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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
My favorite book of all time. Recently read The Stand and I in no way think McCammon took anything from it...this story was original, compelling, and a page turner (to keep that up for almost 900 pages is impressive!).
Didn't captivate me. I don't really care about the characters, and for some reason the element of magic/fantasy isn't interesting, it's more "what the heck?"
Great post-apocalyptic tale. Makes me want to stockpile food, water and guns lol
Some really good action, passed the Bechdel test,but the ending was a little weak. And so long!
A really good story that doesn’t reach its fullest potential. The writing is lacking negative space and the last third to half seems rushed. It is still a very worth while read.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's like a 14 year old kid read "The Stand" and thought he could do better. This book is lurid in every way and I can't continue. Wolves and Nazis and clowns and hobos, dear god, and that magic ring is tooooooo much.
This book was exceptional. I was never bored or ever felt like the book was lagging. The post apocalyptic nuclear warzone setting is amazing. From details on how burn marks have affected certain characters, to how other characters minds have literally snapped and cocooned into their own reality, to the selflessness and bravery of certain characters, this book was amazing. The story follows 3 different perspectives and is broken up into two different "books". Book one follows the characters journeys from the day the bombs dropped, to about a year after. Book two picks up seven years after the last events that happen in Book one. Many people will sway away from this book because of how long it is, but it is so incredibly worth it to pick it up and start/finish. There's a lot of good/ important lessons to be learned in a book like this. I really really enjoyed. 5/5!
Fair warning, I'm not going to say that Swan Song is a bad novel... it's just a meandering one that suffers from its extended length. I will also be transparent and say that I tapped out about 524 pages into the 900+ in the book. What follows its very subjective and ultimately, if you've loved the book, that's fantastic, but it wasn't for me.
First things first, McCammon created a vivid and deeply vivid portrait of the nuclear apocalypse and what followed in this. To his credit, the author captured the utterly bleak (and often uncompromisingly horrific) aspect of what a full-on nuclear exchange and its aftermath would look like. There's passages that are legitimately challenging to get through, given the graphic content, and the world after the bombs is an interesting one in many regards. Full credit to McCammon, he knows how to create an interesting setting. If anything, this would compel me to look at his other works.
However, while the characters are interesting for the most part, they felt more like vehicles for the plot points rather than something fully developed in their own right. There's this real sense at times that you're reading a serialised book in sections, rather than something cohesive in terms of character development. The characters are there for the ride of the different little event arcs for the most part, rather than dedicated focuses.
As for what ultimately made me drop the book... it's that the story just didn't feel like it was progressing. There'd be some legitimately great moments that'd progress the sprawling plot, and then it'd just meander for 50-70 pages. I will also say that I was really into the apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic elements, but the more fantastical and religious elements fell flat for me. It also felt like McCammon was kind of engaging in post-apocalyptic bingo, trying to fill in as many boxes as possible. It was a hard decision to drop the book, but with 400 or so pages left, I decided that it was time to move on.
This isn't my first brush with epic horror and for context I really enjoyed The Passage, which covers similar ground, but Swan Song just lacked the momentum that's kept me going with other longer texts. Swan Song just wasn't for me, and that's okay. If it had been two more focused novels of about 400-500 pages each, I would likely enjoy it a lot more.
First things first, McCammon created a vivid and deeply vivid portrait of the nuclear apocalypse and what followed in this. To his credit, the author captured the utterly bleak (and often uncompromisingly horrific) aspect of what a full-on nuclear exchange and its aftermath would look like. There's passages that are legitimately challenging to get through, given the graphic content, and the world after the bombs is an interesting one in many regards. Full credit to McCammon, he knows how to create an interesting setting. If anything, this would compel me to look at his other works.
However, while the characters are interesting for the most part, they felt more like vehicles for the plot points rather than something fully developed in their own right. There's this real sense at times that you're reading a serialised book in sections, rather than something cohesive in terms of character development. The characters are there for the ride of the different little event arcs for the most part, rather than dedicated focuses.
As for what ultimately made me drop the book... it's that the story just didn't feel like it was progressing. There'd be some legitimately great moments that'd progress the sprawling plot, and then it'd just meander for 50-70 pages. I will also say that I was really into the apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic elements, but the more fantastical and religious elements fell flat for me. It also felt like McCammon was kind of engaging in post-apocalyptic bingo, trying to fill in as many boxes as possible. It was a hard decision to drop the book, but with 400 or so pages left, I decided that it was time to move on.
This isn't my first brush with epic horror and for context I really enjoyed The Passage, which covers similar ground, but Swan Song just lacked the momentum that's kept me going with other longer texts. Swan Song just wasn't for me, and that's okay. If it had been two more focused novels of about 400-500 pages each, I would likely enjoy it a lot more.