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.

Very Good Story

What about Tom Stechschulte’s performance did you like?

This was the first time I've heard Tom Stechschulte, he is an incredible narrator! I love the different voices and accents he does, and the way he tells the story.

Any additional comments?

**SPOILER** I thought the ending was a bit disappointing. I thought for sure we were going to see Swan use the crown in some life or death situation, or to save the planet somehow. But she never even used it. Throughout the whole book Sister was trying to get the crown to her, and the thing never came into play, what was the point?

OMG!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to everyone.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All really good, but Sister is a mean SOB!

Which character – as performed by Tom Stechschulte – was your favorite?

Josh the strong

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Wow!

I'm in Awe. Get this book NOW!!!!

Wow! I'm speechless. An amazing, well thought out and written book. the last chapter was the most powerful I have ever read. I am a big fan of Stephen King's The Stand (even though the climax was a bit dissapointing) this book which is somewhat similar in more then a few ways, blew The stand out of the water. The characters were awesome, the climax was nail biting, the ending was powerful. I can't really say much else. but of the 43 books I have read this year, and all the books I have read in my previous year's this one was by far the best. Get this book and get it now. absolutely great.

The Road and The Stand combined

I typically enjoy this type of story, good vs evil, end of world, epic struggle- but not so much this time around. The story borrowed heavily from the "The Road" by Cormack McCarthy and "The Stand" by Stephen King. Same apocalyptic environment as The Road, same kind of journey, same bleakness which I did not enjoy- although at least this time you knew why. Post nuclear war- everything that grows from the earth is dead- yet a horse lives 7 years, eating what? Similar to The Stand in the good vs evil department- similar plot lines, very similar character development- yet just not up to the same standards. Once again- thanks audible for your app that allows listening at an accelerated rate! I did hear The Stand has an new, longer format out- might just have to revisit that book.....

Waited a long time to read his .

Good , but not great. To much Stephen King . Narrator ok , but not Will Patton class.

Excellent Story

Mankind at the brink of extinction, evil threatening to take over, survival uncertain and excellent character plot what more can you ask for. Love this book and would change very few things about it. It was a little annoying that some of the mane characters came off as weak and often required help to survive but other than that it was a fascinating story and well written.

Facile, but entertaining.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The book is brimming with cliches. Good is embodied by an innocent child, evil is embodied by a gluttonous effeminate child-molesting man, etc etc ad nauseum. It definitely made me roll my eyes more than a few times. The writing style is okay, and the story is somewhat original, but you can see most of it coming a hundred miles away. Also, numerous plot points remain unresolved and unexplained. It's always easier to begin a story than end one!

Would you recommend Swan Song to your friends? Why or why not?

I wouldn't give it a glowing recommendation, but it's worth a listen if you have nearly 40 hours to spare.

Was Swan Song worth the listening time?

It was far too long, but I did end up listening to the whole thing.... so that's something.

Any additional comments?

The performance is excellent. That might be what kept me listening, more so than the text.

Swan Song

A long audiobook in an unabridged format, close to 35 hours of listening. Released by Audible Studios in November of 2011, but originally published in the 1980s.

Swan Song opens with a bang - an airplane containing top government officials, including the U. S. President, crashes. WWIII begins and ends in hours. Bombs fall everywhere. Cities are gone, a nuclear winter begins.

Central to the story is a woman named ‘Sister’. A New York City street person, Sister is outside a jewelry-row area of shops shortly after the bombs fall. She finds a fuzed piece of glass containing emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, etc., that, before the bombs fell, would have been worth millions - now it’s just a pretty piece of glass. But … is it? It glows, and within it, Sister sees visions that take her across the country in search of Swan.

Swan is a little girl who can feel ‘life’ in the earth and plants … and she can make things grow.

Liked: The author’s perception of life after an apocalypse. The human spirit prevails through devastation beyond measure. It takes a while to get there, but we eventually find uplifting hope for mankind, even though there is considerable creative license taken with grizzly evil-doers. Lots of quirky characters that have their own little story.

Didn’t like: Would have been just as good a story without the ‘magical’ element, especially ‘evil’ magic, but hey … it’s fiction. So, stretch the imagination. Second gripe is with regard to some pretty fundamental issues. How do you feed an army of thousands of men for years when the earth is virtually dead? I mean, these guys gotta eat, right? The author intimates they’ve pilfered pantries, etc., but that would have been over within the first couple of years. So…what did they eat? Third, it’s been 7-8 years since the bombs fell and we can still scrounge for gasoline to run vehicles? Really? I sort of doubt it.

Narration by Tom Stechschulte is great. Lots of characters with unique voices, male and female alike. You’ll have no trouble discerning who-says-what-to-who. Good audio production. No sex or offensive language beyond what is appropriate for the character or scene. Some graphic description of man’s inhumanity to man.

Overall, a very long, epic, mystical, apocalyptic journey - a worthy read.

The darker side of humanity!

Swan song is worth every hour! I couldn't put it down. Frightening but well crafted and beautiful.

Gripping tale

This is a fast-moving, captivating tale about post-apocalypse life in the US. I recommend it because it is a good story, keeps you on the edge of your seat, and ends in a satisfying way.
The only quibbles I have are some of the assumptions of the story. A full-scale nuclear exchange between the USA and the USSR is no longer possible. Using the USSR as a combatant makes the story dated. I also quibble with the level of destruction described. The author basically states that human civilization ends with nuclear war (scanning the airwaves with a shortwave radio found absolutely 0 people still transmitting). But given that there were about 8,000 warheads at the peak of the cold war, I don't see how every city in every country could have been destroyed. Do you think Fiji would be targeted? Madagascar? Also, as an engineer, I cannot picture that a nuclear exchange would have this total "success", meaning I believe that since no intercontinental nuclear missile has EVER been really tested (including blowing up a city), the vast majority of them wouldn't work. And after a few explosions, the ability of the remaining missiles to still function and find their targets seems even more suspect. So the whole setup of the story seems unreal to me. Also, although I enjoy fantasy, I thought the addition of many supernatural forces to this story was unnecessary. The challenges and situation is so remarkable on its own, that we don't really need to hear about magical lights and evil monsters.

But despite my quibbling, I think the story of groups of survivors trying to survive in a nuclear winter makes a fascinating premise for a story. I listened to it intently, and was sorry to reach the end because I wanted to know more about what happens to the survivors. Caring about the characters is what makes good writing, and that's why I recommend this book.