11.20: Horror as a Subgenre

Published in 1987, *Swan Song* is a post-apocalyptic novel by Robert R. McCammon that explores the devastating consequences of a nuclear war. The story follows various characters, including Josh and Swan, as they navigate a brutal and transformed America filled with radiation, monstrous creatures, and marauding armies. The novel delves into themes of good versus evil, the importance of virtue in the face of despair, and the transformation of humanity in the aftermath of the catastrophe. It won the 1988 Bram Stoker Award for Horror and Dark Fiction, tying with Stephen King's *Misery*.