Taylor - Made
Robert R. McCammon vividly describes what humanity is capable of doing to our planet, and to each other in this evocative book. While it does bear some similarities to Stephen King’s The Stand, I found Swan Song much more enticing – which says a lot because I am a HUGE Stephen King fan. I could not put it down. I found myself eating with my book in one hand and fork in the other and my husband had to forcibly make me go to bed.
Full of numerous characters all on their separate journeys through the apocalyptic land, it is hard to write a summary based off of just a few, but here goes nothing.
A homeless woman named Sister travels with a few others after a war left every country scarred by nuclear explosions. She (and a couple others) had survived the bomb that struck the center of New York City. The president, his staff and many other military officials (including some of their family) fled to Earth House – an underground shelter – after the green light was given to destroy the planet.
Swan, the protagonist, is a young girl whose history will bring tears to your eyes. Blessed with the gift of life, she must withstand a journey full of terror and horrific people. Swan is left after the bombs struck without her mother. Former wrestler named Josh Hutchins takes up the task of protecting her after constantly hearing the cry “Protect the Child!” coming from his subconscious. The man with the scarlet eye (who is also the man with many faces) is on a search for Swan. He is an ancient evil, the epitome of human greed, whose desolated wilderness is in jeopardy as long as Swan is alive. Much like The Stand, it is a classic story about Good vs. Evil.
It’s a long read – over 800 pages – but worth every moment. I read it in under a week and was lost for a couple of days afterward. My morning coffee felt lonesome without the book in my other hand. I literally would wake up sad because I couldn’t dive back in and find out where Swan and Sister were travelling to today.
It is available for a reasonable price on Amazon, but unless you happen to come across it in a used bookstore most don’t carry it because it is out of print. Definitely give it five stars and cannot wait to read it again. I always read my favorite books twice because the first time you appreciate the story and the second time you appreciate the writing.
“Even the most worthless thing in the world can be beautiful, it just takes the right touch.” – Robert R. McCammon Swan Song