Gone South

By: Robert R. McCammon

Narrated by: Will Patton

With "one of the most arresting first sentences in contemporary writing" (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Robert McCammon unfurls his visionary masterpiece of survival, redemption, and the astonishing transformations love can create.

Gone South chronicles a desperate man's journey through a desperate land, in "a gothic picaresque that mixes gritty plot and black comedy...a smoothly constructed and satisfying story" (The Wall Street Journal).

Flooded by memories, poisoned by Agent Orange, Dan Lambert kills a man in a moment of fear and fury -- and changes his life forever. Pursued by police and bounty hunters, Dan flees south toward the Louisiana bayous. In the swamplands he meets Arden Halliday, a young woman who bears the vivid burdens of her own past, and who is searching for a legendary faith healer called the Bright Girl. Looking for simple kindness in a world that rarely shows it, bound by a loyalty stronger than love, Dan and Arden set off on a journey of relentless suspense and impassioned discovery... over dark, twisting waterways into the mysterious depths of the human heart.

©1991 Robert McCammon (P)2011 Simon & Schuster, Inc

Critic reviews

"Part crime novel, part quest.... McCammon creates a type of story all his own." ( The Wall Street Journal)

"A story so bravely innovative it will electrify your imagination. Utterly absorbing." ( Tulsa World)

"No one can paint word pictures as vividly as Robert McCammon." (Sandra Brown)

Quick read. McCammon is an excellent story teller

Where does Gone South rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Will Patton did a fantastic job narrating Gone South. It's a very short story but one of my favorite audiobooks because of his performance.

What other book might you compare Gone South to and why?

Swan Song by Robert McCammon. Although it's a much longer story, it's characters are well drawn - just like Gone South and most stories by Robert McCammon

Shocked That I Really Liked It!

What did you love best about Gone South?

I was totally surprised what it was about, where it was going and how it got there.

Any additional comments?

It's not the kind I usually pick and I'm very thankful I blindly stumbled onto it. It was a great read and I was sorry when it was over even though it ended perfectly.

Great story!

Fun twists and turns, and Will Patten always delivers as a narrator. I only wish it had been longer!

Elvis is alive and well...sort of!

What did you love best about Gone South?

This novel takes the reader on a delightfully disturbing journey into a part of the country where the locals make their own rules and the gators are often the enforcers. This is my first encounter with the fascinating characters and outlandish settings of author Robert McCammon, but it will definitely not be my last. The characters are drawn with bold strokes, and there is never a dull one to be found. The story line is unpredictable and can best be described as weirdly realistic. What an imagination! What a pleasure to go on McCammon's joy ride!

Which character ??? as performed by Will Patton ??? was your favorite?

Will Patton's portreyal of the Elvis wanna-be is one of the more memorable performances in his distinguished reading career.

love mccamons work

love mccamons writing. this was truly unique. i have read all the main novels he has written.

Elvis is alive and well...sort of!

What did you love best about Gone South?

This novel takes the reader on a delightfully disturbing journey into a part of the country where the locals make their own rules and the gators are often the enforcers. This is my first encounter with the fascinating characters and outlandish settings of author Robert McCammon, but it will definitely not be my last. The characters are drawn with bold strokes, and there is never a dull one to be found. The story line is unpredictable and can best be described as weirdly realistic. What an imagination! What a pleasure to go on McCammon's joy ride!

Which character – as performed by Will Patton – was your favorite?

Will Patton's portreyal of the Elvis wanna-be is one of the more memorable performances in his distinguished reading career.

BAYOU BAYIING

Would you recommend Gone South to your friends? Why or why not?

YES, Enjoy the reader who is able to convey multiple persons and still convey what sounds like someone stepping out of a bayou swamp

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Performance equal to performance of books he reads by James Lee Burke, but the story is not as good

Great for a short story!

Would you listen to Gone South again? Why?

Robert McCammon is my favorite author and Gone South is par for the course! It's short in length but a great audio!

At last!

We finally have a download audio for the iPod. This story was such a grand weave of well developed, hodge-podge characters, all made exquisite in the telling by wonderful Will Patton. Would love to hear more McCammon tapestries.

Great Southern Gothlic Story, McCammon is Amazing!

Gone South and Swan Song, by McCammon are Awesome, and both would make Great Movies, in part because his characters are so unique and the stories are REAL, in terms of emotion. I never read the full book of Gone South and i bet the Abridgment chopped the story up a bit, but i thought is it very well done! And will Patton is Awesome! He gets into the characters so much, that i think reading this in book form would be lacking something without him telling the story. Gone South, Great Book! Swan Song, (in my option) Best Book! McCammon underrated and inspiring!.....Great Job!