The Medusa and the Snail

This collection of essays continues the late Thomas's musings on the natural world and humanity, which he began in THE LIVES OF A CELL. Varying in length and topic, these essays address death, cloning, symbiotic relationships in nature, as well as a wide range of other subjects. There is an excellent essay on the failure of modern medical education, with Thomas's prescription to fix it. Like any collection of essays, some will be of more interest than others. John Tindle's performance, while not distinguished, is adequate. He has an understated manner of delivery that is meant to bring out the irony, and humor, in many of the essays. Overall, he succeeds, though towards the end his reading tends to be monotonous. Also, it would have been nice to have a listing of the essays for the listener's reference. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine