Book Review: Swan Song

Swan Song, by Robert R. McCammon

Source: Amazon.com

From the book's cover: 

An ancient evil roams the desolate landscape of an America ravaged by nuclear war.
He is the Man with the Scarlet Eye, a malevolent force that feeds on the dark desires of the countless followers he has gathered into his service. His only desire is to find a special child named Swan -- and destroy her. But those who would protect the girl are determined to fight for what is left of the world and their souls.

In a wasteland born of rage, populated by monstrous creatures and marauding armies, the last survivors on earth have been drawn into the final battle between good and evil that will decide the fate of humanity....

The review:

I’m going to use another shameless use of Wikipedia to describe the general structure of the novel. Don’t say I didn’t warn you that I would. I’ll do it again too. I'm like a madman in an action movie. I can’t be stopped, I tell ya! Ahem. OK, now that that is out of my system… Swan Song is a 1987 horror novel by American novelist Robert R. McCammon. It is a work of post-apocalyptic fiction describing the aftermath of a nuclear war that provokes an evolution in humankind.  Short synopsis of Swan Song taken from Wikipedia.org

The author, Robert R. McCammon. / Source: RobertMcCammon.com

I liked that the nuclear exchange featured in Swan Song was fairly realistic. The survivors… sure, their various escapes from the lethal effects of the attack were still slightly stretched (as far as I’ve read myself, that is).  For example, one of the protagonists, Sister Creep, has an escape from the fireball caused by all that combustible material in New York City which is probably still pretty Hollywood-ized. She is down in a tunnel off the subway system, which may be plausible, if she didn't stay down there long after the attack.  And the author has her drop into a pool of water before the actual wall of fire hits her position, with the water partially vaporized by the thermal wave as it passes.  It was exciting stuff, and rang just enough true to be somewhat plausible.

And I gotta say, unlike most depictions of a nuclear bomb’s effects in fiction and especially film, these people got hurt. Bad burns, trauma, mentally unbalanced in many cases. And the character Paw Paw’s eyes being burned out by seeing the flash?  Thank you, McCammon. So often in fiction, people get to see the flash and they are just fine. Nope. It would blind the victim, in the least.

Some time passes...

Having finally finished the book, I'll say I did like Swan Song, but not enough to fully recommend. McCammon is on his game at times, but the the plot feels a bit thready at times too. To be honest, Swan Song felt like a pulp novel, and that was about it. It tried to be meaningful for sure, but the schlock tended to make the poignancy feel hollow. Where McCammon shines was in the darker moments. The depiction of the bad guy characters of Friend, Colonel Maclin, Sheila, and Roland were more powerful, in my opinion, than the book's heroes.

McCammon's depiction of nuclear winter is... well not to be punny, but chilling.  The survivors of the nuclear holocaust wander about through it, trying to keep warm and find food and water safe to drink.  It's an eerie and desolate scene, for sure. / Source: facebooknations.wikia.com

Granted, I appreciated some of McCammon's moments when the novel's protagonists interacted with the villains. The scene where Swan meets the demon known as "Friend" and he is going to kill her and she offers him an apple, and with it, forgiveness, was pretty well written. There are a few scenes like that in the book. 

I might note that the novel's ending scenes were disappointing on several levels. I found the president's survival improbable (he supposedly was onboard Air Force One when it was struck by flying debris from a nuclear blast updraft and went down), Macklin's death as being a bit thin, Sister's grand sacrifice to have too much trumpet and not enough bass on the emotional level, and the coincidental moment of the sun coming out upon our band of happy survivors to be poorly placed and a bit cliche.

A bit of fan art from artist Erin Siegel, depicting Paw Paw's store before the nukes. / Source: robertmccammon.com

On the bright side, I liked the idea that the growth on some people's faces (the author calls it "Job's Mask") falling off and then the person's true face showing through underneath. While I didn't happen to like the mystical glass thing found in the ruins of Tiffany's in New York by Sister Creep, which then turns out to be Swan's crown, it wasn't completely unbelievable as portrayed. The touches of magic in the book were not down-right annoying, as they might have been if handled in a more hokey manner.  But still, with such a visceral depiction of a nuclear attack...  the fantasy elements and the overly sentimental ending just didn't vibe for me, personally.

I suppose, all things considered, that I found McCammon's Swan Song to be an interesting attempt to tackle Stephen King's The Stand, but not altogether a satisfying attempt either.  He's a good writer, based on what little else of his work I have read.  There is another King-like novel of his, called They Thirst, about vampires who take over the city of Los Angeles, that I might try later.  But based on what I have read so far from him, McCammon - while talented - is just a bit off in his writing somehow.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but something of his writing is technically proficient in my view, but leaves me feeling unsettled.  And not in a good "ooh, that was a spooky story"-sort of way.  More like...  "I'm not sure I actually liked that"-sort of way.

The imagery of the roving bands of lawless men, as depicted in Swan Song, is quite sinister.  As people group together, factions form, evolve into armies, and then clashing with each other.  The stronger conquer the weaker and despoil them utterly.  It's bleak.  The only image I could find that seemed reminiscent (and for good reason) was from the film version of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. / Source: blastr.com

As for a recommendation, I’d especially recommend Swan Song if you liked The Stand, or if you like post-nuclear war/nuclear winter story lines, or if you read my above review and thought “hey, that novel sounds like just the sort of thing I could go for!” If my words have not dissuaded you, then by all means, proceed. It’s not a bad book.  Just… well the kids these days have an expression. “Meh.” That’s a good sum up my overall feelings for Swan Song. Could have been worse and could have been better.

Learn more about Swan Song, by Robert McCammon, on Amazon.com


The parting comment:

Source: LOLSnaps.com

Can't tell me that dogs don't have emotions.  This one looks prouder than the noblest steed.