Good Story 298: The Thanatos Syndrome by Walker Percy

For most of the years we’ve been recording the Good Story podcast, Julie and I have invited a guest to join us on our opening episode. This year we invited Cy Kellett, the host of Catholic Answers. I was thrilled that he agreed! I wanted to meet him for a few reasons. First, I’ve been listening to Catholic Answers for years and respect the guy a lot. Second, he wrote a great science fiction novella called Ad Limina about a bishop on Mars making his way to Earth for his ad limina visit. I wanted to let him know how much I enjoyed that. And third, he brought a book by Walker Percy to the podcast, and Percy is an author that has been on my radar for a very long time, but that I never picked up. Now I have, and I’m happy I did.

The Thanatos Syndrome is a remarkable book. It’s Walker Percy’s sixth and last novel. The main character is Dr. Tom More, who has returned to the world after two years in prison. He’s a psychiatrist who notices strange connected behaviors among his patients. He investigates, and this leads to a story in which Percy touches on freedom, sin, loss of meaning in life and in words, and the mystery of humanity. Highly recommended!

You can listen on the Good Story website or subscribe at most of the places folks listen to podcasts; just search your favorite podcast app for A Good Story is Hard to Find.

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