A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller

[Ransom]

Canticle won a Hugo back in 1960 or 61 I think. I don't know why I was so late in getting to this book. It's a futuristic tale about the world rebuilding itself after a nuclear world war that took place in our time. The novel is set in three stages about a thousand years apart. (I've heard it described as three novellas, but I don't know if that's strictly true). After the war, people go on a killing and burning spree where they try to wipe out anything and everything that has to do with technology, including all the books. They think technology caused the problem and want to go back to the way people lived prior to the industrial age. The Catholic Church secretly disagrees, so the priests and monks covertly conduct archeological digs trying to find any books, papers, or fragments that survived the war, and they store them in hidden locations. Leibowitz was an electrical engineer before and during the war. After the war, he became a monk and helped to search for books, but he was killed and became a martyr, so an order of Monks was later named after him. Little by little, as bits and pieces of books are examined, the monks and priests eventually figure out how to make an electric light using a human powered generator. By the book's final stage, it's beginning to look as though the world may finally get back to where it was before the war a few thousand years earlier. The big question becomes one of, will history repeat itself? There are many philosophical queries into morality along the way, the most significant having to do with suicide in the face of terrible suffering.

As a side note, the author himself committed suicide before finishing the book's sequel. When you learn about the author's life, his long bout with depression, his WWII combat service along with the bombing of a famous European Cathedral that his own plane brought down, his conversion to Catholicism after the war, and his subsequent crises of faith—you'll soon find yourself immersed in a second real life story even more puzzling and tragic than anything you'll find in the book.

This is one of the best written books I've ever come across. Miller knew how to write for men. There are very few wasted words.

Edit: I should probably warn people who haven't read it yet not to be put off by the first section being rather slow. The second and third sections really pick up the pace and are much better anyway.

[HarryT]

It is indeed a classic, but where did you buy it as an ebook?

[poohbear_nc]

It was briefly available in the USA as an ebook in large print format - but was pulled. It was readable by using the smallest font size on my reader.

[Ransom]

You can get it here, but it's still only in the large print edition.

[dwig]

I agree its an excellent book. One of the best, of any genre, that I've read.

BTW, it won the 1961 Hugo for a novel. It began life as 3 separate novellas. Two were published and while Miller was writing the 3rd he realized that it was really one novel instead of 3 separate novellas. He made major changes to the first two novellas when he restructured it as a novel. The final novel is separated into three sections, each set in different time periods some 600 years apart.

[Donnageddon]

I was inspired by this thread to search out some of Miller's works in Project Gutenberg. Several short stories there.

I read this one.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29170...-h/29170-h.htm

Man, that was pretty dark and deep with themes for the science fiction pulps of those days.

I will get the large print Canticle. Good writer.

[poohbear_nc]

Besides being a truly unique work of genius with a totally unique world view, the large print edition also saved my sanity. I had gone in for my yearly ophthalmic exam - and had to have my pupils dilated - the first set of drops didn't work so they put in a second set - afterwards my pupils refused to constrict for hours! At home I couldn't focus at all to read - either a dtb or on my Kindle - even at the highest font size on a regular ebook, couldn't focus on the TV screen, etc. - I was going nuts! Then I remembered I had this large print version - loaded it and used the largest font size on my Kindle - and was able to read! Finally! I think I started off with maybe 5 - 10 words per screen, and gradually decreased the font size as my pupils finally recovered. It was an unforgettable experience.

[Ransom]

Hey, thanks Don! I had no idea he wrote a bunch of short stories.

[Frida Fantastic]

It's definitely on my top 3 books of all time. I love Canticle <3

[Ransom]

I should probably warn people who haven't read it yet not to be put off by the first section being rather slow. The second and third sections really pick up the pace and are much better anyway.

[Donnageddon]

Originally Posted by Ransom

Hey, thanks Don! I had no idea he wrote a bunch of short stories.

All the thanks I need is that you didn't call me "Donna". Thank you!

[cearbhallain]

I haven't read that one in years, but bits of it often surface in my thoughts. I think my DTE disintegrated, after your review I feel like getting another one and reading it again. It's a good book to have around for the kids too.

[OtterBooks]

been meaning to read that for years.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Donnageddon

All the thanks I need is that you didn't call me "Donna". Thank you!

Thanks for the thread! Definitely one of my top sf books of all time. I need to re-read it soon.

Originally Posted by Ransom

I should probably warn people who haven't read it yet not to be put off by the first section being rather slow. The second and third sections really pick up the pace and are much better anyway.

To say the least. I'm at page 82 and already eager to hear the last of Brother Francis. The book has received so much praise here that I intend to see it through though.