Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The M.D. (Supernatural Minnesota #2)

3.62 of 5 stars 3.62 · rating details · 219 ratings · 24 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...more

Hardcover, 401 pages

Published April 23rd 1991 by Knopf (first published 1989)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 365)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 16, 2013 Robert Dunbar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Newsweek called him our “most formidably gifted unfamous American writer.”

Talk about damning praise. When Thom Disch shot himself in 2008, I felt the loss deeply, though I'd only met the man once and could hardly have called him a friend. But then I imagine that many of his readers reacted this way.

Disch was always something of a phenomenon. His novels – especially The Genocides, Camp Concentration, 334 and On Wings of Song – loom among the classics of New Wave science fiction, and connoisseurs...more Newsweek called him our “most formidably gifted unfamous American writer.”

Talk about damning praise. When Thom Disch shot himself in 2008, I felt the loss deeply, though I'd only met the man once and could hardly have called him a friend. But then I imagine that many of his readers reacted this way.

Disch was always something of a phenomenon. His novels – especially The Genocides, Camp Concentration, 334 and On Wings of Song – loom among the classics of New Wave science fiction, and connoisseurs of the genre still speak of him in tones bordering on the reverential. Such an extraordinary body of work. The man’s versatility alone astonishes. Forget all the awards his fiction won. His six volumes of poetry were praised by critics, and his nationally published theatre reviews consistently displayed rare levels of erudition. (The legal problems his own play, The Cardinal Detoxes, encountered with the Catholic Church became the stuff of off-off Broadway legend.) Then – after more than 25 years as a respected figure – he suddenly turned his hand to horror.

I think it was the last thing anyone expected. But in truth, though his oeuvre resists categorization, dark elements could always be detected. Early collections like Getting into Death and Fun with Your New Head infused the weary literature of dread with some desperately needed creative vigor, even going a long way toward providing a veneer of countercultural chic. But it was the science fiction magazine of the sixties that nurtured the man’s inconoclastic talent, and it’s this very background that continued to render him so radical a force. Whereas SF stems from a long tradition of enlightened speculation about the nature and fate of mankind, few horror novels since Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus can boast a philosophical basis. (This isn’t the time to editorialize on how reactionary the horror genre has become, but decades of popular novels in which some nasty creature of foreign origin or ambiguous sexuality menaces some nice family have all but defanged it. Buy me a beer sometime, and I’ll talk your ear off on the subject.) The MD may be nearly unique among contemporary works of supernatural terror – a serious and thoughtful novel that seeks to provoke a response altogether more complex than goosebumps. Though it possesses many of the elements of traditional horror (a creaking staircase in an old dark house, something ghastly hidden in the cellar), the fears it catalogues are not culled from folklore. As in the most intellectually valid forms of SF, those efforts rooted in Wellsian traditions of social commentary, Disch employed freewheeling invention to emphasize influences already present in everyday life, postulating an America in which public ignorance, governmental corruption, and industrial greed have collaborated in rendering the planet barely habitable. New diseases abound, and fundamentalist groups oversee concentration camps for plague victims.

Horrible.

The book ventures into that most alarming of speculative realms: the all-too-plausible future.

The premise, however, remains as fantastic as any nightmare. At the root of all human evil, somewhere deep in the chromosomes, lie supernatural influences. One such malignant creature appears to young Billy, first in the guise of a pagan Santa Claus, later as the god Hermes. And his gift to the boy – a dead bird with some wire twisted about a stick – very nearly destroys the world, for this grisly Caduceus can truly heal but only in direct proportion to the extent that it first afflicts. Thus begins a savage dialectic on the corrupting influence of power. If the plot possesses a major flaw, that flaw lies in its vigorously schematic nature, but its rewards claim a similar source. The construction of The MD may appear convoluted, with its many asides and epiphanies of character analysis, but as it traces Billy’s growth to adulthood and his climb toward becoming the most powerful physician in the world, it attains a rare purity of function: it induces absolute horror.
(less)

12 likes · like · see review

Dec 01, 2010 Eli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-sff

Good in so many ways, and truly disturbing. It's not as stylishly written as The Businessman or as focused as The Priest - it's the most self-consciously Stephen King-like one in the series, and it could be read as just a nicely plotted deal-with-the-devil story. But on second reading, I got the same sense that John Clute did (in his fine foreword to the Minnesota U.P. edition), that Disch isn't just writing about one misguided kid who makes bad things happen, but a whole world riddled with fata...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 22, 2009 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: throw-the-book-across-the-room

Where to begin? The beginning is great; creepy, well-written, draws you right into the family & all the characters. There is a lot of interesting foreshadowing. Then someone dies, book two begins & we're somewhere completely different. But it's okay, you get back into the rhythm of the story & persevere and it's pretty cool, although not as cool as before. And then someone dies, book three begins & we're somewhere completely different. And by that point you are tearing your hair...more

like · see review

Jul 28, 2009 Robert Beveridge rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-and-still-own, finished

Thomas M. Disch, The M.D. (Berkley, 1991)

