Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Swan Song

Haunting story that will stay with you for years. Best fiction book I've ever read.

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2018

Warning- This is a BIG book, but if you are like me, that's not a problem. This book is about a very special girl named Swan that is mankind's last hope.
It is a post apocalyptic style story with supernatural mixed in. It had a Grapes of Wrath vibe to it.
There are a hand full of characters that have separate stories throughout the book and then meeting up in the end. The book spans over years of time but it's one of those haunting stories that you can't help but be affected by. I read this years ago, but still thinking about it gives me chills sometimes. It's so profound that I can't say I have ever read a book that has made me stop and think.
YOU will go through a range of emotions from pity, to sorrow, anger, relief, sadness, and joy.
This book will draw you in and while you are away from it, you won't be able to stop thinking about it, and when you are finished, you will be haunted by the memory of it.

171 people found this helpful

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Ronnie Tyler

Good post-apocalyptic fiction. Difficult at times, but good.

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2017

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Nuclear War destroys almost everything on the planet. Civilization is gone and it’s Hell on Earth. Savagery everywhere. A young girl may be the only hope for humanity.

First, the good stuff. I really liked it. Long, epic in scope and engaging. The characters were interesting and I became attached to many of them. I will state again that I hope I am one of the many killed in the opening minutes of a globe-killing event. I couldn’t make it afterwards.

Second, the not as good stuff. It was a definite downer. People scare the hell out of me. The violence, brutality and monstrous behavior sometimes put me in a bummer mood. And some of the graphic, gruesome passages went on and on. I know it’s fiction, but damn. That’s why it took so long to finish, I was sometimes avoiding it. I kept at it, though.

And in the end, especially the last 150 pages or so, I was satisfied and glad I read it. Lots of action and the pace was great. This book often is compared to Stephen King’s “The Stand,” but I haven’t read that one.

Recommended.

90 people found this helpful

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HDer

Pretty flat and half done. Spoilers.

Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019

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It was boring and predictable except when it made no sense. I skipped over long passages and did not feel like I missed anything. It was too unreal to make me feel for the characters which were either evil or pure good. It was pretty much a fairy tale with lots of loose threads.
The highest power of the good side was never used, abandoned as “too much for her”. 3/4 of the book builds around the potential of this power and then it just fizzles out and is dismissed just about never to be mentioned again. This while the good people were all prisoners of a mad max like bunch and about to be raped, killed, tortured or all of the above. Then they proceed to nevertheless barely save the world 2 seconds before utter destruction because the evil thought it won and left before the end and they guessed a password... They saved the world out of dumb luck.
Crazy.

32 people found this helpful

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Terri

After 25 years...

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2016

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My boyfriends best friend had just gotten out of the Marines, and we were his first stop. In addition to the numerous bottles of alcohol he brought (I believe the are required to take classes on how to consume large amounts of alcohol and remain standing!) he also brought this book. He handed it over to me and said it was terrific and told me to read it. He wasn't kidding, because I finished it before he left, and I returned it to him. It was was often popping up in my mind throughout the years and I finally decided to locate it and re-read it. My problem was, I couldn't remember the title or the author. (Probably would have been able to if I had not been powering through it!). For years I would use a search engine with words and phrases in hopes of finding out something that could point me in the right direction. Finely, a month ago, I was pretty sure I had found it. I started in on it, and it was most certainly the right one.

It was better than I remembered, and I feel so fortunate to have found it. I now have my own Marine, my son, and I will be sending him this book in his next care package from home. It is a very thought provoking book that has a little twist of fantasy throughout it, but who knows...if we blow up the world, those things might very well happen. In light of our current political issues I found myself even more intrigued. I'm pretty sure most people remember the saying "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". Most of us know they can hurt. Let's hope that anyone who is entrusted with our country remembers how devastating it could be to make a rash decision.

152 people found this helpful

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blarg

Don't waste your time and money

Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2020

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I really really despise when I hit a DNF novel. And I really hate to let this one go, because it could have been so good. Unfortunately it's not. It's awful. It is slow and drawn out. I had managed to slog through 50% and then McCammon committed one of my cardinal pet peeves. He pulled a rediculously unnecessary "Seven Years Later"... halfway through the book! I was invested in the characters and wanted to see what happened to them and then bam seven years later. The characters have changed, the world has changed, everything has changed and without me, the reader, along for the ride to grow and change too. Just like that, I no longer care what happens to the characters. Why? Because there is NO WAY they spent seven years doing the same crap they were doing when we left them! And when resources were already limited, there's NO WAY there were any resources left seven years later. With those three little words he threw all of his fictional world plausibility out the window.

16 people found this helpful

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Steve L.

The end isn’t the end

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2018

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I’m a big fan of of the author’s earlier work but for some reason I never read Swan Song. For years so thought that I had read it. I downloaded it onto my Kindle Oasis and was very surprised that I had never read this book. It was like finding an old Dean Koonts or Stephen King novel that somehow slipped through my reading net.

I enjoy novels set after our world is destroyed by demons, zombies, disease or any number of fun ways that throw the world and characters into a new reality. Set in the 1980’s it’s nuclear war that clears the playing field

We are introduced to several characters that will become more important as the story progresses. I always love the build up to getting the characters together. Once they are together is when the story really gets good.

We are shown regular people doing horrible things and in contrast, marginalized and forgotten people becoming heroes. In this tale the end is not the end. And the world and its inhabitants can rise above and save the world.

I’m truly happy that I had never read this book. I can’t wait to read it again.

30 people found this helpful

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IamOneill

A deep and engrossing read

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2013

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I write this review in the knowledge that probably no one will read it - there are already over 700 reviews and almost all of them are five star. This review is part of that legion and that's fine by me.

