There is really just one major character in Every Living Thing, and that is Herriot himself. Gone are the lazy and amusing Tristan and his somewhat despotic brother Siegfried, whose conflict with each other, and with the new young vet, added complexity to the earlier books. Siegfried is still Herriot's partner, but he does not figure in the episodes. Instead, there are a succession of young assistants who are well qualified and good doctors and whose lives seem to be much easier than young Dr. Herriot's was when he started out. The most fully developed character is the unconventional Calum, a young Scottish assistant who opens Herriot's eyes to the natural world around him. Being a passionate animal lover, he surrounds himself with exotic pets, and is known as the "vet with the badger." He also introduces new methods and an emphasis on small animal treatment to the...