Gone South [Paperback]

Robert McCammon (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Pocket Books; First Printing edition (1991)
• ASIN: B002PYPJHI
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Robert McCammon is the New York Times bestselling author of fifteen novels, including the award-winning Boy's Life and Speaks the Nightbird. There are more than four million copies of his books in print. His latest novel, MISTER SLAUGHTER, is the third book in the Matthew Corbett series. It is available now from Subterranean Press. Look for THE FIVE in Spring 2011!

Visit his websites: www.robertmccammon.com and www.matthewcorbettsworld.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars McCammon's last? I hope not., March 27, 2000

By 

Matt C. Stedman "matt" (Sedona, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gone South (Mass Market Paperback)

I've just heard that Robert R. McCammon has retired from writing. I am saddened by this because I feel that he was just beginning to find his own very unique voice with his last two books, Gone South and Boy's Life. However, like the characters in Gone South, he has his own path to follow and his own dreams to pursue. It would be wrong for any of his fans to demand he write another book, although we all hope he does (he's still a fairly young man). His latest novel Gone South ranks up there with Swan Song and Boy's Life in my opinion. What makes this one special is his ability to make even the most bizarre and unreal characters seem real. He gets into the hearts of Flint and Pelvis and makes you care for them dispite their absurdity. Dan and Arden are also fascinating and sympathetic characters. But in the midst of McCammon's excellent characterization the action never stops. The book is chock full of chases and shootouts and unexpected plot twists. Also the ending with the revelation of Bright Girl is a beautiful surprise that reaffirms McCammon's message of making the best of the hand you're dealt in life. One review wrote that the ending was Koontz-like in its positiveness. I disagree. In a Koontz book Dan and Arden would have fallen in love and become cured of their ailments and live happily ever after. McCammon is a much better writer than Koontz in my opinion, and leaves the fates of the main characters up in the air. All in all, this is a terrific book, so by all means check it out.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Novel Written by a True Storyteller, May 29, 2005

By 

paul mason "dedarkone" (Barrie On) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gone South (Mass Market Paperback)

Carpenter Dan Lambert is having a tough haul. He's having trouble finding a job after returning from Vietnam, he attacked his son in a terrible flashback episode leading to divorce, and he has creditors on his back. Yet despite losing his cool at a bank meeting regarding the repossession of his truck(his livlihood)and attacking and sccidentily killing a bank employee he remains a sympathetic character. The reader can feel his desperation as he heads south with two colourful bounty hunters, one a "freak", and the other an Elvis impersontor on his tail.

That has always been one of McCammon's strengths the, the portrayal on paper of fictional characters that are believable to the nth degree, and that can touch the reader's hearts and minds. There are no heroes or villians in this slight departure from some of McCammon's well-known works, but rather a collection of anti-heroes colourfully brought to life to drive a powerful narrative.

What a clever novel. Without wanting to include too many spoilers in this review I may say it should be no surprise the title is in fact a phrase with double meaning.

This story is atypical as pointed out above of some of McCammon's works, he is known for sharing a genre with Koontz and King after all but this is no horror story, rather a moving thriller that plucks all the heartstrings of a reader. Hopefully this review does not make this tome sound wishy washy as it is far from that, rather the author's storytelling prowess are at their peak telling a tale about a disenfranchised Vietnam vet, that I would argue was even more powerful than King's Hearts in Atlantis. This book would in fact get five stars, but of course it was not PERFECT, there were some issues I shared with fellow reviewers about the ending that did not diminish however the overall impact of the novel.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gone Nuts, July 27, 2002

By 

ED Detetcheverrie "Q" (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gone South (Mass Market Paperback)

I love McCammon's work. When I picked up Gone South, I was under the impression it would be something dark, gritty...something that might make me hold my breath through a few eye-popping paragraphs of horror or near-horror. What I got was totally unexpected and delightfully welcomed...Gone South is weird! Not quite weird like most of McCammon's books are, but delightfully, touchingly, wacky and weird, and chock full of action and surprises! This should be made into a film simply because it would be the oddest buddy film ever. From page to page you'll have no idea what to expect next, and the whole thing plays out like a fantastic roller coaster ride. Bizarre. Bittersweet. Laugh-out-loud. Shake your head in wonderment. Read this book!