Rating: 
Summary: STUNG
Review: After reading several of Mr. McCammon's books (SWAN SONG, STINGER, BOYS LIFE, USHER'S PASSING, GOING SOUTH, THE WOLF'S HOUR), I can fairly say that he is the Dean of the Modern "Horror" Novel. One can compare him to King or Koontz, but Robert surpasses them in his rich narratives; his understanding of human strengths and weaknesses; and his uncanny sense of plot development. Not to mention his diversity.
In this sci-fi alien adventure, McCammon takes us to the town of Inferno, appropriately named for its hellish geographical locale, and the burning hate of some of its townspeople.
The "good" alien takes over a little girl's body, and the bad alien comes and he,,,,well...read to find out just what he does. Beautifully written, with enough action and suspense to fill three books, "Stinger" stands as a representation of the creative genious of Robert McCammon. Fortunately, he's come out of retirment to create new masterpieces. Read this, but don't miss the others, especially SWAN SONG and BOYS LIFE.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: STUNG
Review: After reading several of Mr. McCammon's books (SWAN SONG, STINGER, BOYS LIFE, USHER'S PASSING, GOING SOUTH, THE WOLF'S HOUR), I can fairly say that he is the Dean of the Modern "Horror" Novel. One can compare him to King or Koontz, but Robert surpasses them in his rich narratives; his understanding of human strengths and weaknesses; and his uncanny sense of plot development. Not to mention his diversity.
In this sci-fi alien adventure, McCammon takes us to the town of Inferno, appropriately named for its hellish geographical locale, and the burning hate of some of its townspeople.
The "good" alien takes over a little girl's body, and the bad alien comes and he,,,,well...read to find out just what he does. Beautifully written, with enough action and suspense to fill three books, "Stinger" stands as a representation of the creative genious of Robert McCammon. Fortunately, he's come out of retirment to create new masterpieces. Read this, but don't miss the others, especially SWAN SONG and BOYS LIFE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: Ya'll Best Watch Out For Stinger!
Review: I have been reading an awful lot of these types of books lately. I've taken a couple of trips to the underworld, witnessed time travel, seen vampires chew up their victims, read about diseases that threaten the entire world, and visited the twisted worlds of serial killers. Ah, the life of the mass-market paperback reader! Usually, that life leaves a lot to be desired. Oftentimes, character development is minimal, the prose is turgid, or the plot is left loose ends flapping in the breeze. Not so with Robert McCammon. McCammon knows how to write a story with fascinating and well-developed characters, with an atmosphere that is both chilling and spooky. He also knows how to deliver a plot that is tied up in a neat little ball, to be neatly placed on your lap at the end of the book. "Stinger" is just such a novel. It is the story of a little Texas town named Inferno. Inferno is dying, slowly and painfully. Since the mine closed down, there is little work and a lot of rusting dreams. The people that are left behind to witness Inferno's gasping death are a hardy lot. They need to be tough, because something terrible is about to happen that will change the people of Inferno forever. Early one morning, a spacecraft of unknown origin crashes outside town, quickly followed by another spaceship that lands outside Bordertown, where Inferno's Mexican citizens live. What follows is a roller coaster ride of sheer terror, as the occupants of the two spaceships aren't exactly friendly with one another. By the end of the book, dozens of people have died in extremely unpleasant ways. At the center of the story is Daufin, a friendly alien running from an intergalactic bounty hunter called Stinger. Stinger has a lot of unusual tricks up his sleeve, leaving Daufin no choice but to drag the local inhabitants into the fray. There is the Hammond family, Colonel Rhodes, an air force investigator, Sheriff Ed Vance, Cody and Curt Lockett, Sarge Dennison, Rick Jurado, and other characters. The Hammond's are important due to their direct contact with Daufin. Lockett and Jurado are the leaders of two warring street gangs, the Renegades and Rattlers. These characters are astonishingly well developed for a horror novel. I was about half way through the book before I realized that McCammon loves his characters, and treats them accordingly. Some of the subplot stories are extremely heart wrenching. I know it is a cliché, but these really are characters that you come to care about. What became most apparent to me as I read this book is McCammon's emphasis on redemption. Several of the characters are what society would deem "unlikable" people, but prove themselves when the going gets tough. An alcoholic abuser can change his ways, as can kids in a gang or a mentally unbalanced individual. McCammon has an unfailingly optimistic outlook towards humanity, something sorely lacking in most of today's fiction works. He believes that all types of people can put aside their differences in order to join together to fight a common enemy. This is one of the better mass-market paperbacks I've read this summer. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I think it speaks volumes about McCammon's abilities as an author that this book, written in 1988, is still in print today. That's something most authors cannot brag about. Soon, I'll tackle "Swan Song."
Rating:
Summary: This is a GREAT Summer Read!!
