Discussion of Swan Song by Robert McCammon

[Scott]

The July book of the month is Swan Song by Robert McCammon. Please discuss it here. If you have not read the book yet, please do not read this thread because this thread will contain spoilers.

I have not finished the book yet, so I will wait to write my comments on it until I am done. But those of you who have finished it can post your thoughts, comments and questions about the book here.

Did you enjoy reading the book? What do you think of the story? Would you recommend the book to others? What are your favorite parts? Are there any quotes from the book that you especially like and want to post?

Thanks!
Scott

[Oryx Crake]

So, I guess I'll start us of.

This has got to be one of my favorite all time books. I really enjoy the characters, story, everything.

I was really hoping that Archie would make a reappearance at some point in the story after separating from Sister. It kind of makes me sad that he probably died long before the story ended.

Also, I was hoping that whatever force possessed Paw Paw underneath his store would show up again, but it never does, and I suppose we are left to our on devices as to what it was.

I really enjoy the way that McCammon makes you like even the evil characters. Despite the horrible acts that Macklin and Roland commit throughout the book, you still can't help but to root for them. Me anyway.

And then there's Scarlet Eye/Friend, who is just awesome. How many other villians want to Watusi people's bones to dust? And I love the way that he seems to view himself as good. He calls Swan and the crown evil numerous times because they spread hope to humanity and hence would prolonge our miserable existance, therefore being inhumane.

And I also would like to add one of my favorite quotes in the book: "Oh... wow", Alvin Mangrim's last words.

There was one little piece of the plot that confused me however, and that would be the end. Friend flies on out of the bunker through a vent, not through the door. And yet Swan shuts the door and throws away the key, because now no one can get inside. But couldn't Friend just pop back in through the vent and atart it back up? He was there when the Prez entered in the startup code, so i didn't fully understand that.

That's all I got for now.

[Jeaninevh]

I've read this book twice now. Once about 4 years ago and then coincidentally a couple of months before it was picked as the book of the month. I liked it a lot better the first time.
Perhaps it's just me, but I didn't like the magic. The story tries to be somewhat realistic as to how the world would be after a nuclear war, and the magic detracts from the realism. I would much prefer a story to be true as to how things would go. I suppose I could accept friend and the Job's masks as an allegory to evil and good, but the story already has Roland and Macklin for that.
Otherwise I think this story was great. I love the journey and the human element of people helping others through the dark days and sharing what little food they have.

[The Real Macai]

I thought this book was excellent. I loved how realistic it was when looking at the mundane aspects of it. However, the use of a dash of supernatural element was very stylish, and creative. It's hard to write a fantasy of story where suspension of disbelief is easy, but McCammon pulled it off here. I seriously think this is high grade contemporary fantasy.

[textbookonly]

Swan Song is rich with such characters as an ex-wrestler named Black Frankenstein, a New York City bag lady who feels power coursing from a weird glass ring, a boy who claws his way out of a destroyed survivalist compound. Swan Song is often compared to Stephen King's The Stand, and for the most part, readers who enjoy one of the two novels, will enjoy the other. But the tone is somewhat different: The good is sweeter, the evil is more sadistic, and the setting is harsher, because it's the world after a nuclear holocaust.

[archanadevi]

Oh, Your comments will be great for that book. I am going to start.

Thanks.