There's a scene about halfway through The M.D. that really shows why Thomas M. Disch, though not a household name in letters, is revered by critics and discerning bibliophiles. I'm usually the harshest of reviewers when it comes to message fiction, that strain of writing where the plot is stopped in order for the writer to advance a point of view. But there's a debate here between a tobacco advocacy group executive and a bright thirteen-year-old boy that...more Thomas M. Disch, The M.D. (Berkley, 1991)

There's a scene about halfway through The M.D. that really shows why Thomas M. Disch, though not a household name in letters, is revered by critics and discerning bibliophiles. I'm usually the harshest of reviewers when it comes to message fiction, that strain of writing where the plot is stopped in order for the writer to advance a point of view. But there's a debate here between a tobacco advocacy group executive and a bright thirteen-year-old boy that is so sparkling, not to mention well-written, that it's actually one of the best parts of the book. And I don't even agree with the viewpoint that wins. Of course, this could be because unlike most message fiction, Disch actually manages to make this debate integral to the plot. Yes, I mean integral; it sets up a couple of things that aren't exactly plot points, but that the whole framework of the fourth part of the book rests on. This isn't just some guy ranting, it's some guy who's plotted his book out in such detail that he knows exactly how far he can go with this diatribe and still get away with it. That's the mark of a master, and make no mistake about it—Thomas M. Disch defines “master”. He's like the Einsturzende Neubauten of American writers; not well-known by the public, but hugely influential among those who do the same thing he does.

The M.D. is the story of Billy, who is six years old and stuck in Catholic primary school as we start the book. After being told by a nun that Santa Claus doesn't exist, Billy contradicts her—after all, he's seen Santa Claus with his own two eyes. This exchange ends with Billy being sent to the office, but he never gets there. Instead, he runs away (without his coat in the middle of winter) to his private place, a secluded part of the local park, where we find out that maybe Billy isn't kidding, for Santa Claus appears to him again and promises that he's going to tell Billy a secret sometime soon. And when he does, this time appearing in the guise of the god Mercury, what a secret it is. Billy's annoying older brother Ned has created a makeshift caduceus in order to terrorize Billy; he took two twined sticks and tied a dead bird to them. Not your classic caduceus, to be sure, but where the sign of Mercury exists, he can invest it with power. And he bequeaths the caduceus to Billy, who can use it to heal. But it has a finite amount of energy. In order to replenish it, Billy must also make things sick...

This is your basic three-wishes story, but unlike most stories of this type, we have a thoughtful protagonist who actually learns from his mistakes as he goes along. That alone would make it worth your time, for it's one of the few innovations that could make such a clichéd storyline worth reading again. But Disch writes with an eye to, well, just about everything. We often love writers for doing one thing exceptionally well; Stephen King's absolute mastery of characterization, Dorothy Dunnett's intricate plotting, James Michener's meticulous research. Disch has taken all of the ways in which a writer can specialize and balanced them. It all works here, and it all works exceptionally. My only problem with the book is something that couldn't have been foreseen in 1991; he sets the fourth part of the book in 1999, and as usual with such things, what it looks like on paper and what it actually looked like are such different things that I can't help laughing at it. Also, as you might expect from some of my comments above, Disch tends towards fairy tale-style language here. Most of the time it's not at all intrusive, and it lends the book an interesting, amusing tone for being the drama/medical thriller novel that it is. Once we get into the fourth section, though, and head into the world of fantasy/sci-fi, the mix falls flat. Perhaps I've been spoiled by the recent steampunk and mythpunk books that have done it so perfectly, but that part of the book doesn't work as well as the first three. Still, the obscurity into which this book has fallen is a crime. Not surprising, given that Disch is not the literary rockstar he deserves to be, but saddening anyway. Find a copy and discover, or rediscover, the wonderful world of Tom Disch. *** ½
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 13, 2012 Traummachine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is subtitled "A Horror Story", and while that's accurate I wouldn't say this is horror in the sense most of us think when we hear the term. It's not scary, and few of the normal trappings of a horror story are present. Still, this is a tale of something horrible, even monstrous.

The M.D. is the story of a young boy who is faced with a monstrous bargain: he can heal, but only in direct relation to the amount of life-force he uses to charge up his caduceus. I love the twisting of this medical...more

like · see review

Jul 19, 2010 Midas68 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ok, Heres a Doozy for ya.
I had not went the Disch route before and quickly found that this guy
is pretty darn GOod.
The book is Intelligent and Cruel. The main character is a boy who
see's Santa Clause and is givin a wand stick(ITs Magic Baby) Well he
soon grows up enough and does not believe in Santa any Longer. So
Santa turns into something more believable. That Stick has some kinda
Voodoo on it I tell ya. Only thing is, theres always that damn price
you gotta pay for using it.
I have to say the boy w...more

like · see review

Feb 06, 2009 Zack rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Disch did a number of "Supernatural Minnesota" books that combine the presence of absurdly mundane mystical beings with very, very messed-up human beings. In this case, a young boy is given a mystical staff by Mercury, who appears as Santa, that allows him to heal any sickness. Unfortunately, he has to come up with a proportionate amount of hurt to inflict on someone else. I think they stole this for the show CARNIVALE.