Review: I have read everything put out by Robert McCammon, and have enjoyed most of his novels and short stories. Stinger was the first book I read of McCammon's and it was so much fun I just re-read it this week. I see other reveiwer saying Stinger is like a B-Movie in paperback form like it's a bad thing? Sure it unfolds just like one of those cheezy 1950's sci-fi movies, and that is why it sparkles. This is not a heavy handed, fantasy driven sci-fi novel. I was not looking for something deep, or soul searching, I mean for God's sake there is a reptilian claw emerging from the desert on the books cover, why would someone be shocked, and or disappointed that Stinger is about a nasty alien monster? If you are looking for something that will make you do some soul searching look elsewhere, if you want a cool story about a rag-tag group of people uniting against a nasty foe then pick up "Stinger". Some of the references are dated, like the references to Day-Glo clothes and Billy Idol, but so what it's a neat little glimpse of the 80's. If you have read any of McCammon's other books and enjoyed them then pick up "Stinger".
Rating: 
Summary: Sting me Robert
Review: I have read several of McCammon's books and though I feel this one isn't as good as the others it is still extremely enjoyable. If I don't compare it to the others than it is fantastic and deserving of the 4 stars. It is an alien encounter like no other and originality is a must for me. We have seen so many aspects when it comes to alien invaders and Robert succeeds in adding something new.
It is very important to me as a writer to add something new to an old topic otherwise it is not worth doing and it is apparent that Robert feels the same way.
I also recommend Swan's Song and They Thirst.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Bad, But He's Done Better
Review: Robert McCammon is an author everyone should read at least once. He is a master at manipulating a reader's emotions, a great storyteller, and the imagery he describes lets his tales play out like movies in your head. Stinger is not one of his best pieces, but it still works well as pure horror entertainment. The characters are believeable, their reactions to a terrifying alien invasion of a tiny Texas town well done, but I found some scenes lacking-such as the "big surprise" the antagonist called Stinger unveils to wreak havoc on the poor Earth people he calls "bugs", and there were even a few chunks of text describing minor events that could have been ommitted from the story entirely without disrupting the continuity. McCammon's flow is fast, his books hard to set down, and this one was no exception. It just seemed at times he was wandering dazed through the wreckage and chaos like one of his own characters, looking for the next clue to help him wrap up the story satisfactorily. Read Stinger, but be sure to check out the author's other titles, too. The man can entertain!
Rating:
Summary: STINGER...an overlooked GEM of ACTION and HORROR
Review: Robert R. McCammon (retired so I've heard) falls somewhere between Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Too often his books are overlooked, but McCammon has a powerful story-telling style and can produce and action scene like nobody's business. STINGER is one of McCammon's finer works. It tells the story of a small desert town where two aliens have landed. One a peaceful energy being...the other a deadly bounty-hunter. The town characters are introduced...the town is sealed off from the world by an energy field...AND THE STINGER IS TURNED LOOSE! Where it might not keep you shaking in fear, this book will deliver so much action that the last 200 pages fly by with kinetic force that few authors can achieve. So where do we stand? McCammon is not as frightening as King. He's more logical and fast-paced than Koontz. And he should not be overlooked for the fine novels he's turned out. I also recommend Robert R. McCammon's - BLUE WORLD, THEY THIRST, SWAN SONG, and BOY'S LIFE!
Rating:
Summary: What a blast!!!
Review: STINGER is just a flat out fun book to read. To sum up the plot by calling it a good alien vs bad alien story doesn't begin to cover it. Sure it's been done before but never better. Thrilling chases and escapes make this "un-put-downable" as so many other books claim to be and so seldom are. ... I wish someone will buy the rights to this book and turn it into the thrilling blockbuster movie that it calls out to be.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best
Review: There's no doubt that Mccammon is a great storyteller but after reading Swan Song (I'm reading his books in chronological order) this is certainly a let down. I think it's best to describe Stinger as a 'noble experiment' because it does deal with a subject that is certainly 'beyond' what he usually deals with. In simple terms, there's something just not quite right with this book, even though it is fun to read and the characters are certainly interesting. Infact, the main character is really the town (Inferno) itself. Let's face it, you KNOW that by the end of the book the alien bad guy will be, surprise surprise, defeated. And I think Mccammon knows this-he even admits to the formulaic nature of the genre, and therefore trys to put a slightly different spin on the 'alien invasion' story by playing up certain elements. This leads to my 'noble experiment' description. It's no secret that by this time in his career Mccammon was trying to move on to bigger and better things (e.g. Boys Life) and I think this was his springboard. Nevertheless, a good book and worth picking up.
Rating: 
Summary: Trash
Review: This is a lot like some lame Saturday afternoon horror movie where people ride around on motorcycles and battle a powerful interglactic force that has travelled across the universe but can be defeated by a few teenagers. Avoid it.
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