I was having coffee with friends today and the topic of books came up. Someone asked the group to toss out their top recommendation.
I said “Swan Song”, and for the first time, literally ever, someone else jumped in with “Absolutely; I describe it as the less-hacky and more focused cousin of The Stand.”
Disclaimer: I am only relaying the conversation. I did not call Stephen King a hack writer. There has been enough bloodshed.
Anyway, once everyone put away their pitchforks (satisfied they had well and truly corrected such literary blasphemy), he and I both sort of marveled that we ran into someone else who had read Swan Song. We both agreed it was baffling that we’d never happened across anyone else who knew who Robert McCammon was, much less read anything he’d written.
While I don’t hold all of Robert McCammon’s books with the same appreciation as I do Swan Song, he strikes me as undeniably gifted and well beyond the average novelist. Probably like a lot of you, I have always devoured multiple novels per month. In my experience, *most* novels are forgettably fine reads, and that’s perfectly OK. McCammon, though, really stands out for me. I just sort of mentally lump him up there with Crichton, L’Amour, King, and Douglas Adams as “Even if you aren’t into the genre, you’ll likely find something to enjoy” sorts of authors.
Thinking about it, I only stumbled across McCammon by chance in a discount bin over a decade ago, and it feels . . . I don’t know . . . incorrect(?) that it would have been so easy for me to never have known he wrote anything at all. I know he stopped writing for a while, but that doesn’t help me understand why (in my experiences) neither he, nor his prior existing works, are very well known.
So is it just an odd coincidence that I happened to avoid anyone who has read his books for nearly my entire life, or is there some actual reason that he doesn’t seem to have enjoyed the same level of popularity and recognition as authors such as King?
by UnpluggedUnfettered
31 Comments
I came across one of his books by chance, The Night Boat, and I was sucked in. I then read Stinger, Mine, Baal, They Thirst, and The Listener.
I know I should read Swan Song soon. He is brilliant.
Swan Sing was great!
I used to teach Boy’s Life in 8th grade (with parent permission). It was a great book, and started some really great conversations. I thoroughly enjoyed it, personally. This is a great reminder to read some of his other novels!
I came across Swan Song on a book website in the *similar to other books you have purchased* section. One of my absolute favourite books.
I adore Swan Song and Boy’s Life. The Zero bar….
I read Boy’s Life a few years ago for a reading prompt (bestseller from the year I graduated) but I’d like to read more
I loved Boy’s Life but I could not get past the first 50 pages of Swan Song
Excellent books, so far I have read Swan Song, Boy’s life, speaks the nightbird and his collection of short stories: all outstanding.
His ebooks are most of the time in discount so there is no excuse to grab one now and then. He is a really a great writer.
I used to read McCammon as a kid when I was obsessed with horror novels. He wasn’t popular with many people but I loved his books. I was particularly obsessed with The Wolf’s Hour. Most original WWII book I’ve ever read, lol. Send the 007 werewolf to do the impossible, defeat the Nazis and win the war. I probably read that book 20 times.
Swan Song was fantastic. I read it on a beach in Cuba. Maybe not most people’s idea of a beach read 😅 but I loved it. There’s one scene I still think about, and it’s probably been at least ten years since I read it. Damn, now you’ve made me want to do a reread.
I’ve read Boy’s Life, Speaks the Nightbird, and Usher’s Passing. I recently bought They Thirst, started it, and realized I’ve already read it.
I read the first third of Swan Song this month based on recommendation from this subreddit, and finally pitched it. The characters are one-dimensional. The supernatural component seems to come out of nowhere and yet is totally accepted by the characters. The whole thing is completely unbelievable. Not to mention derivative of The Stand.
That’s my opinion. I’m glad you enjoyed the book – I don’t purport to be the expert on what people should and shouldn’t enjoy. But he’s not some kind of genius written whose appeal would be universal if more people knew about him.
Stephen King, on the other hand – since you mentioned him – spends chapters and chapters on character development, backstory, internal life, and more. All that while continuing through develop the plot to keep the reader turning pages. His stories have not only a who and a what but a why and a how. I see McCammon attempting that (for example, in his explanations of how the world got to the point of nuclear apocalypse) but not mastering it.
Like others, I read Swan Song and Boys Life. I finished both, but never really felt engrossed in either. They were OK, but I didn’t see this big “the real Stand” thing. The Stand has its problems, but is just a much more interesting story than Swan Somg, which felt like a Disney movie on weed. Boys Life had a little of the nostalgic draw to it, but ultimately did t interest me much either. I don’t get it, and will probably not read another McCammon.
