Textbook Thursday: Swan Song by Robert McCammon
Mister James | Jun 03, 2010 | Comments 17
When it comes to books about the apocalypse, Stephen King’s The Stand ranks up there pretty 
high among fans of the genre. Not for me, though. Don’t get me wrong, I love The Stand, but if you were to ask me what my favorite end of the world novel is, there’s no doubt in my mind that I would say Swan Song by Robert McCammon.
While I can’t quite remember how I stumbled across this book (it may have been in some back alley pawn shop), I do remember what I was going through at the time I read it. I had just been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, and was having a pretty rough go of things. I found Swan Song though, and it allowed me to escape for a while. A long while. At 864 pages, it took me a good couple of months to sip it back. The funny thing is, just as I was getting to the ending, I had to go in the hospital for some testing. The kind of tests where they knock you out. So while waiting for everything to begin, I finished the book with a tear in my eye. Upon my return home, I was drugged up pretty good and my mom was leading me in to the lobby of our apartment. With me not being in my right state of mind, I turned to the group of old ladies that were sitting down gabbing, held up Swan Song, and proclaimed, “This is a very good book,” in a medicated slur. They looked at me funny, and life went on.
When the drugs wore off, I couldn’t remember what happened at the end of the book, and had to go back and read the last 100 pages.It was a pleasure to do so.
I will spare you a detailed synopsis of the book. All you have to know is that it is a big, sprawling epic about good versus evil after a nuclear apocalypse. It was first published in 1987, when nuclear war was all the rage, so don’t hate on its dated plot tool. The story, the characters, the supernatural aspects of it all still ring true today, and make it one of the best books I have ever read.
So go ahead, brag all you want about how much you loved Stephen King’s The Stand as the ultimate book about the apocalypse, I’ll be sitting in the corner reading Swan Song by Robert McCammon for the umpteenth time with a big smile on my face knowing something that you don’t.
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James, great post. For some reason I’ve never classified The Stand with other Apocalyptic tales. It’s not so much the end of times for me but the beginning of something hopefully better for mankind. Maybe I’m skipping over the hacking corpses too much, but there’s a glimmer of hope in there amongst the trashcan man’s flames. I’ll try to dig about for this one. If it’s good enough for the old ladies, who am I to turn it down?
David, Swan Song is similar in the respect that it does deal with hope for the future of mankind, by creating something better than what we had before. I guess I just classify them as apocalypse novels because of their plot tools (plague that wipes out most of the population, nuclear war). I think you’ll really enjoy it. There’s a new edition out that you can probably find online or even right in your local book store.
The Swan Song is an AMAZING book. One of my favorites.
Wow! I haven’t read this book in YEARS. I went through a RM phase and Wolf’s Hour remains my absolute favorite werewolf novel.
Swan Song is one of my all-time favorite novels. The entire time I was reading it, I couldn’t put it down, and would often look up to find it was 3 or 4 a.m. because it sucked me in that deep. Now, whenever I read something apocalyptic, I find myself comparing the plot to Swan Song and shaking my head, saying, “McCammon did that, and he did it so much better than you.”
While I will admit to being in the King camp for THE STAND, this is by far my favorite McCammon book and runs a close second. Funny thing is, I put it down after about 40-50 pages the first time I picked it up, then when I went back to it, I couldn’t understand why I’d put it down in the first place.
I like the Textbook Thursday posts, by the way. Always fun to see what books people I know recommend.
I read Swan Song when it first came out in the 1980s. It was the first apocalyptic horror I ever enjoyed enough to finish (took me about a week; I just couldn’t stop, even when I should have). Decades later, images from it are still with me, especially some people’s “true faces” that emerged from under the crusties. FANTASTIC stuff. Shoulda known you dug it, too, James.
My sister gave me a copy of the original heavily (and poorly) edited The Stand with all the usual exclamations about it’s awesomeness. I thought it was pure crap. Characters appear and dissappear, plot lines start and dissapear. Just complete disjointed junk. I was actually angry that she would have me waste the time it took to read it. I did re-read it after the restoration of the missing text and liked it OK, it at least made some sense with the missing text put back in. The 1978 version was a poorly rendered Readers Digest condensation. Swan Song is and always will be the superior story. I haven’t read it and many years and can still remember the entire story. I can say that about most Robert McCammon stories, his words imprint themselves on your brain.
Subterranean Press is producing the 1st American Hardcover of The Wolfs Hour in a trade and limited edition.
I like The Stand, not the best King book, but pretty good. I will admit that I have never read Swan Song beyond the first couple dozen pages. I just could not get into it. Maybe I will give it another try.
Minor correction: there won’t be a trade edition, just a signed, illustrated, limited edition.
http://www.subterraneanpress.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SP&Product_Code=mccammon02
Hunter
It’s been almost lifetime since I’ve read SwanSong, I remember that I really enjoyed it, but not much of the details. Looks like my To Read list has been bumped up one again.
Crap…. I like getting a reading copy along with the collectable. No trade? Certainly an oversight on Subpress’ part.
I’m convinced, I’m a lover of both Stephen King and The Stand. I find it’s one of those books I re-read every couple of years, but each time wish i could read it again for the first time. I’ve also had the pleasure to read some of McCammon’s shorts, and he is spectacular. I’ll give this one a go, and pick it up next time order books.
Okay. I also started this book about fifteen years ago and could not get into at all!I just recently found it again on the shelf and thought, “Why Not”. Well, why did I wait so long. I could not put the book down, after I got through the rough beginning. Yes, I too like the Stand, but I have to say, Swan Song will be re-read a number of times. Fantastic book.
i did find the first copy i had of swan song in a used book store. it was almost falling apart but looked to good to pass up. i am glad i didn’t. before i finished it, it was held together with tape and rubber bands. i literally devoured it. so far, to date, i have purchased at least 2 more copies. i always loan the book out and never get it back. i love swan song most, and runner up would have to be boys life. both classics!