Synopses & Reviews
Exploring questions of guilt and responsibility, the second book in Thomas M. Disch's Supernatural Minnesota series, The M.D., is a satisfying mix of dark humor, biting social commentary, and terrifying horror. Given the power to heal or to harm by the Roman god Mercury through a magical staff, the caduceus, young Billy Michaels embarks on a lifelong journey of inflicting good and evil on those who cross his path. Wielding the caduceus, Billy, and later the grown-up, greedy physician William, can only cure in proportion to the amount of suffering he inflicts. From paralyzing his brother and mutilating schoolmates to wreaking a nationwide plague and running for-profit concentration camps for the sick, Michaels's powers spin quickly out of control.
Review
"The M.D. is an extraordinary feat of imagination and frequently is outright mesmerizing." —Washington Post
Review
"Profound and dark and very dire, but it is also a page-turner. And each new page, like an electric eel, is poised to shock." —Los Angels Times
Synopsis
A chilling allegory for the field of modern medicine.
About the Author
Thomas M. Disch (1940-2008) was a best-selling and prolific American science fiction writer and poet. He won several awards, including the Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book in 1999.
John Clute, author of the novel Appleseed, has won several Hugo Awards for his work.