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.

a lil gory at times but other than that, excellent

long story, 34 hrs of listening. great story lines. at times very graphic and gory. really makes you picture the evils of the world but I would say one of thr best endings I've read.

My thoughts

I wish I had time to tell what this book meant to me, I've either read or listen to it at least 10 times over the years, all I'll say is trust me. From part 9 on the tears will start to come if you're like this 54 year old man. I've turned so many people on to this book, even those who typically don't read, it's that damn good, Mr. Stechschulte is excellent. Enjoy

Dwayne.

Exceptional and Rivioting story

I absolutly loved this book! I was spellbound by the detail's used in each chapter and each character in the book. I'm impressed by the authors detailed imagination and his ability to draw the reader into a visual picture of the story.

Good story

Great characters and keeps it moving from the horrible beginning until the surprise ending which you had a feeling was coming.
Worth the buy as a set.

Wow!

I listen to audio books when I travel and I could not get enough of this one! I listened on the plane, in the car, as I'm doing my make-up.....it was EXCELLENT!!!!

A fine novel

The overall plot is just so-so; there is a lack of follow through regarding at least one major plot point. A thing that is referenced constantly throughout the whole novel but, which never has the arc that it should have. A worthwhile read, even if a little unsatisfying.

Wonderful

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, in fact, I literally audibly devoured it, over a couple days. I stopped and recommended it to people, because I was so excited and enjoying it so much. Surprised tearjerkers, and vivid images, w/ the burden, of excessive detail. A delight.

Overall, good

If it weren’t for this on audiobook, I may have not finished it. I normally can finish an audiobook in a few days but this took me much longer. Even then, I would take a a day or two breaks because the story wasn’t pulling me in.

At times the story can get very good and then drag. The most interesting parts of the story such as the Job’s mask and Swan’s crown were only small parts of the story when I thought they would be much more.

The narration was excellent however as he was able to switch his voice for every single character which made for a pleasant listen.

A Great Post Apocalyptic Thriller/Horror

This is a great book! I love it and it is one of my favorite books. I have read this book numerous times over the years. I bought the book when it came out back in 1987. I was so excited when I found it on Audible and got it as soon as I saw it. It is every bit as good as reading it yourself.

The book is well written and keeps your interest during the entire ride. He portrays the characters so well that it allows the reader to bond with them. Which is no easy task. I have read many books that were good, but were missing that aspect to them. When you are able to form a bond with characters in a book, it makes the story all that much more memorable.

This is a great post apocalyptic story. This story takes place after a nuclear holocaust, well before zombies took over every post apocalyptic story (not that I don't enjoy a good zombie story). Those of us that grew up in the 80's will understand the tension between the US and Russia at that time. and how plausible this scenario could have been. This story explains just enough to describe how the missles were launched without delving into any political stuff, which is very refreshing.

Tom Stechschulte does an excellent job at narrating it. He brings life to the characters and their personalities. He uses distinct voices and accents to portray the characters so that as soon as he begins speaking a part, you know exactly what character is speaking. I will say that his portrayal of them didn't match what my imagination had rendered while reading the book, but he did such a great job assigning the voices and accents that his version is all that I hear in my head now and they fit.

Once again, great book and great narration!

I Highly Recommend it!

A book I couldn’t wait to finish

This is one of those books that I struggled to get through, only so I could find out how it ends. The book had a supernatural undertone to it that made the storyline a little weird. I don’t know factually accurate the book is, especially in describing the aftermath of the nuclear attack. overall, a decent story.