I only read The Stand three years ago, the uncut version, and discovered a new top 10 read. Like you, when I recently learned Swan Song was similar but veered in another direction I had to read it too; unfortunately I just ordered it and it's yet to arrive. Comparing two books with almost identical plots is intriguing, i.e. a spy book is a spy book and a western a western but, beyond genre, there are worlds of difference. The only two books I know that have the same plot are SS-GB (Len Deighton) and Fatherland (Robert Harris). In both Germany won WWII and rules over Britain, in both the Nazis keep necessary existing infrastructure in place (hospitals, grocery stores, etc.) but they've co-opted law enforcement (when you've got a brilliant homicide detective around you want to keep him because crime doesn't stop just because a crown has changed heads). SS-GB & Fatherland each experience a murder but when it's learned a high-ranking Nazi is the guilty party both main character investigators are ordered off the case, and neither goes gently into that good night. The two books deviate from there, each one so good it's hard to say which one is better. Hopefully The Stand and Swan Song will offer the same rewarding quandary.
I gotta check out Swan Song!
I love Swan Song. It’s one of my favorites of all time.
I only read The Stand three years ago, the uncut version, and discovered a new top 10 read. Like you, when I recently learned Swan Song was similar but veered in another direction I had to read it too; unfortunately I just ordered it and it's yet to arrive. Comparing two books with almost identical plots is intriguing, i.e. a spy book is a spy book and a western a western but, beyond genre, there are worlds of difference. The only two books I know that have the same plot are SS-GB (Len Deighton) and Fatherland (Robert Harris). In both Germany won WWII and rules over Britain, in both the Nazis keep necessary existing infrastructure in place (hospitals, grocery stores, etc.) but they've co-opted law enforcement (when you've got a brilliant homicide detective around you want to keep him because crime doesn't stop just because a crown has changed heads). SS-GB & Fatherland each experience a murder but when it's learned a high-ranking Nazi is the guilty party both main character investigators are ordered off the case, and neither goes gently into that good night. The two books deviate from there, each one so good it's hard to say which one is better. Hopefully The Stand and Swan Song will offer the same rewarding quandary.
I have read both, and loved both but Swan Song is the one I always recommend.
The more I think about it, the more I feel like Swan Song is up there amongst my favorite books of all time.
Swan Song is definitely the superior book...and this is coming from a die hard King fan.