Swan Song

By: Robert R. McCammon

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

Length: 34 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

"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 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. They include 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.

Please note: Two chapters were originally missing from Part 2 of this book. We were alerted to the problem on 11/21/11 and have corrected it. We're very sorry for any inconvenience. If you had already downloaded the book, don’t worry - your library has automatically updated with the corrected version. Simply re-download from your library, at no additional cost, to get the complete book.

©2009 Robert McCammon (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

if you like The Stand

Good story, very similar to Stephen King's The Stand (almost close enough to be called a rip off). Was disappointed in the accuracy of some places in the book, could have had better research. would recommend overall.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER WRITTEN IN THIS GENRE

AMAZING!!! PUTS "THE STAND" TO SHAME!!! A WILD RIDE THROUGH THE END TIMES OF WHICH YOU JUST CANT PUT DOWN OR STOP....NEVER-ENDING ROLLERCOASTER OF MADNESS LEADING TO SOUL BLINDING HOPE!

Well written with fantastic narration

3 dimensional characters and a narrator who brought them to life. So glad someone recommended this to me.

Not a Feel good book.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would add more good things into the book (more hope). It felt like every thing was bad for 22 hours. I even stopped listen for a bit, fearing I needed to take a antidepressant. (jk)

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The end was very predictable. Not complaining at all, because its what you want to happen.

Have you listened to any of Tom Stechschulte’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He was pretty good. I did hear some inconsistency of voice in one of the characters. But it was fine practically unnoticed.

Did Swan Song inspire you to do anything?

Yea, Next book...."Epic fantasy."

Any additional comments?

I have 6 reviewers I follow. Each one has a certain task. 3 of them reviewed this book. My zombie/apocalyptic lady reviewer loved this book. The guy who gives 5 stars to everything then writes how he doesn't like it all that much. (he reads lots of fantasy) And my must trusted literary reviewer who I pretty much agreed with. (he gave the book 2 stars. I say 3 is a fair review.)

No, this is not The Stand or The Passage.

There is a lot to say about the story and how it just went to such an extreme of stupidity and despair. I recently saw a documentary about a kid in Africa who built windmills to generate power for his village, but for some reason, with all of the books and scrap equipment lying around, no one here is able to do the same. We aren’t talking about 100 years after the bomb drops, this book is all within 7 years after. It just seemed like every person with half a brain died in the blasts.

I also get the feeling the author, near the end of writing this book, must have been cut off in traffic by a black guy. Because only in the last hour or so of the book did he start using the n* word. I understand using the word to build a character and show us who he is and his beliefs, but to do so near the end of the book just seemed so out of place and unnecessary.

My biggest issue is the narrator. It seemed like everyone had the stereotypical voices. People from New York had this exaggerated Jewish caricature type voice that really gets old fast. Then there is the dumb hillbilly voice and the black voice. The narrator really needs to work on his different voices and quit pulling them out of the trope bucket.

I got this book on sale for half a credit. As far as that goes it was worth it. I would be a bit more annoyed if I paid a full credit for it.

great book

it's been a favorite of mine for 30 years. a wonderful fairy tale. better than the stand.

The Stand’s nicer cousin

I love how the author really developed the characters, and made it easy to follow the storyline even with switching perspectives.
That being said, it was very wordy, and although it was interesting, I felt very excited, and connected to some characters and others were like a cheese grater to my ears. I hated listening to their parts because it seemed to drone on way too long.
Overall, the narrator did a wonderful job, and I love how he was consistent in his voices, and his speed of reading.
Really enjoyed the book, and if there were any advice to give, I would say, choose one: The Stand by Stephen King OR Swan Song. Not both. Unless you love to live in similar stories of death and light.
They are NOT.. THE ..same story, but the premise of good vs. evil with travelers in the US is pretty much parallel.

Wonderful Story

I love this book. Tom Stechscuite is one of the best narrators I’ve listened to. His accents and voices are very well done, and he puts real feeling into the narration. It’s 34 hours, but there are no slow or boring sections. I got very involved with the characters, which are so well-developed. This is a dystopian novel, set in America after world-wide nuclear bombing. There are three main groups of survivors: a homeless woman, Sister Creep, in Manhattan, Swan and Josh in Kansas, and Roland and Colonel Macklin in Idaho. The novel brings these three groups together for a battle between “good” and “evil”. This is one of my favorite listens. If you don’t mind some “magic” in your books, I think you’ll enjoy it. I’ve only listened to one other McCammon book, Boy’s Life, and recommend it, also. I’ll be listening to more of his work.

Comparable to "The Stand"

I enjoy lengthy audiobooks while I work. And I definitely see the comparisons that can be made to Stephen King's "The Stand." In fact, the characters found themselves in similar key locations and situations as in "The Stand." Regardless, I did really enjoy the characters and wanted to follow them until the end of their story. The narrator did a fabulous job. I would have rated this much higher if the ending was better. The author played up the magical aspects of the story, but by the climax I felt he didn't know what to do with it. The conclusion fell flat for me. If you're someone who loved "The Stand", I don't know if I'd recommend this book or not. It was a good ride, but with a unfulfilling ending.

Edge of My Seat Stuff

This takes me back to my pre-teen and early teen years when people were building fallout shelters and we were practicing "duck and cover" at school anticipating WWIII and nuclear bombs. This is what we feared would happen but didn't. However, it becomes relevant again amid the Covid-19 and the world-wide riots. It still could happen. It's well worth the read. My daughter, an ER Nurse, suggested it and I'm glad she did.