Rating: 
Summary: Just as good as "The Stand" and i think probably better
Review: I read this book years ago and loved it. i then read all of robert r mccammon's books and thought each were excellant. i am waiting to read his two nightbird books. i know people compare this book to the stand. i love stephen king books and the stand was good but this was just as good if not better. you actually seem to care for these people, and what happens to them. i am definetly surprised they have not made a movie yet!!! if you have not read a roebrt r mccammon book read this and i guarantee you will be hooked. i let my mom read this and she loved it. in fact everyone i have told to read this loved it. I won't tell what this book is about basically every other review has done this. but if you're looking for a book that will guarantee a good read this is it!!
Rating: 
Summary: Horror, not science fiction, but a good read
Review: I am a fan of post-apocalyptic speculative fiction, but I generally prefer science fiction to horror or fantasy. With its heavey reliance on the supernatural and the gory, this book definitely falls into the horror category. But if you don't mind a little horror it's an entertaining tale, with several plot lines running simulataneously, some obvious, some less so. Maybe the best part of the book is the chapter titles, which aren't displayed on the chapters themselves, only on the section pages - take the time to match them up with the chapters. I like more complex characterization than this book provides, too, but the people you will meet in these pages do have being - they are more than just cardboard cutouts. Decent, workmanlike prose, shrewd imaginative renderings of post-nuclear life, and good pacing are also pluses. Fans of McCammon will probably really love the book, and for the rest of us, it's a diverting way to spend a few evenings. But it's not one I'll come back to read again.
Rating:
Summary: This is not the stand...
Review: I don't know if some of these people that wrote reviews really read both books because they do have a few things in common but not really. This book is great! Read it...
Rating:
Summary: NOT the Stand
Review: I am a huge Stephen King fan and I have to say that Swan Song is by far a better book than The Stand. I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it after reading some of the other reviews. I thought it would be a rip off of The Stand. I am so glad I gave this book a chance. It could have been 900 more pages long and I would've been happy. I didn't want it to end. Read this book. You'll love it.
Rating: 
Summary: I liked this book better when it was called The Stand
Review: Don't buy into the praise being showered onto this book like I did. A more accurate title for this novel would be 1,001 Ways To Rip Off Stephen King. McCammon brings nothing original to the table with this one. Cliched sequence after cliched sequence is interjected with scenes lifted in what seemed to be word for word from The Stand, including major scenes in New York's Lincoln Tunnel and Nebraska. It's a shame because McCammon struck me as someone who could be a good writer if he applied himself. The dialougue isn't terrible and the book is structured nicely. But there's no excuse for something this close to plagerism. Maybe McCammon's other stuff is more original. I don't know and I don't intend to find out. An author who so blatently steals from another recieves very little respect in my book.
Rating:
Summary: Swan's Song
Review: This is, and forever will be, the best book I have ever read. Forever. And ever. Amen.
Rating:
Summary: My favourite of all time.
Review: I originally read this book back when it first came out and it is now a staple in my book case. Although of similar concept to "The Stand" it is a much more enjoyable read. I have yet to meet someone who has not enjoyed it. So if you want an "End of the world" novel don't pass this one buy.
Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: I don't think there's anything I can say to do this book justice. Just trust me when I say, WOW this book is awesome!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Don't be intimidated by the size of this book-you'll be 200 pages into this saga before you even know it. Infact, after 200 pages you'll be wishing that the book was twice as long. This is not a pageturner in the usual sense of the word; you'll find yourself curling up with this book and then you'll be sucked into a world that hopefully we'll never experience. Although people claim the book is outdated, the threat of a nuclear nightmare remains all too real, unfortunately. This is an astonishing saga and I am reluctant to compare it to his earlier masterpiece 'They Thirst',it's like comparing apples and oranges. But they are both terrific books in different ways.
My only 'complaint' is that the 'bad guy' is a little disappointing. Infact, he's very much like the villain in 'Mystery Walk': just some evil force lurking around the next corner-as if he were created for the sole purpose of being bad. In my opinion, Roland is a much scarier bad guy than 'the devil' or whatever he is. Anyway, there's no doubt that I'll be reading this book again, perhaps 10 years from now.
Rating:
Summary: Apocalyptic Fears
Review: There are many post-apocalyptic tales out there, most of them too familiar, most of them feeling like they are one and the same. It seems that the topic has been touched upon so many times that it lost its ability to terrify or shock the reader. Upon re-reading McCammon's Swan Song, I was comforted to realize that the book has stood the test of time and that this story is still very much terrifying and effective. An evil force has turned the earth into a deadland after a series of nuclear attacks. Very few have survived, and many of the ones who have lost their good sense during the ordeal. The novel follows the story of three groups of survivors, which will eventually meet in the end for the novel's bloody finale. First, we find Josh, an ex-wrestler, and Swan, a young girl with the power of life. Then, we have Sister, a bag lady who finds a second life after the big bang, and the men who follow her in her trek to find the young girl. And finally, we have Roland, a young boy who's soul is dark and thirsty for blood. McCammon has found an amazing way to differentiate his "good" characters from the "evil" one, a technique I will let you discover by yourself. Swan tries to put the life back into the earth, but many people try to stop her from creating life. Roland forms and army that seeks destruction, while that evil force wants to see both Sister and Swan dead. The ordeals these characters go through will instill enough nightmares in you to last you a lifetime. Although the novel is lengthy (nearly 1000 pages), it remains a very fast read that you won't want to put down. This story is very original and very effective. Whenever you think the story will bring you in one direction, it veers and takes a completely different one. There are many surprises in Swan Song, some pleasant, but many of them dark. I'm surprised that this one never find the same level of success as King's The Stand. Although the topic and tone are similar, the stories are as different as night and day. In McCammon's story, the lead characters are few, and you get to know them fairly well by the end of the novel. And the book's final moment? Well, let's just say that the nail-biting suspense will keep you reading until the wee hours of the morning. This is a horror classic that needs to be discovered and rediscovered by all.
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