The book is quite funny, but the horrific stuff comes more from the everyday...more

like · see review

Sep 13, 2012 ♥ Marlene♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, sf-fantasy, dutch

Back in my Stephen King days I was always trying to find a writer like him. Well Thomas M. Disch is not like him but in his own way, just as good.

It ha been so long since I've read this book (Read it in Dutch and still have a Dutch copy) but i do remember I loved this book.

So If you like King, try this book. Very good blend mixing horror and fantasy.

like · see review

Dec 27, 2011 Frank rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great and engaging for the first half I was ready for a good follow up when the protagonist grew up. But then it just became ordinary and uninteresting. Didn't care for the ending just disjointed and silly. Still the first half is good enough to deserve the four stars.

like · see review

Mar 09, 2010 Michellestevens234 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read this many years ago and have been trying to find out the name of the book and the author for ages. Finally found it, now I have to get my hands on a copy and read it again!

like · see review

Mar 02, 2012 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wildly imaginative, I found this fever-dream of a tale to be viscerally & profoundly disturbing. So naturally I read it twice. Can't say that about many other books.

like · see review

Dec 21, 2012 Sherry added it · review of another edition

I think I'm as done as I'm ever going to get. I usually like Thomas Disch. This book has been sitting on my "to read" shelf for years. Its something I read hoping to love and didn't much even like. It didn't even have enough steam to carry me halfway through. If you know how much I love to read pretty much everything, you know how rare it is for me to not finish a book. I wish I could say I even wanted to at this point. Maybe I'll give it a shot in the summertime. Don't get discouraged by me tho...more

like · see review

Jul 26, 2012 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very entertaining, snarky novel with a wicked sense of black humor.

like · see review

Mar 29, 2012 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A little out there but intriguing. It's been quite awhile since I read a book in the horror genre. While it wasn't scary, it was thought provoking.

like · see review

Mar 02, 2012 Wesley Young rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wonderful concept that was well excecuted.

like · see review

Nov 07, 2010 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

great book,

like · see review

Jan 29, 2008 Eve rated it 3 of 5 stars

I randomly found this book in a used bookstore and picked it up because of the rave endorsements. The plot summary makes the book sound a bit crazy and all over the place (a little boy visited by a vision of Santa who really turns out to be the god Mercury who wants his soul, etc. etc. etc.) but it works once you start reading. The first 3/4 of the book was great, with very dark humor and original ideas, but it totally fell apart in the last 100 or so pages, so only 3 stars.

like · see review

Nov 06, 2012 Danath01 rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

horrible could not recommend it

like · see review

Jul 01, 2008 Bruce Reid rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Genuinely unnerving, not due to discrete horrific setpieces (though it has its share) but the sustained tone of sociopathic detachment. When a literalized evil treats the world as a petri dish for its disinterested, coolly scientific inquiries, anything can happen; here, it does, again and again. Less wickedly hilarious than some other Disch, but no less wicked. A recent reread confirmed this as on of the scariest books I know.

like · see review

Dec 26, 2011 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great book!

like · see review

Jun 18, 2008 George/Bev rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

George: I read this a long time ago, but I remember it as being very good, unique and fast reading. I believe it is an excellent book that was overlooked by most people. It may be of most interest to guys.

like · see review

Mar 02, 2007 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, horror

I don't scare easily, but this is one of the few books that really freaked me out. I have loved it since I first read it in middle school.

like · see review

Jul 24, 2011 Jaime Contreras rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was disturbing and forgettable. It was too over the top.

like · see review

Sep 23, 2008 Martin Bromirski rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novel, science-fiction, fantastical

thomas disch is a new FAVORITE. read him.

like · see review

Jun 14, 2013 Oscar Reyes marked it as to-read

Jun 10, 2013 Coolerking rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jun 08, 2013 Mandisa marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction

Jun 02, 2013 Jmd123abc is currently reading it · review of another edition

May 31, 2013 Nigel Tufnel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 27, 2013 Laurel marked it as to-read · review of another edition

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 12 13 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (5)

More editions...

Genres

Horror

34 users

Fantasy

3 users

Novels

2 users

See top shelves...

About Thomas M. Disch

Poet and cynic, Thomas M. Disch brought to the sf of the New Wave a camp sensibility and a sardonicism that too much sf had lacked. His sf novels include Camp Concentration, with its colony of prisoners mutated into super-intelligence by the bacteria that will in due course kill them horribly, and On Wings of Song, in which many of the brightest and best have left their bodies for what may be genu...more

More about Thomas M. Disch...

Books by Thomas M. Disch

The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of: How Science Fiction Conquered the World

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The M.D.

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The M.D.
avg rating	preview: The M.D. Goodreads rating: 3.62 (219 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53069.The_M_D_?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1196895438l/53069.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53069.The_M_D_?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The M.D. by Thomas M. Disch[/url]

The M.D. (Supernatural Minnesota #2)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (5)

Genres

About Thomas M. Disch

Books by Thomas M. Disch

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The M.D.

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (5)