I was in love at the first line: "Once upon a time we had a love affair with fire…."

Wow, what a great way to start a book. Especially one as daunting in length as this. Given to me by my (now former) boyfriend, I admit I was skeptical. I don't usually pick up post-apocalyptic novels, and a majority of the books on my shelves are young adult. But I figured I'd give it a shot—he'd given it to me, after all, after I requested four books from him to bring my total TBR count to an even 100. I had literally asked for it. And I couldn't very well say "no" to his favorite book.

Man, I'm glad I didn't.

This book is fantastic. It follows the path of six individuals: Sister, a homeless, insane woman living in New York City; Josh, a professional wrestler who travels the United States; Macklin, a colonel who sets up a fallout shelter and commune in the Blue Hills mountains; Roland, a young boy obsessed with knights and video games; Swan, a little girl with amazing powers; and the Man with the Scarlet Eye (also known as Friend), who possesses terrible powers and revels in manipulating people to do unspeakable things.

When the book opens, the United States and Russia are playing a dangerous game of chicken that results in the utter destruction of the world as we know it. Millions die and our six characters are left to survive in a world dissolved into chaos.

The novel, written by Robert McCammon in 1987 (that explains the Russia vs U.S. nuclear apocalypse plotline), is admittedly long-winded, but nothing ever really feels long. I could sit and read 200 pages without noticing. It's just that engaging. Some of the characters are so sinister, and some so clueless that it's just fun to read how they interact. Of course, it is annoying that they're not more human. Good vs evil with no one in between.

And that's the biggest drawback of the novel, in my opinion. The book falls into the classic character-trap of good and evil. While everyone has an interesting backstory, and we watch them adapt to the new world in their own ways, those ways are always rooted in the general assumption that the character is either good or evil at heart. While seeing the inner-workings of their minds makes for an enjoyable read, it does leave something to be desired. More depth of character, I guess. I think Robert McCammon tried to do this, especially when we follow the villains and get their thoughts—they definitely have motives that seem rooted in a desire to do good, but it's just so obvious to us as readers that those motives are so skewed in maliciousness. And the heroes of the story are just the same. They kill, but for a good cause. They're not selfish, they're not weak-minded, they seem to have few flaws between them. I want to love and hate my characters, and none of those in Swan Song make me feel that way.

Still, the book is so gosh-darn awesome that it's easily one of my favorites. Not perfect, but definitely one I would recommend to anyone looking for a post-apocalyptic thriller geared toward an adult audience. Just don't read it if you have any qualms with body mutilation, abuse, murder, or rape.