Its been years since I've read it, I think its time to do that. Not to mention time to go backto the beginning and read FPW in Secret Histories order.

I finished Swan Song last night. It was a good read but I think The Stand is much better, mainly because the characters in The Stand are a lot more complex and believable than those in Swan Song.

Reading The Stand for the first time, and each time thereafter, I became very emotionally involved in the story. When bad things happened, or characters died, I was often moved to tears. And like real people who may or may not do what you expect of them, I was often surprised by what many of the characters in that story did.

In Swan Song, I found the characters somewhat two-dimensional. They were wholly good or wholly bad with very few exceptions. Every one of them did just what you would expect them to do. I had no emotional involvement at all.

The end of Swan Song was actually kind of boring in that I no longer expected to be surprised and I was not. The end of The Stand, on the other hand, knocked me for a loop the first time I read it and it remained very poignent with every reading.

I like a lot of action, adventure and suspense in a story and Swan Song had enough of that to make it enjoyable. A really good book, though, has characters that make you truly care what happens to them. And that is where The Stand is far superior.

IMHO

Boys Life was the best Robert McCammon book in my opinion. It really captured what I pictured 50's/60's era small town America on the verge of a boom and with a dark secret and an unsolved mystery tearing at the fabric of the town.

LOVED it.

Anyone else read is?

Yes, I read it so many years ago I don't remember much about it, but I do remember I enjoyed. Same goes with Swan Song, so many years ago ...

I think everything from Swan Song and after is gold.

All this talk of McCammon and no mention of my two favorites by him: The Night Boat and Gone South. I also loved The Wolf's Hour and Boy's Life.

Boys Life was an absolutely brilliant and beautiful book. I can only hope and pray that it becomes one of those timeless classics that are studied and read for generations to come. Wonderful book.

Boys Life was the best Robert McCammon book in my opinion. It really captured what I pictured 50's/60's era small town America on the verge of a boom and with a dark secret and an unsolved mystery tearing at the fabric of the town.

LOVED it.

Anyone else read is?

For myself,

I was introduced to Stephen King by my mom who always told me Go read Stephen when I'd be lamenting about needing something to read! Her favorite novel- The Stand
For me its Apt Pupil and The Body (I love Darabont's ending to The Mist and found the story with just the right amount of fear and paranoia)

My mom gave me the love of reading horror fiction and introduced me to the wonders of Frankenstein, The Wolfman and Frank Langella's Dracula!

It's nice that F Paul appreciates what King has done but I love Paul's The Keep and the opening line reomeone or something is killing my men! That got my mom and I hooked on reading F Paul!

Very nice tribute! I am not a huge fan of his, I would much rather read Koontz. I too though, hope that someday someone is asked to write a tribute about you!

Sometimes I wonder about me. :confused:

I first read Salem's Lot and really enjoyed it. Later, I read The Stand & enjoyed that, as well. I don't know why, but, even though I enjoyed his first two books that I read, I did not read anything else by SK until Cell.

I was disappointed. Maybe I'll skim this thread again for ideas and try another SK sometime.

As for his other work: an actor, he ain't. Although, his small part on Sons of Anarchy was pretty good. :p