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Review Time: “Swan Song”

I kicked off 2019 with Robert McCammon’s epic nuclear apocalypse novel: “Swan Song.” After reading and discussing this wild ride of a novel with a group on Instagram, #swanalong, and putting my review off for too long, here it is… I have a lot to say, fair warning.

I’m going to get this point out front and attempt to leave it here for the rest of the review: Robert McCammon’s “Swan Song” draws a lot of comparisons to Stephen King’s “The Stand,” and readers are right in doing so. These parallels shouldn’t make readers shun this novel or judge it based off “The Stand” though. “Swan Song” is a very different tale with similar, almost mirrored ideas and themes, but I mean come on… it’s a post-apocalyptic story… they all share something. I also think it is criminally underappreciated. I had never heard of it until around November.

“Swan Song” is a 900-plus page thrill-ride about the survivors of a nuclear holocaust brought on when the conflict between the United States and Russia finally hit a tipping point. McCammon introduces us to many characters before the nukes start falling.

We meet Sister Creep, a homeless woman; Josh aka Black Frankenstein, a former professional football player turned wrestler; Swan, a little girl with the very special ability to grow plants; Roland Croninger, a deranged 13-year old boy; Colonel James Macklin, a former Vietnam War vet; The Man With The Scarlet Eye, a supernatural being and very Flagg-esque character; and many other characters along the way, but these are the center pieces.

“One step. One step and then the next gets you where you’re going.”

Sister and Josh ended up taking home the trophy for best characters. Roland and Macklin were great too, but it felt like McCammon stopped developing Roland like he could of halfway through the book. Macklin’s reliance on the Shadow Soldier was evident of his weak mental status throughout. The Man With The Scarlet Eye was pretty stupid in my opinion. He brought in an overly supernatural element the story didn’t really need. Eliminating him completely wouldn’t have hurt my feelings at all. Swan was a great character too, and her little ability ended up being massively important.

I will insert the spoiler blocker here. If you are worried about ruining events, then scroll to the “End Spoilers” heading to see my rating. Then go to the store, find this book, and read it!

In the first half of the novel, McCammon develops all these main characters and adds in important minor characters like the psychopath Alvin, psychic Leona, and mountain man Paul. We see the characters struggle to survive and seek other survivors.

Sister Creep’s escape from the fiery inferno of destruction in the New York Sewers and then trek through the Holland Tunnel were so intense and absolutely terrifying. Before leaving New York, Sister finds a glowing glass crown that shows her visions of happiness. During Sister’s time in New York we get some of her heartbreaking back story… yeah, I cried.

“Even the most worthless thing in the world can be beautiful, it just takes the right touch.”

Josh and Swan’s time in a Kansas fallout shelter and then travel together is heartwarming but sad as well. The duo meet Leona and check out a shopping center in Matheson where they are introduced to Lord Alvin. Josh is put through a gauntlet. This shopping center scene is easily one of my favorites of the entire novel. Its so wild. They then meet former clown, Rusty.

Macklin and Roland met in a government-built fallout shelter called Earth House underneath Blue Dome Mountain in Idaho. The shelter collapses when the nukes fall. Roland helped Macklin free himself from a rock that had crushed his hand (think about that for a second). The duo escape Earth House. This is another highlight of the entire novel. Holding my breath, cringing, heart racing… it was intense to say the least.

We only have a couple run-ins with The Man With The Scarlet Eye in the first half of the novel, and honestly he was totally forgettable. His best scene was a mini-showdown with Sister where he was impersonating a priest. Other than that, he was pretty pointless and non-existent.

McCammon’s pace in this first half was pedal-to-the-metal. I loved it and cruised through it. The second half, however, takes place after a seven-year time jump, and it is much slower in parts. Overall McCammon kept a very quick and easy pace, but the second half had a lot more stand still with the characters and much less development.

“Sometimes the imagination could be a useful place to hide when the going got rough.”

In the seven-year jump, nuclear winter has set in and Sister, Josh, Swan, Roland, and Macklin have all developed growths on their faces that survivors refer to as Job’s Masks. Roland and Macklin hide theirs and mobilize an army, the Army of Excellence, to purge the land of all people with these imperfections and eventually combat the Russians.

I love the image McCammon wrote out for Roland’s attempt to cover the Job’s Mask; it was very reminiscent of HG Wells’ “Invisible Man.” The scenes with this duo and their army are very similar to something out of “Mad Max.” Lord Alvin, the psychopath from Matheson, returns to the novel and joins their army.

Sister and Paul continue to travel, using the visions from the crown to guide them, and eventually meet a young man named Robin. The trio travel to Mary’s Rest where they meet Josh and Swan. Robin and Swan develop a love interest, creating some cute and embarrassing “teenage love” scenes.

