The Border by Robert McCammon
Mar. 8th, 2025 03:25 pm
World Fantasy award-winning, bestselling author Robert McCammon makes a triumphant return to the epic horror and apocalyptic tone reminiscent of his books Swan Song and Stinger in this gripping new novel, The Border, a saga of an Earth devastated by a war between two marauding alien civilizations.
But it is not just the living ships of the monstrous Gorgons or the motion-blurred shock troops of the armored Cyphers that endanger the holdouts in the human bastion of Panther Ridge. The world itself has turned against the handful of survivors, as one by one they succumb to despair and suicide or, even worse, are transformed by otherworldly pollution into hideous Gray Men, cannibalistic mutants driven by insatiable hunger. Into these desperate circumstances comes an amnesiac teenaged boy who names himself Ethan—a boy who must overcome mistrust and suspicion to master unknowable powers that may prove to be the last hope for humanity's salvation. Those same powers make Ethan a threat to the warring aliens, long used to fearing only each other, and thrust him and his comrades into ever more perilous circumstances.
A major new novel from the unparalleled imagination of Robert McCammon, this dark epic of survival will both thrill readers and make them fall in love with his work all over again.
I love McCammon’s work. Whether historical fiction, science fiction, or horror, he always brings his worlds to life. This one, a blend of horror and sci-fi, is no exception. The plot, though not his first foray into a post-apocalyptic saga, is still imaginative and leads the reader into surprising twists and turns. But even more compelling are the characters; in that regard, McCammon is up their with King.
There is Dave McKane, a rough and taciturn man who hides a tender persona; John Douglas, or JayDee as he’s affectionately known, doing the best he can to doctor those injured, both physically and emotionally; Olivia Quintero, a strong woman who holds their fortress together. But best of all is Ethan, a young boy who doesn’t remember who he is, and wonders what he is. There are others, both good and bad (though even the bad ones had some good,) who move our small band of heroes forward to their ultimate destination.
There were clues as the ending drew nearer, yet it was (almost) a perfect surprise. I read the book almost ten years ago, so much of it was like reading it for the first time.

Mount TBR 2025 Book Links
Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.
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9. Lark Ascending by Silas House
10. Memorials by Richard Chizmar
11. The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History by Serhii Plokhy
12. Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
13. The Border by Robert McCammon



Cosmic Horror
1. The Border by Robert McCammon