Hardy's study is concerned only with Percy's fiction, rather than his life, thought or his essays. He covers all six of Percy's novels from The Moviegoer (1961) to The Thanatos Syndrome (1987), and treats them only as fiction, rather than as philosophical disquisitions or religious treatises. Hardy presents a close reading of each novel, focusing on the internal artistic consistency of the works in regard to their subgenres, adopted conventions, narrative focus, and reader/text interactions. He reveals Percy as a judicious and knowledgeable practitioner in control of his medium. ISBN 0-252-01387-5: $24.95.