes of their civilisation, whilst others turn to their darker side. This is the substance of Cormac McCarthy's novel, The Road (2006).
However, pretty soon after the initial nuclear exchange, one realises that there are other forces at work in the story. This is where the adventures really start to take-off; powers of good and evil slowly begin to emerge and one realises that another dimension has been opened for the reader.
Gradually, the survivors are to be drawn towards one another, but along the way one is never sure who is going to survive the next ordeal; and who if any, will make it to the end.
I found the book was not something that simply told a story; rather it touched one's emotions in all sorts of ways that no doubt would be unique to each reader. Overall, I felt it resounded with that grand sense of folly in the human condition and yet it was blended with the never ending power of hope and love. This book may well make you laugh and cry and sometimes do both at the same time, but like any good book it will draw you into another world, where the characters are very real and the world around them is not for the fainthearted. So be prepared.
In common with some other commentators here, I was drawn into this book thoroughly. It is a long book at 850 odd pages, but being one of those rare books which are hard to put down, the pages zip by: especially once the story gets going.
The story mixes the realities of a post-nuclear war that has experienced MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) between Russia and the USA with the fantasies of the powers of good and evil, where evil is having a party. The story is set in the US and moves from the immediate pre-war situation into the plight of three key groups of survivors whose lives are scattered between New York - near Wichita, Kansas - and a mountain refuge in Idaho. McCammon initially focuses upon the usual post-nuclear exchange devastation; the skeletons of buildings, grey clouded skies, incessant storms and plunging temperatures that mark the nuclear winter. So far one can anticipate the usual stories of survival in this harsh landscape with people forced to choose between trying to maintain some of the codes of their civilisation, whilst others turn to their darker side. This is the substance of Cormac McCarthy's novel, The Road (2006).
However, pretty soon after the initial nuclear exchange, one realises that there are other forces at work in the story. This is where the adventures really start to take-off; powers of good and evil slowly begin to emerge and one realises that another dimension has been opened for the reader.
Gradually, the survivors are to be drawn towards one another, but along the way one is never sure who is going to survive the next ordeal; and who if any, will make it to the end.
I found the book was not something that simply told a story; rather it touched one's emotions in all sorts of ways that no doubt would be unique to each reader. Overall, I felt it resounded with that grand sense of folly in the human condition and yet it was blended with the never ending power of hope and love. This book may well make you laugh and cry and sometimes do both at the same time, but like any good book it will draw you into another world, where the characters are very real and the world around them is not for the fainthearted. So be prepared.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A friend lent me this book in 1993. I didn't sleep for days as I *had* to finish it, absolutely mesmerised by the characters. Even now I have mental pictures of all the characters and I've never forgotten them. I gave the book back and lost touch with the friend... I found this book on amazon.fr just before christmas (I'd been looking for it for 9 years) and I know it is a treasure to savour and so I've resisted reading it until now. I go on holiday on saturday and I already know I'm going to have the best read of my life.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I finished the book and had fun. But:
the author doesn't beat around the bush with all it's biblical references and the way it hammers the point across. There are no subtle meanings, characters or dialogues here. Every character has one motto, so that we all understand what motivates them, which they repeat throughout the entire book. And if it's not clear enough then characters rise from the dead with eyes aflame to tell them what to do. "Protect the girl!"
I shook my head numerous times, it's almost sort of demeaning us readers. Also, as an atheist, it's okay for me to read a book where people believe in God, but when the book does not have one doubt whatsoever about the existence in the Christian God and every character shares this lack of doubt, it sort of does not suspend my disbelief. So for future readers: God exists in this story. Once you've accepted that the rest becomes easier to believe/read.
Also this book could've used some proper editing. First off; the entire first part of the book is unnecessary backstory; it's a post-apocalyptic story that starts about a hundred pages too soon. You know - when the apocalypse hasn't happened yet. I've already mentioned the lack of subtlety, the repetitions of motto's, the black and whiteness of characters with either good or bad souls, characters named Joshua, towns named Mary's Rest and diseases called Job's Mask.
But as I said, I both liked and finished the 900 plus paged story, but I felt the need to sort of make a complaint to all the other raving 5 star reviews for this book, because it certainly isn't a brilliant literary masterpiece. Swan Song is a fun to read post apocalyptic story about faith and hope and goodness of the soul, written by a christian devout who's seen a bit too many B films.
the author doesn't beat around the bush with all it's biblical references and the way it hammers the point across. There are no subtle meanings, characters or dialogues here. Every character has one motto, so that we all understand what motivates them, which they repeat throughout the entire book. And if it's not clear enough then characters rise from the dead with eyes aflame to tell them what to do. "Protect the girl!"
I shook my head numerous times, it's almost sort of demeaning us readers. Also, as an atheist, it's okay for me to read a book where people believe in God, but when the book does not have one doubt whatsoever about the existence in the Christian God and every character shares this lack of doubt, it sort of does not suspend my disbelief. So for future readers: God exists in this story. Once you've accepted that the rest becomes easier to believe/read.
Also this book could've used some proper editing. First off; the entire first part of the book is unnecessary backstory; it's a post-apocalyptic story that starts about a hundred pages too soon. You know - when the apocalypse hasn't happened yet. I've already mentioned the lack of subtlety, the repetitions of motto's, the black and whiteness of characters with either good or bad souls, characters named Joshua, towns named Mary's Rest and diseases called Job's Mask.
But as I said, I both liked and finished the 900 plus paged story, but I felt the need to sort of make a complaint to all the other raving 5 star reviews for this book, because it certainly isn't a brilliant literary masterpiece. Swan Song is a fun to read post apocalyptic story about faith and hope and goodness of the soul, written by a christian devout who's seen a bit too many B films.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
No literature but a bulldozer of a supernatural apocalypse
Having come to McCammon's work through his other famous book, Boy's Life, I was initially quite surprised at the style of this earlier work. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Paper Davros
A Gripping Stroll through the Apocalypse
There was a moment when I was about to get angry with this book. It was quite early on. Why, I asked, when you've done a marvellous job of describing the horrors of the nuclear... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk
buy this book and enjoy!
i have just finished this book and it is superb ! You will not be sorry that you did so - tell your friends !!
Published 2 months ago by pemsbooks
Brilliant Book
This is a classic book, I have read it many times, and own the paperback version, but it wasn't available on Kindle so I emailed the publishers to request a kindle version, and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lesley Ford
Good but derivative
Ok, this was a very well written book and kept my attention throughout. But it reads, to me anyway, as a direct comparison with The Stand, by Stephen King (in case you didn't... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jonathan
Still my favouirte book...and I first read it 10 years ago!
I first heard of Swan Song when I was a sixth former, battered paperback was bought by one of my friends from a second hand book shop. Read more
Published 4 months ago by H. Pagett
Swan Song
What a great read. I warn you, it's a long read.......... but a great one! I think I may have been put off if I'd bought this as a 'real' book by the length of it, but as a... Read more
Published 6 months ago by A. Lucas
Not sure why people love it quite as much as they do
The book is okay. More than okay. Almost great, in fact, but there are so many things that don't make sense. Little things, you know? Read more
Published 8 months ago by David Nash
get ready for a fabulous journey
I'm so pleased a new copy is available now. My copy has been passed around more times that I can remember and it shows. Read more
Published 10 months ago by N. Lever
I really enjoyed this
I found out about this book by accident and as I LOVE the Stand I thought I would give it a try having never heard of Robert before. Read more
Published 11 months ago by J. Walsh
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