So given I am writing this review for me - I will take some licence. Firstly I have read loads of PA ficton ( favorite so far is The Old Man and the Wasteland), but I hesitated with my purchase of Swan Song. I kept coming across references and praise of Swan Song. At $10 is was a lot more than many Kindle reads I buy. Then I thought, the last few books I read were only a couple of bucks - but they were c#%^ and pretty short too. So I thought, Swan Song is over 800 pages - so even if it is just okay it is still better value. So I bought it and have not experienced buyers remorse.

Swan Song draws you in. It is a different type of PA novel as it as a mystical undertone. Not in the kind of 'roll your eyes, give me a break' way - but a spiritual side to the story that adds to its depth and humanity. There are several concurrent plots which weave together as the story unfolds. Each sub plot is interesting. What surprised me was that I became so engrossed with one story line, I literally forgot about some other characters and was surprised when they reappeared. It was ' oh of course, I had completly forgotten about you guys'. That is a really good thing showing just how easy it is to become lost in the story.

If I was being ultra critical I would say that there was a certain 'convenience' of events towards the end. Also - and yes this is just a personal bugbear, the author has obviously had limited exposure to horses. Horses do not lap water like a dog - they suck it. They also really don't behave in the way Mule did. Yes, yes I know it is a minor point - but it was one of the few times in the story where an inaccuracy brought me out of the story and back to reality.

I see many reviewers have compared this to other books ( and no I am not going to reference the books). This really gets my goat. Swan Song is an original work that stands high in its own right. It is , in my opinion, almost insulting to say 'its just like xyz', 'it's as good as xyz'. Swan Song is a great read - enough said.

430 people found this helpful

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Ray O. Madsen

THE SWAN SONG by Robet R. McCannon

Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2019

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I read this book 25+ years ago and I reading it again. I have read McCannon and have never been disapointed with his books. He ranks with the best SF authors. He makes one really think as he isn't an author you can take for granted as his characters deliver good, bad, and exciting adventure. I find myself pondering of their adventures and find myself really think I am one with them. This book has several adventures through Apolictic times dating back to the Cold War with the USSR in the 1960's...I find it exciting even in today's 2019 times...Especially with the political leaders in World today. I guess the leadership in the USSR and the USA haven't learned and with a President that is heartless towards our citizens and with the USSR leadership bulding weapons that a President we may move the same conditions that will take it to the to what happens in this book. Read this book and see what happened back in the 60's and maybe you will be scared as I was back in the Cold War and loose sleep about what might happen to us as it does to the characters' in this book.

Sweet-dreams...McCannon will lead you through a world that we may travel..after all Russia has developed missils that are faster than our defence can't shoot down!

Scarry is what this book is and I was glued to it and can't say it was enjoyable but I still remember my sleepless nights but it was exciting and thoughtfull. McCannon at his best and I can't lay it down!

(I'm sorry for the spelling and grammer! Im in my late 70's and refuse to correct my letarary work}!

17 people found this helpful

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JMM

Love this book

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2016

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Just re-read Swan Song which I had originally read 20-some years ago. Love this book. It's about the long-term aftermath of an all out nuclear war in which America is left as wasteland. It blends the horror of a nuclear apocalypse with supernatural and magical forces. As survivors wander from one charred hamlet to the next, a militia led by a crazed Vietnam Vet and a young insane boy(who perpetually believes himself to be a video game player) into a giant army while the other main characters (all in different parts of the country) are drawn together through a supernatural glass jewel that formed in the destruction of 5th Avenue NYC. Meanwhile, a mysterious demon-like entity who can change faces in a split second is traveling the wasteland enjoying the carnage and out to destroy anyone who might bring hope to the survivors (mainly the three main heroes of the novel: A former wrestler, a young girl with supernatural horticultural/agricultural powers and a former bag lady from NYC.) I have seen from other comments some dissent as to whether or not this novel is like the Stand by Stephen King. I would have to vote with the side of---yes, very much so! It just uses nuclear war instead of plague as the theme. I loved the Stand but I thought Swan Song was a bit better, I enjoyed the characters more and wish it had been made into a movie, too.

42 people found this helpful

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Kathryn

An Amazing Reading Experience

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2022

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I found this to be an absolutely amazing reading experience!

I was drawn to this book because of comparisons to The Stand. I found similarities but many differences and this book is a story all on its own. I won’t spend any time comparing and contrasting the two. All I’ll say is that they are both on my favorites list, but this one does edge out The Stand, in my opinion.

This book takes place mid 80s, during the Cold War. Nuclear bombs destroy most everything and those that remain either fight for what they have, fight each other, or both. As a reader, you will follow a few small groups of main characters moving around the country. They will meet up with some very interesting people along their way to an eventual coming-together that could spell the end of mankind. I met some people that I absolutely adored, and others that I loathed. There’s good vs evil. There’s magic. There were a couple animals that I adored just as much as those human characters. There’s a strong will to live, and some very innovative ways to make this happen with little of nothing to work with. I was actually amazed even with those evil folks, how they came up with some of the things they used. This is a completely engrossing, full-circle book that I think any reader would feel satisfied by its end.

I just can’t say enough good about this book. At over 900 pages, it’s very long. However, just take your time, read every word, soak it all in. I still can’t stop thinking about this story and it’s characters. Often times, even when I love a book, I’ll soon forget the contents after awhile. This one will stay with me always. One of the best I’ve ever read. It’s my first McCammon, but I’ll be in search of more from him.

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5 star		78%
4 star		13%
3 star		5%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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