doom that has plagued previous generations. The
book is a prime example of the Southern Gothic
horror novel and one of McCammon’s best as well.
Swan Song(1987) is an obvious homage to
Stephen KING’s The Stand(1978). In the aftermath
of a devastating nuclear war, the survivors discover
that they have more to contend with than even
science fiction writers had imagined. A supernatu-
ral creature has revealed his existence, taking ad-
vantage of the confusion in an effort to seize
control of all humanity, but fortunately opposed by
a small group of people who put the future of the
race ahead of their own personal concerns. Mc-
Cammon also borrowed a science fiction device for
Stinger (1988), in which a single alien with
unimaginable technological superiority isolates a
small Texas town in order to prey on its residents.
Although the novel also features some well-drawn
characters, the unambiguous evil represented by
the alien is less interesting than the complex situa-
tions prevalent in the previous few novels.
The Wolf’s Hour(1989) returns to the super-
natural but is not really a horror novel. The pro-
tagonist is a werewolf, but a benevolent one who is
an agent of the British secret service working in-
side Nazi Germany. His ability to change his form
gives him some unique advantages as a spy, but it
also has its drawbacks. This is McCammon’s most
adventurous novel and one of his very best, but it
also marked the beginning of his move away from
horror. In fact, his next novel, Mine(1990) is a
straightforward thriller.
McCammon’s last two imaginative novels were
both fantasies rather than horror. Boys’ Life(1991)
is a coming of age story set in a small southern town
in which the corner bully shares the plot with
ghosts, dinosaurs, magic, and other terrors, real and
imagined. It is McCammon’s most impressive
novel. Gone South(1992) is another mainstream
thriller, included here because the protagonist re-
tains his still-living and conscious twin brother
within his own body, which also provides him with
a hidden third hand. McCammon wrote only a
handful of short stories during this period, but they
are all of exceptional quality, particularly “Yellow-
jacket Summer” (1986), “Night Calls the Green
Falcon” (1988), and “Black Boots” (1989). Many of
these were collected as Blue World(1989).
McCammon began a 10-year vacation from
writing in 1992, which was recently broken by a
two-volume historical thriller with no fantastic
content. The shape of his career from this point
forward remains as deep a mystery as those found
in his novels. He won the Bram Stoker Award for
the novels Swan Songand Boys’ Lifeand for the
short stories “The Deep End” (1987) and “Eat Me”
(1989). Boys’ Life also won the World Fantasy
Award.McDowell, Michael(1950–1999)
Michael McDowell was one of several promising
horror writers who emerged during the late 1970s,
although he soon abandoned the field for other
writing opportunities. His first novel was The
Amulet(1979), in which a small town is tragically
altered by a piece of jewelry that carries a curse.
Every time it changes hands, the new owner expe-
riences a tragedy. Although the least interesting of
McDowell’s novels, it showed a surprising talent
for characterization by a first novelist. Cold Moon
over Babylon(1980) is a much more effective story
of ghostly revenge. The ghost of a murdered
woman rises to seek vengeance on her killer, who
is meanwhile engaged in systematically eliminating
the remaining members of her family. The Elemen-
tals(1981) appears initially to involve a haunted
house, but McDowell has a different menace in
mind. The forces at play are not the spirits of the
departed but actually manifestations of primordial
supernatural forces, far more deadly and far more
powerful.
Katie(1982) is more of a psychological study
than a horror novel. The protagonist is a young
woman who is clearly insane and a danger to peo-
ple around her, and most of the story deals with
that issue, although she also experiences moments
of clairvoyance. McDowell explored the use of an
insane protagonist again in one of his nonhorror
novels, Toplin(1985). His last major work was the
six-part novel known as the Blackwater Saga, con-
sisting of The Flood, The Levee, The House, The
War, The Fortune,and Rain,all published in 1983.
The individual titles do not stand alone, so this
was actually a serial foreshadowing The Green Mile
(1996) by Stephen KING. The story deals with the234 McDowell, Michael