Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Love in the Ruins | 1971 | Walker Percy | Buy |
| 2 | The Thanatos Syndrome | 1987 | Walker Percy | Buy |
The Dr. Tom More novels are Walker Percy’s most satirical works, set in a near-future Louisiana where American society has fractured along exaggerated versions of its existing fault lines. Love in the Ruins (1971) introduces Dr. More as a self-described “bad Catholic” who has invented a device called the Ontological Lapsometer, which can diagnose spiritual and psychological disorders. The comedy comes from More’s combination of genuine insight and personal chaos — he drinks too much, pursues multiple women, and watches civilization decline with a mix of despair and bemused fascination.
The Thanatos Syndrome (1987) returns to More after he has served prison time for selling prescription drugs. He notices that some of his patients are behaving strangely — losing anxiety but also losing their humanity — and traces the cause to a secret project contaminating the local water supply. The two novels work as both darkly funny social satire and genuine philosophical inquiry into what happens when science tries to fix the human condition.