Speaks the Nightbird and its sequel are brilliant, and one of my fave books/series of all time. I agree, Op. I’ve never understood why he is not more widely read/celebrated.
I stumbled on him in college. Little convenience store near my dorm had a small paperback section, picked up Wolf’s Hour on a whim late one night. I have a couple of friends who still thank me for recommending they read that book thirty years later. Swan Song is fantastic as well, I’ve said similar things about it compared to The Stand as your commenter as well.
But Wolf’s Hour for me is his best, mostly due to it being the first work of his that I read and it being so much better than I thought it’d be when looking over the titles at a little hole-in-the-wall store at 3 am in Tampa.
McCammon was poised for what I think could have been a massive breakthrough in the early 90s, having just released some of his best works, but abruptly retired in 1993 due to a number of reasons: depression, fights with his publishers, exhaustion from overwork and wanting to spend more time with his family. When he did finally return to writing in 2002 it was with small press publishers and with vastly different work (Gothic historical fiction with horror overtones). Since then he has worked at his own pace, writing what he wants to write and not what publishers think he should be writing.
I wish he had more exposure and popularity, but truthfully he seems much happier being out of the limelight.
Hunter Goatley’s Robert McCammon site (at https://www.robertmccammon.com/) has a ton of history, interviews and biographical info that helps make a lot of this a lot clearer.
My personal favorites of his are Boy’s Life, The Wolf’s Hour and its follow-up The Hunter in the Woods, Swan Song, and the Matthew Corbett books starting with “Speaks the Nightbird”.
Swan Song > The Stand
I love McCammon and wish that he was more popular. Swan Song is one of my all time favorite books, I’ll take it over The Stand any day.
He just has so many good books! The Border, Stinger, They Thirst, Wolf’s Hour, Mystery Walk, Blue World…every single one of them is a banger.
The only thing he’s written that hasn’t worked for me is that series about the colonial detective, tried the first couple and nope wasn’t for me.
He’s a great writer and deserves more recognition.
So I posted a similar question about him and it got deleted for being too specific. I’ve been reading him since “They Thirst” and love his stuff. It does seem that he is either forgotten or not loved by the publishers. I’m reading his Matthew Corbett series now, and no local libraries have anything other than the first couple books and no local bookstores stock ANY of the series. I prefer to read this series on paper (as opposed to audiobooks) so I have to order them from Amazon, and they are always at full price. Did he piss somebody off?
Never read any of his books, but I’ll have to give one a try.
I’ve tried swan song and I bounced off of it. (I love the stand).
No idea why tbh I’ll have to go back
I remember thinking that it was a little gross. Or it was slightly too hopeless, or I didn’t like the protags or something.
All this is a little odd bc I read gore horror all the time,doesn’t phase me. But specifically the scene in the theater with the popcorn, as well as the scene where black Frankenstein returns to his apartment pit me off in some way. Something about it was icking me out like I personally would not like the author (I have NO IDEA if that’s true I’m just describing a vague memory. He is probably a very nice man)
But anyway always meant to revisit
Ha, reread Boy’s Life. Swan Song, The Wolf’s Hour, Blue World also among my favorite reads.
Boys Life and Swan Song are as good as King at his best, IMO.
Swan Song is one of my favorite books, I’m on a lifelong mission to force other people to read it lol
I loved Boy’s Life but I find Swan Song to be vastly inferior to The Stand.
🗣️Usher’s Passing
Swan song was the first book that made me actually enjoy reading. Before that I only knew books that teachers assigned and most I hated. The first chapter is pretty aggressive to suck you in quick. He’s good at imagery. Could kind of see the whole thing in my head as I was reading it. Mu mom had it the whole time I was a kid and I’ll probably never forget that cover with the skull lol
I have read alot of his books. I consider Swan Song to be one of his best. Sometimes I say “Discipline and Control” randomly and no one gets it. SAD. There are some similarities to The Stand but I think they can exist on their own. He is one of my favorite authors besides King, but I prefer his horror/suspense/mystery novels. I read Mine a long time ago and never forgot it.
I worked security for a retirement community IN AZ. They had a library I could borrow from. They had Swan Song on Audio. I borrowed it and listened during my shift. Took almost a month to finish it. I freaking loved that story. Like you I am still surprised almost nobody has ever heard of it and that’s a shame.
Take the first step and the next gets you where you’re going…
Love his works! Mine, I threw across the room during the first chapter. It took me a very long time to pick it up and read it again and I felt so foolish after reading it through completely.
Swan Song was my first McCammon and while I love The Stand (including the “Writer’s Cut version”), I felt like Swan Song was the better Good vs Evil story.
They Thirst and Baal are two more of my favourites by him. Hoping to buy more of his books soon.