Before Sister, Robin and Paul get there though, Josh, Rusty and Swan have a run-in with The Man With The Scarlet Eye. He kills Rusty who sacrificed himself to save Swan and runs away before he can be caught. When Sister and Paul get to Mary’s rest, the people are starting to discover Swan’s ability. She has instilled hope in the towns people, and everyone bands together to rebuild the town.

“A man had a certain look in his eyes when he was pushed against the wall and stripped of his humanity; his entire face changed, as if it was a mask cracking open to show the face of the real beast within.”

All these travel scenes just made me feel cold due to McCammons excellent descriptions of the Nuclear Winter. The claustrophobia associated with the Job’s Masks slowly working their way over the entirety of the characters faces really got to me at times. Once the Masks fall off, the characters “true face” is shown. Sister, Josh, and Swan are all beautiful and have lost any imperfections they had.

Meanwhile, Roland and Macklin’s faces have turned monstrous. Macklin’s reminds me of a cross between “Captain America’s” Red Skull and something from “Hellraiser.” Another minor fault of this novel is the weak description of Roland’s “true face.” I still feel like I can’t picture it well.

The Man With The Scarlet Eye attempts to harm Swan once more, but Swan, offering him an apple in an act of forgiveness, breaks his sanity. This scene is one huge metaphor and obviously symbolic, but I still didn’t love it. The only good that came from it, for me, was watching The Man With The Scarlet Eye lose his mind and leave town to find help.

“Forgiveness crippled evil, drew the poison from it like a lanced boil.”

He found help, in the form of the continually growing Army of Excellence where he convinced Roland and Macklin to attack Mary’s Rest. A massive battle ensues between the sparsely armed citizens of Mary’s Rest and the absurdly weaponized Army of Excellence. Another highlight of the novel for me.

Josh, Robin, Sister, and Swan are captured. The Army of Excellence take them to West Virginia where there is a rumor of “God on the mountain.” “God” turns out to be the President and he has initiated the launch of TALONS: a device that will release a barrage of nukes at the Earth’s poles, rotating the planet, melting the ice caps and destroying all life; ensuring a fresh start.

The Man With The Scarlett Eye is essentially in charge at this point and all he wants is death and chaos. There is a heart-pounding final showdown in the bunker under the mountain. The Man With The Scarlet Eye disappears in a flash of lightning (lame) and the humans are left fighting each other. In the throes of battle, Macklin dies and before Roland dies, he mortally wounds Sister. Swan, Josh, and Robin carry Sister out of the bunker after disarming TALONS.

“God A’Mighty, what’s the point of livin’ if you don’t fight for what you hold dear?”

In the closing events, we see the sky begin to clear, effectively ending the nuclear winter. Sister dies, but not in vain. Swan and Robin represent hope and the future of mankind. Like a lot of massive apocalyptic novels, “Swan Song” is no different in the “somewhat rushed and seemingly ineffective ending” category.

End of the spoilers

In the end, I really enjoyed this novel, it probably sits in my top 10 or 15 all-time. It’s a fast, fantastic read that immerses readers from page 1. I couldn’t put it down. I wish The Man With The Scarlet Eye would have been less of a force and McCammon had instead replaced him with a more prominent Roland.

I’m sorry this review was so long, but it’s a massive book with a lot going on. Overall, I absolutely loved it and I highly recommend everyone check it out, you’ll cruise through it and you’ll love it, I promise. This book makes me want to check out some more McCammon. “Swan Song” would get a perfect rating from me if not for a few things that I just can’t get past, so instead I give it a:

4.5 out of 5

Review Time: “In The Tall Grass”

Stephen King collaborated with his oldest son Joe Hillstrom King (Joe Hill) to create the terrifying novella, “In The Tall Grass.” Check out my review for the soon-to-be Netflix movie.

Originally released in the June/July and August 2012 issues of Esquire magazine, “In The Tall Grass” can now only be acquired as an e-book. If you get the opportunity to acquire this novella or even just read it, I highly recommend you do it.

Cal and his sister Becky are travelling across country to move Becky into their aunt and uncle’s house. During their drive, on a desolate road in Kansas, Cal and Becky hear cries for help coming from a tall grass field on the side of the road.

They park at a seemingly abandoned church, The Black Stone Church of the Redeemer. All the cars in the lot are covered in dust; looking like they’ve been there for ages. Cal and Becky now hear cries from a little boy named Tobin, and his mother. They try leading the source of the voices toward them, out of the grass.

Eventually the siblings go into the grass in search of the lost mother and son. They get separated and insanity ensues. They cannot find their way out, or to each other, no matter what they do. There are moments when King describes the siblings jumping and yelling to find each other, but the landscape moves around them, making it impossible.

