Gore and More discussion

Swan Song won our Group Read poll by one vote! We'll be starting it July 1st and this is where we'll be discussing it. Please use spoiler tags and chapter tags. Happy reading, fellow Gore & Mores!

I'm a little over halfway through and have been reading very slowly. So glad this won!

Kandice wrote: "I'm a little over halfway through and have been reading very slowly. So glad this won!"

Glad you downshifted so that you can participate with us. I love this read!

Read this one. It's a long one, but a good one nonetheless. Enjoy!

Excited!

I will definitely give it a try

T-minus one hour and 40 minutes before we kick off this magnum opus from McCammon. Before we get started, I have a confession. Not only am I a huge McCammon fan, but Swan Song is one of my top 3 books ever. I've read it and re-read it a handful of times, and that's not bad considering this behemoth checks in at just shy of 1000 pages. So, I thought I'd pass along a couple of tips that will hopefully make this a more rewarding read for those of you who haven't had the pleasure to read it yet.

First, the endless comparisons to The Stand. Yes, yes, I hear it all the time from the endless King devotees that chirp how Swan Song is similar to The Stand and then they spout off on how they feel The Stand is better. To anyone that fits that description (King fan that is infatuated with The Stand), I counter with this: I am also a King fan and I've read The Stand a couple of times. I like it too. Swan Song is a post-apocalyptic tale that has some similarities with King's tale, but that's where it ends for me. I think Swan Song stands (pardon the pun) on its own better than The Stand. Again, my opinion.

Two, I've found that Swan Song seems to resonate better to those of us that grew up during the 80s and the height of the Reagan-era Cold War. If you're not in that age group, I encourage you to try and put yourself in that mindset. Remember, no zombies in this PA tale.

OK, I'm off my soap box. I hope you all enjoy this story and I look forward to the discussion. With that, I give you Swan Song.

I've wanted to read this book for a looooong time, but don't have the time. I know that I should make time, but I've still got two books that I'm trying to get through. Anyway, I'll be following this thread to hopefully get motivated. By the way, thanks Ken for the input, I have also read the Stand, liked it, and have read that more people prefer Swan Song of the two. My real curiosity, as somebody who has never read McCammon, is should I read Boys Life first or Swan Song?

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with either. Boys Life is a brilliant coming-of-age story that I dare anyone to not come away from reading it without feeling touched. Swan Song is a majestic journey across America once the superpowers bombed us into a nuclear winter. Both have wonderful characters that you'll invest in, love, hate, and feel. Simply put, you can't go wrong with either.

I was glad to see a book on my TBR list was chosen but I'm in the middle of the Left Behind Series, which I'm really enjoying. I'd read this along with it but I don't want to get over-apocalyptic-ated. Have a fun read!

I'm almost finished and definitely in the camp that feels it reads almost like Fan fiction of The Stand. Having said that, I also believe it's a very, very good book. I just think McCammon probably read the heck of out The Stand himself and this is his homage.

Personally, I've read The Stand many, many times, but I think I will reread this one as well. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, with the added benefit that if you like the original, how could more of that be bad?

I'm only 20 chapters in and I can't put this down while simultaneously needing to put it down meaning that it's so good yet so disturbing. I'm a horror fanatic and it's pretty hard to disturb me (I thought Guts by Chuck Palahniuk was far more hilarious than disturbing.) So far, Swan Song is doing a fine damn job of really getting under my skin. I do admit to being a child of the 80's and 90's like suggested above, which might account for how deeply this reaches me. I've seen complaints about the lack of good character development. As of now, I'm not lonesome for it. I feel like conflicting camps of good and evil are in the immediate future and I don't want a clear view of who is who. Ambiguity in good vs. evil stories serves up some excellent twists. What grips me the most though are the unnatural elements carefully injected among situations that are perfectly plausible. It reminds me of Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series a bit here. I think that's one of my biggest reasons for being enthralled with Swan Song so far despite not being a huge fan of the modern apocalypse sub genre. Anyway, glad to be part of the group read!

S.J. wrote: "I've wanted to read this book for a looooong time, but don't have the time. I know that I should make time, but I've still got two books that I'm trying to get through. Anyway, I'll be following th..."

If you're not too picky with how you receive your literary fixes, consider this audiobook. I've had to do this a few times because of the busy schedule and it's been great. Horror novels are great as audiobooks because the narrators are often fantastic.

Through Chapter 11

(view spoiler)[ I love how McCammon sets up these different camps of characters. Each one has a different feel and memories of the way the 1980's felt flooded back in my memory. Professional wrestling and Hulk Hogan ruled the TV landscape. So I'm taken by Josh as the Black Frankenstein. The Earth House facility reminds me of all of the fallout shelters and the mindset of so many people on how to survive the Russian's nukes. Roland and his family was like so many others indicative of the Rambo era. Survival knives, Soldier of Fortune magazine, Red Dawn, DEFCON 1, NORAD, and ICBM silos in the middle of a cornfield. Does anyone remember getting under your school desk and cover your head with your hands? Like that's going to protect you from fifty bazillion degrees incinerating everything in its path! Sister Creep is still a shadowy enigma, but Swan and her mom are a sad reminder of the casualties of another war - abuse and a broken home. And then the missiles hit. For those that didn't grow up in the 80's or earlier, this is what we feared day in and day out. What are everyone else's thoughts? (hide spoiler)]

I liked the opening a lot with some great prose about fire, but I was glazing over a few paragraphs in. I think because of who the first characters are. I've had too much of politics to read about political or presidential characters.

Sorry I didn't get a chance to finish it. I will then let you know how I liked it.

Sorry I haven't been online for awhile. Been getting my sisters dance studio ready for the new year. We've had open houses for registrstion and dance wear days (which are days you can come in and get your shoes, dancewear, dance bags, etc for 10% off) twice a day like 10am-1pm and then 4:30pm -8:00pm and I've been so tired that I've just pretty much fallen asleep. Plus I think my lupus has been flaring up so that doesn't help either.