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Summary: A Dark Fantasy Classic!
Review: Black Frankenstein is marvelous, and this book is up there in my top twenty list. I reread it recently along with "The Stand" (shorter version, though) "Lucifers Hammer" and Harry Shannon's horrific and amazing "Night of the Beast." Maybe the current events around us make end-of-the-world stuff more intriguing or something, but if you have missed 'Swan Song' (or danged near anything else by McCammon) you've missed a dark fantasy classic.
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Summary: this book is amazing
Review: McCammon is by far the most talented write rI have come across. I love to read, but I often find that its difficult to stay interested in a book long enough to finish it. The size of this book was enormous, but that didn't keep me from finishing it within 5 days of picking it up. I have read it over and over again, and its one of those stories that just sucks you in, because so much of it could really happen in the real world. I have reccomended this book to all of my friends, its phenominal.
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Summary: lost but now I'm found
Review: I was first given this book by a friend I read it in two days max... That was 10 years ago I gave the book to another friend and forgot about it till I started reading nothing but garbage and my mind raced to remember the name of the best book I ever read I knew there was swan in the title but there are lots of books with that name in it.. Well I went to local bookstores where they're suppose to be knowledgeable and to no prevail I was empty handed but not broken I went on amazon .com and you guys helped with a name an author and here I am with book in hand and promise to never give it away again....
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Summary: review of Swan Song
Review: I read Swan Song a couple of years ago. Since then, I must of read the book 10 times. It is one of the best books I have ever read. Once you begin reading it, you cannot put the book down. It carries you away.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT, but rips off THE STAND
Review: Loved the epic sweep and end of the world hi-jinks, but was a bit annoyed by the blatant ... of THE STAND, by Stephen King. Most notably, having the devil named THE MAN OF MANY FACES, way too similar to King's THE MAN WITH NO FACE (one of the many monikers of the Walkin' Dude...) BUT, I did love the apocalyptic tone and it is really a page-turner.
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Summary: THE TRUE MEANING OF HORROR IS SWAN SONG ! ! ! ! ! !
Review: I can only describe this novel with single-word descriptions. Brilliant. Fantastic. Outstanding. Marvelous. Triumphant.Robert McCammon takes the reader on a journey, unbelievable and heartfelt, from the very soul of humanity into the darkest trenches of armageddon. A story of love and hate and vengence and survival and, finally, rebirth. The human spirit will live on in Swan Song. The characters: Black Frankenstein, Sister Creep, and the "star" Swan. The story: Nuclear Holocaust. The message: We will survive.
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Summary: A BEAUTIFUL SONG..ONE OF THE BEST
Review: Having previously read only one of Robert McCammon's books (the brilliant "Gone South"), I knew I would be entertained by this book, which won the 1988 Bram Stoker Award. I had NO IDEA how I would be BLOWN AWAY by this mammoth classic. Although compared to King's "The Stand," this novel goes a little bit further into examining the people behind the terror. McCammon's post-apocalyptic view of the world is frighteningly realistic. But what this horrifying novel so brilliant is the richness of the characters he has created. There are so many wonderful characterizations in this novel that it's hard to begin writing about them. The ultimate battle of good vs. evil is convincingly and yet "fictitiously" told. Some of the things that do stretch credibility feel quite at home in McCammon's hands. And oh what hands!
To me, the character who stands front and foremost, and upon whose shoulders this novel truly stands is Sister Creep. A combination of Whoopi Goldberg/Carol Burnett and Rosie O'Donnell, this woman is truly a heroine to be admired and respected. Starting out as a bag lady in the pre-nuclear New York, Sister Creep shows such fierce dedication, loyalty and strength that you can feel her reaching out of the book to embrace you. I don't think there's ever been such a rich female characterization as Sister Creep in any horror novel I've read so far. And I've read plenty!! The way she and her ragtag crew of survivors forge ahead to find the mysterious Swan is heart-rending, encouraging and downright amazing.
Close behind is Josh, the Black Frankenstein of the story. A Professional wrestler (i.e, actor), Josh embodies the strength of his gigantic size with the gentle heart of a child. Like Sister Creep, Josh feels the need to "protect the child" and goes through several visions of hell to do so. His relationship with Glory and Aaron in Mary's Rest is simply beautiful. McCammon is uncanny in his capture of what characters feel and don't express.
And then of course, there is Swan. What a remarkable character. We first meet her as a helpless but magical child, who is left parentless after the apocalypse. Her fate has been decided and she is the one to save the world. As she matures into a young woman, we can see the confusion, fear and doubt in her mind, sort of a Gethsemane, but she grows so much in her resolve, her love of mankind, and her belief that there is good in the world. Simply a beautiful creation, no doubt.
The other characters, both good and evil are outstanding: the manic Corporal Macklin; the blood-thirsty boy Roland Croninger; the ill-fated Leona; the happy Rusty Weaver and Artie; the evil Lt. Lawry; the prostitute Sheila; the demented Alvin; even the President of the United States. There are SO MANY I can't begin to let you know how good they are.
And, of course, there is the evil one...the man with the scarlet eye...never has a creature of such evil and malevolence wormed its way into the pages of modern horror. He is worse than Hannibal Lechter; Jason; Freedy; Michael Meyers; he is closer to the devil than anyone in this genre.
This book is outstanding; it will move you and will stay with you long after you've closed the pages. And even after 956 pages in paperback, you still wish there was more!!
BRAVO MR. MCCAMMON
HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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Summary: Nuclear Survivors
Review: All in all this is a great book. My rating is only because I felt it to close to King's The Stand. I read the Stand first and this seemed reminiscent. However there is plenty of new ideas here to justify it. This was the first book I read from Robert McCammon and I've read all of his others since. The man has amazing talent, there are no doubts there.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but not brillient
Review: OK, there are clearly some folks out there who really rate this post nuke yarn. And you can see why. The plot , briefly , involves a cast of characters who are involved with the central character of Swan, a girl with possibly supernatural powers. As was correctly spelled out in one of the other reviews the other central character is a destroyed, post nuclear winter land- and thatis vividly sketched and a well written description. Although there have been some comments on the realism, if you wilfully suspend your disbelief you can cope with those. There are many technical flaws that have been touched on (i.e. revolvers dont have safety catches to give a very obvious one). The ending, to put it mildly is somewhat cliched and layers on the smaltze, but again you can cope with it. All in all gentle reader, not a bad yarn, and in places page turning. Recommended.
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Summary: Top five book I have read in my life!
Review: This book is tied for the best book I have ever read. The others being The dragonlance Chronicles and Dark elf trilogy. I couldn't put this book down. I didn't want to read it at first because someone forced it upon me to read it, but from page six I went into insomnia mode and couldn't stop reading it. The story pulls you in immediately and fills you with several emotions throughout. You must read this book! Now! Send your wife or husband on a shopping spree out of state and find a quiet place and read this book!
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