Once in the grass, King fans immediately think of his short story “Children of the Corn.” The tall grass and tall corn are where the similarities stop though. This is a much more brutal and disturbing story that had a couple scenes, one particularly, that made my jaw drop.

I want to go deeper into this; the gruesome scenes the overall sense of desperation, distress, claustrophobia and hopelessness… but I don’t want to spoil the story. It is very good and quite terrifying. I am really interested to see how Netflix goes about adapting it.

Speaking of that: Vincenzo Natali will write and direct the film which has landed stars Patrick Wilson and James Marsden. Laysla De Oliveira, Will Buie Jr., Avery Whitted, Rachel Wilson and Harrison Gilbertson have also joined the cast of “In The Tall Grass.” It is unannounced, but its very possible that Gilbertson and Oliveira will play Cal and Becky. Buie Jr. is set to play Tobin and Rachel Wilson will play his mother.

Anyway, I highly recommend you get your hands on this thriller as soon as you can, it’s worth it. Hopefully the movie doesn’t cut too much of the gruesome parts out… they are just insane.

5 out of 5

Review Time: “Just After Sunset”

“Just After Sunset” was my 68th Stephen King book and the 5th Short Story collection of his that I have read… it also happens to be the 5th collection of short stories that he wrote. Without further ado, read below and check out my review!

“Just After Sunset” was released in 2008. This 360 page collection containing 13 stories, had a somewhat depressing tone throughout. I enjoyed it but didn’t love it. It was underwhelming.

This is the first time I have reviewed a story collection. I’m going to go through each story individually, so be prepared for some spoilers, but I wouldn’t let that stop you from reading, they won’t be bad, I promise.

The first story, “Willa,” tells the tale of a group of people waiting in a train station. David realizes his wife, Willa, is missing and decides to leave the station to find her even though the other waiting passengers advise against it. He finds her in a bar with live music.

Throughout David and Willa’s discussion, it is revealed to the reader that they, along with the other passengers waiting at the station, are all dead. Their train derailed, killing everyone, but only a few have accepted the fact that they are ghosts stuck in this station.

“The Gingerbread Girl” is the second story and this one was fun. A woman, grieving after the loss of her infant daughter, leaves her husband and lives alone in Florida. While there and on one of her daily runs, she is abducted by a neighbor. She escapes and is chased by her abductor down the beach. I wont ruin the ending, but this was definitely one of the stronger stories in the collection and it is being adapted into a movie.

Next up is “Harvey’s Dream.” This story was more of a tale of foreshadowing than anything. Harvey has a dream, tells his wife, and then they receive a phone call and, as you would expect, Harvey’s dream came true. It’s a little creepy once you read what his dream was about.

“Rest Stop” followed and this one was okay. A man stops at a rest stop to use the restroom and hears a couple arguing and hears the man begin to harm the woman. Our hero steps in to save the day.

“Stationary Bike” was a very interesting story that fell flatter than the Earth (haha just kidding). This story had so much promise, but the ending sucked, it just didn’t wrap up how you’d want. The concept was very cool, touching on aspects from “Rose Madder” or “Duma Key.”

“The Things They Left Behind” was depressing and creepy as hell. A man who decided to call out of work one day, survives 9/11 because of this decision. About a year later, his coworkers’ possessions start showing up in his apartment and he hears things coming from each one. Creepy and depressing are the best words for this story. It is a good one though.

“Graduation Afternoon” came next, and King stayed with the depressed, destroyed New York theme. A girl is being a loner at a graduation party and watched New York city explode in the distance. The story was alright, but that feeling of dread really hit you.

“N.” was my favorite story in the collection. It was also adapted as a comic by Marvel and in my opinion, it deserves a movie. It was creepy, disturbing, and just great. A man finds a Stonehenge-like stone circle in a field in Maine. Looking upon these stones gives him extreme OCD and makes him believe he must act upon these compulsions to keep demons from escaping the circle.

Each person that sees these stones and becomes infected with the compulsions commits suicide after passing the infection onto someone else. The story is very dark but its fantastic. The comic version had an alternate ending that was extremely disturbing.

Next up was my second favorite, “The Cat from Hell.” This story started out a little slow and strange, but the later half and ending were CRAZY. An old man hires a hitman to kill a cat. The old man tells the hitman about the cat’s history of murdering his family members. The hitman, thinking “this will be the easiest job of my life,” takes the cat, but during the car ride, the cat attacks. This story also appeared in the 1990 film version of the horror anthology series from the 1980’s: “Tales From The Darkside.”

I won’t say anymore because its wild, you have to read it. In the “Sunset Notes” section of the collection, where King talks about why he wrote each story, King says he actually wrote “The Cat from Hell” 30 years ago but never used it in a collection until “Just After Sunset.” The story is definitely different from the others, and I think that 30-year difference is why.

