I see many reviews that compare this to Stephen King's The Stand and rightly so. They share a theme of survivors from a world-wide disaster struggle to survive and battle an evil that has arisen from the ashes. Despite the similarities, Swan Song stands on it's own as an enjoyable novel and I can't say that one is better than the other. McCammon spins a tale that sucks you in from page one and makes this 950 page epic a page turner. There was a twist that I did figure out towards the end, but was truly unexpected early on. Pay attention in those first couple chapters.

McCammon fans will already know that this is one not to miss and for those of you new to him as was I, be forewarned, this will cause you to go out and get the rest of his book.

Only true flaw I found that was a bit annoying at time (and kept this from getting 5-stars) was the way his point of view would switch almost in mid-paragraph at times. There were times I read half a page before I realized that we're looking at something from a new character. Other than that, great book and I highly recommend. ( )

Very interesting take on life after a nuclear war. ( )

By far the best fantasy Sci Fi I have ever read. From page one I was hooked and it took me three 10 hour sessions to read in a week. It has everything a good book needs and I cant wait to find another great novel like this

This is a fantastic thriller - better than The Stand, and that's saying something. Not for the faint of heart, this gruesome story starts with a nuclear holocaust. Following the destruction of civilization is an epic tail of the survivors. Most of the standard post-apocalypse characters are there - the harsh military types, the peaceful leaders, the hermits and the even a devil-like figure. But don't think that your getting the standard fair from this saga.

Spoiler alert: Some minor plot spoilers follow.

The story spans an epic 7 years (probably not a coincidental time period for the biblical scholars) in which a showdown between good and evil is setup perfectly. There are several "good" characters, following a handful of mysterious and magical signs to team-up and start rebuilding civilization. There are also some blatantly evil folks, promoting rule-of-violence and forming an army to re-build America in their twisted vision. Complete with magical trinkets, mysterious growths and re-births, and a solid, not-so-predictable ending, this book is worth the nearly 1000 page effort. Take it to the beach and enjoy!

One of my favorite books ever. Up there with Stephen King's The Stand, this book is a post-apocalyptic story about good vs evil and mankind's redemption. A good "yarn", I've read this book over and over again, and enjoy it just as much each time. ( )