A review by scarlettletters
The Thanatos Syndrome by Walker Percy

3.0

This is the second Walker Percy I've read, and I think I liked it better than the first one I read (The Second Coming)(although I don't remember the rating I gave that one). It's a very quick read and very plot-driven, although still manages to hit on quite a few philosophical/ethical issues. I will warn the reader, toward the end the story gets very very dark and there is a bit of disturbing imagery. However, Percy manages to capture both the depravity and redemption that humans experience quite well. He is a master of writing dialogue: the kind of conversations that were so snappy sometimes I had to go back and make sure I knew which character was talking. I would recommend this book to fans of Southern Fiction or people who like novels that explore ethics (in this case specifically medical ethics).