From the Bookshelf of Reading List Completists…

Swan Song

Robert McCammon

Start date: April 1, 2020

Finish date: June 30, 2020

Discussion: Swan Song - April-June 2020

Why we're reading this: April to June 2020 Completist Selection
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Swan Song - April-June 2020

Review - Swan Song
By Matthew , Assistant List Master · 5 posts · 20 views

last updated Jan 02, 2021 12:28PM

Quotes - Swan Song
By Matthew , Assistant List Master · 12 posts · 17 views

last updated Dec 19, 2020 11:51AM

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What Members Thought

Jan 02, 2021 Matthew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, own, completist-book-club, buddy-read, post-apocalyptic-dystopian, favorites

My official last book of 2020 – I still had a few pages left in 2021, but most of it was read in 2020. As the main theme of the book is don’t give up hope in a beat-up world, it seems an appropriate way to end 2020 and begin 2021.

5+ Stars

The word “epic” does not even begin to describe Swan Song. While it took me many months to finish it, it is not because it was not good or hard to stay interested in. It was just that there was so much in the book that I had to savor the journey. Now that it is My official last book of 2020 – I still had a few pages left in 2021, but most of it was read in 2020. As the main theme of the book is don’t give up hope in a beat-up world, it seems an appropriate way to end 2020 and begin 2021.

5+ Stars

The word “epic” does not even begin to describe Swan Song. While it took me many months to finish it, it is not because it was not good or hard to stay interested in. It was just that there was so much in the book that I had to savor the journey. Now that it is over, I am a little sad and a little hungover . . . but so glad I read this fantastic book!

Many compare Swan Song to King’s The Stand. It is very easy to see where the comparisons come from – the ultimate battle between good and evil in post-apocalyptic America. In The Stand, it is a plague. In Swan Song, it is nuclear war. I think that because of the nuclear holocaust in Swan Song, it is the dirtier and rawer of the two. But I think it is worth getting past the comparisons and appreciating them both as great tales on their own.

Plot and character development are both very rich in Swan Song. Everything and everyone change so much between page 1 and page 919. I will say that there is a stretch in the middle where the plot and character development does seem to slow down quite a bit to focus on some specific plot points, but this is not a complaint, just an observation. Overall, McCammon does an amazing job on every page.

I mention that this book took me several months (about half a year) to read. This does not mean that it will be a slow read for you. I can easily see someone getting really into this book and gobbling it up in less than a week. I am interested in hearing how others who read this approached the book: Devoured quickly or slowly absorbed?

If you have an interesting in post-apocalyptic stories, this might be one of the gold-standards so you should definitely check it out. Don’t be too daunted by the size – it is all there for a reason (no filler) and it is an incredible journey every step of the way. Highly recommend!
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