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Swan Song

By: Robert R. McCammon
Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
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Publisher's Summary

"We're about to cross the point of no return. God help us; we're flying in the dark, and we don't know where the hell we're going."

Facing down an unprecedented malevolent enemy, the government responds with a nuclear attack. America as it was is gone forever, and now every citizen - from the president of the United States to the homeless on the streets of New York City - will fight for survival.

Swan Song is Robert McCammon's prescient and shocking vision of a post-apocalyptic nation, a grand epic of terror and, ultimately, renewal.

In a wasteland born of rage and fear, populated by monstrous creatures and marauding armies, earth's last survivors have been drawn into the final battle between good and evil, that will decide the fate of humanity. They include Sister, who discovers a strange and transformative glass artifact in the destroyed Manhattan streets... Joshua Hutchins, the pro wrestler who takes refuge from the nuclear fallout at a Nebraska gas station... and Swan, a young girl possessing special powers, who travels alongside Josh to a Missouri town where healing and recovery can begin with Swan's gifts. But the ancient force behind earth's devastation is scouring the walking wounded for recruits for its relentless army, beginning with Swan herself.

Please note: Two chapters were originally missing from Part 2 of this book. We were alerted to the problem on 11/21/11 and have corrected it. We're very sorry for any inconvenience. If you had already downloaded the book, don’t worry - your library has automatically updated with the corrected version. Simply re-download from your library, at no additional cost, to get the complete book.

©2009 Robert McCammon (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Swan Song

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Nowhere near as good as The Stand by SK....

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes - it is a good listen however the Stand by SK is sooo much better if you're looking for apocalyptic supernatural thrillers. Some of the plot points are not explained at all and you're itching for the author to take it that bit further to conclusion. The supernatural components of the story are not explained or really explored at all - they just occur in the background. The whole book seems to lead up to *spoilers* Sister getting the crown to Swan and then when she has it... she doesn't use it! What is the point! Does the crown have healing powers? How could she use it as a weapon to defend herself? The end seems very much of a fizzle (unlike The Stand which is just epic). Also the cold war plot point is a little dated now in 2017. I love the *idea* of this novel but the execution left me wanting a bit more. Still, a good listen overall.

If you’ve listened to books by Robert McCammon before, how does this one compare?

No

What does Tom Stechschulte bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He is a very talented reader - you forget one person is doing all of the different voices of the characters!

If this book were a film would you go see it?

yes

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2 people found this helpful

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A brilliant listen!

A slightly slow start but persistence definitely pays off. Swan Song is an excellent story and the narration was absolutely first class. For a single male narrator to pull off such a variety of differing voice tones for male and female characters was a top effort - I truly felt like I was feeling each characters different personalities the way Tom bought them to life.

This was definitely a story for mature listeners as it touches some adult topics, but I enjoyed the inclusion and the handling of those topics. Its refreshing to see a novel include real-world, gritty plot points instead of treating your book like a cartoon for kids.

I still find myself wondering 1 or 2 things from the supernatural portion of the plot - what exactly was the ring/crown? What was Sister's mirror? How did they come to be? But, for me, these questions have not detracted from the enjoyment of the story as a whole.

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2 people found this helpful

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Fantastic

Swan Song is one of the best books I've ever read and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it 30 years later.

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1 person found this helpful

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Simply epic!

Best tale I have listened to in a very long time and the narrator did a brilliant job of bringing all of the characters to Life. It was somewhat reminiscent of another epic yarn,“the stand“ by Stephen King, but at the same time, very much a journey all of its own And very much worth the purchase price. Can’t recommend it enough!

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Swan Song

I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish.
One of the best books I’ve heard so far. The narrator was brilliant with all the characters, I’ll be looking for more stories told by him.
Highly recommend if you like this genre!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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one of my favourite books

Love this book have read it about 6 times and will no doubt read again. 👍🏻

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    5 out of 5 stars
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one of the best post apocalyptic books I've read

one of the best post apocalyptic books I've read
and I've read a few
far better the the stand by Stephen king

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I can’t believe that people love this book

Having read Boys life and loved it, I was keen to see what other top rated books McCammon had written.

There are moments that I enjoyed but I cannot fathom how people can read it all the way through and think it was amazing or the best book they ever read.

I like dystopian and sci-fi but this did not do it for me.

There is a part where two of the ‘evil’ characters rape a woman, but it’s ok because she didn’t mind too much as she was already a loose woman really had me wondering what the F this author was thinking.

Performance is of a high standard but the content is bad.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful in all sense of the word

Swan has always been my favourite novel and finding the dusty book one day I decided to hear the audible version. Amazing and brilliant with the most incredible narrator. Recommend you try this version.

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New Favourite Novel

Love everything about it. The characters, story and narration. So beautifully told and Mccamon’s descriptions are gorgeous, works so well for an apocalyptic setting.

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