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Probably more like 3.5 stars.
I'm just going to say it: The Stand was much better. And maybe Swan Song wouldn't invite such comparisons if it wasn't so clearly derivative of The Stand.
Honestly, I'm not entirely unsure that McCammon didn't write this entire book as an homage to Stephen King. For example, one of the main characters, a young man named Roland (who refers to himself internally as the "King's Knight" - seriously?), takes a moment to recall an English assignment about Childe Roland (to the Dark Tower Came, by Browning), which is the basis for King's Dark Tower series which features the gunslinger Roland Deschain.
I mean, come on.
Anyway, the writing is fine. The story is a bit tighter than The Stand because it has a smaller cast of characters. On the other hand, a couple of the major plot points don't lead anywhere (did that jeweled crown have an actual purpose, or what?), and the "evil" borders on cartoonish.
Still, it's a decent read, and for people who feel a bit lost with the sheer breadth of The Stand, Swan Song is a fine runner up - mostly because it's trying awfully hard to be the poor man's Stand, and it's not even subtle about it.
I'm just going to say it: The Stand was much better. And maybe Swan Song wouldn't invite such comparisons if it wasn't so clearly derivative of The Stand.
Honestly, I'm not entirely unsure that McCammon didn't write this entire book as an homage to Stephen King. For example, one of the main characters, a young man named Roland (who refers to himself internally as the "King's Knight" - seriously?), takes a moment to recall an English assignment about Childe Roland (to the Dark Tower Came, by Browning), which is the basis for King's Dark Tower series which features the gunslinger Roland Deschain.
I mean, come on.
Anyway, the writing is fine. The story is a bit tighter than The Stand because it has a smaller cast of characters. On the other hand, a couple of the major plot points don't lead anywhere (did that jeweled crown have an actual purpose, or what?), and the "evil" borders on cartoonish.
Still, it's a decent read, and for people who feel a bit lost with the sheer breadth of The Stand, Swan Song is a fine runner up - mostly because it's trying awfully hard to be the poor man's Stand, and it's not even subtle about it.