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Loading... A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959)by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
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The dystopian novel is different from most of the more contemporary ones that I have read. While it is clearly set in a post-apocalyptic world, it deals more with whether man can learn from past mistakes or if human nature & time combine to make that impossible to some extent. Religion (specifically a form of Catholicism) plays a role but actually that was less than I had expected based upon the title and cover art. My favorite section was the beginning during the new "Dark Ages" but that was probably due in part to the fact that in this section, there's the most hope that the future will be better, or at least different, from the past. Also, I found the finding and puzzling over 'artifacts' fun. There were some aspects of the story I found perplexing and am still mulling over, such as the recurring old man... This is the first Hugo Winner from the 1950s that I've read that doesn't clearly read like a sci fi book from the 1950s. The dialog, plot, everything still holds up extremely well today. The themes of innocence, cyclical nature of history, man's hubris, and more all are still as relevant today as when Miller wrote them nearly 70 years ago. Thoroughly enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. I'm finding that I enjoy science fiction centered around organized religion a lot more than I would have expected. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesLeibowitz (1) Belongs to Publisher SeriesIs contained inContainsHas the adaptationIs an expanded version ofHas as a reference guide/companionHas as a studyHas as a student's study guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Fiction.
Science Fiction.
HTML: Winner of the 1961 Hugo Award for Best Novel and widely considered one of the most accomplished, powerful, and enduring classics of modern speculative fiction, Walter M. Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz is a true landmark of twentieth-century literature??a chilling and still-provocative look at a postapocalyptic future. In a nightmarish, ruined world, slowly awakening to the light after sleeping in darkness, the infantile rediscoveries of science are secretly nourished by cloistered monks dedicated to the study and preservation of the relics and writings of the blessed Saint Isaac Leibowitz. From here the story spans centuries of ignorance, violence, and barbarism, viewing through a sharp, satirical eye the relentless progression of a human race damned by its inherent humanness to recelebrate its grand foibles and repeat its grievous mistakes. Seriously funny, stunning, tragic, eternally fresh, imaginative, and altogether remarkable, A Canticle for Leibowitz retains its ability to enthrall and amaze. It is now, as it always has been, a masterpiece. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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A book about hope, death, suffering, endings, nostalgia, heritage, preservation, change, what actually matters, whether a small group of people has the power to change the world, tradition, and other stuff that I'm bad at articulating. Pretty depressing too. It gives an amazing sense of time passing, of how things change, how people forget and remember. The society presented feels real.
I came away with a feeling of just how important nuclear disarmament is, how important peace is, how disgusting justifications for war are. I feel like there's more to say but it's hard to articulate, there's a lot to think about that feels like it needs an essay to put into words.
The ending is a little weird and it's really depressing sometimes and the Latin can be a bit confusing with no translation (BUT whenever it's key to the story it's translated) but otherwise it's great.
Also, I will say that although they get only minimal mention in the book: I have strong sympathy for the "Simpletons" (very minor early spoiler)