“The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates” was next and this one was interesting. A woman receives a call from her husband during his funeral. Yes, you read that right. Her husband is in a building reminiscent of Grand Central station waiting to move on. He tells her a couple premonitions because “time moves differently here.” The story is depressing but has a nice little twist.

“Mute” came next and I really enjoyed this one. A man is in a church confessional telling the pastor about one time he picked up a supposedly def-mute hitchhiker. While driving the man tells the hitchhiker about his cheating wife who is also in trouble with the government for stealing money. Later his wife and her lover turn up dead. Police say the mute hitchhiker is responsible. A very interesting concept and a dark little tale. I liked it.

“Ayana” followed, and this was another interesting one. A family taking care of their terminally ill father are visited by a woman and a young girl, Ayana. Ayana kisses the sickly father and one of the sons and days later the father is no longer dying. The son who received a kiss also, was given a gift. Every now and then, a man visits the son and takes him to hospitals where he must kiss someone else with a terminal illness and save them. This story was mysterious but uplifting, it was enjoyable.

The last story, “A Very Tight Place,” was my third favorite. This story was disgusting but awesome. A man gets locked in an overturned porta-potty by his rival neighbor. I don’t need to say anymore because you can probably smell the fecal matter now. It was so gross to imagine being trapped there, but the story was so good.

Sorry this ended up being long-winded, but it was the best way to show you that the collection as a whole, was underwhelming, but it had some very, very good stories. Overall, I enjoyed it, but of five collections I’ve read, it is number five. I am currently reading the collection “Nightmares & Dreamscapes,” and it is incredible (review coming soon).

Before my rating, I’ll leave you with the last few sentences King uses to close out the collection:

“Take care of yourself… and say! Did you maybe leave the oven on? Or forget to turn off the gas under the patio barbecue? What about the lock on the back door? Did you remember to give it a twist? Things like that are easy to forget, and someone could be slipping in right now. A lunatic, perhaps. One with a knife. So, OCD behavior or not… Better go check, don’t you think?”

Anyway, here is my rating for “Just After Sunset:”

3 Out of 5

Review Time: “Rose Madder”

I finished my 64th Stephen King novel, “Rose Madder,” and it was surprisingly very good. Check out my review below:

Shocking, disturbing and empowering. Those are the first three words I think of after reading “Rose Madder.”

Released in 1995, this 420-page novel is about Rose Daniels and her efforts to restart her life after running away from her extremely abusive husband, Norman Daniels.

Stephen King wrote a surprisingly real novel here, one that definitely hits your feels, and really makes you understand Rosie’s plight. The poor woman was beaten so much and then finally one day she just says, “I’ve had enough.”

King writes entire sections of this novel from the perspective of Norman and oh my god are these creepy. Seriously disturbing and unsettling.

There are also parts where we get some views of another world and some wacky things and even some Dark Tower nods, which is always fun.

Below is a slightly spoilery synopsis, so beware.

Rose leaves the only home she has known since marrying Norman, steals his debit card, and takes a bus as far as it will take her. She finds solace in a battered woman’s home where she makes many new friends and gets a job as a maid at a hotel.

One day she walks into an antique shop to sell her wedding ring and ends up trading it for a painting that really caught her eye. This painting ends up being a doorway of sorts… I’ll get there in a minute. Another store patron offers her a job as an audio book reader.

She moves into her own apartment, turns into a very successful audio book voice and starts dating Bill, the man who ran the antique shop. Rosie has totally turned her life around and the story is truly uplifting. That is, until we read Norman’s perspective.

Whole sections of the novel are written in italics and from Norman’s perspective. These parts are extremely disturbing and unsettling.

Norman is on the hunt. He is very angry that his docile wife left him and stole money from him to do it. Norman is a detective, so he puts his skills to the task of finding Rose. He is a sick and twisted individual, but he is smart… scary smart.

Norman literally kills his way to Rose. he takes his time, finds out where she is, and strikes. King writes a very intense and heart pounding fight to the finish. It’s a serious page turner.

After thwarting Norman, Rosie and Bill become married, have a daughter and live a happy life. One of the rare happy endings for a King novel, but the flow of the story called for it.

The painting! How could I forget about the painting! So, remember way back 6 paragraphs ago when I mentioned the painting being a doorway? This was a very cool aspect to this novel, an added little wrinkle you could say.

Rose one night discovers this painting is a doorway. She walks through and finds herself in another world. This act is very reminiscent of some events in The Dark Tower series. Here, Rose saves a baby from a Bull in a maze. A bit like the Greek mythological Minotaur.

The bull and painting come into play with Norman later, but I don’t want to spoil that for you… it is crazy!

Anyway, read this novel. I went into it not really knowing what to expect and I think that added to my surprise. It was shockingly amazing, and I highly recommend it.