A Canticle for Leibowitz

Rating:
Summary: As a good read, this classic loses steam
Review: The three sections of the book project into the post-nuclear world of the 27th century, the 32nd century, and the 37th century. Each section follows the activities of a religious order of monks who were the sole recipient of knowledge during a centuries-long dark age. As the centuries pass, a civilization slowly emerges, and is ready to make use of the documents from our age which hint tantalizingly at the secrets of "electrical essence" and the rest of the scientific discoveries that man made in the days leading up to the nuclear era. The first book is undoubtedly the best of the three, having the advantages of unveiling the futuristic world that Miller has dreamed up, and also the best character in Francis, an aspiring monk with a heart of gold that may have been the magnet for a miracle. By the end of the third book, a new nuclear war is threatening to break out, and the monks are considering taking to the stars to keep the flame of humanity burning bright. The book draws on religious themes, with lots of theological and moral arguments being made by the various characters.
The Good and the Bad:
I loved the first half of the book or so, and couldn't get enough of learning about the post-apocalyptic world and the characters who populated it. The story had a very faint quality of artificiality, especially when it came to politics, but generally, the strengths of the plot and characters overcame this. The character of Francis was very engaging for his sweetness and almost gump-like simplicity, and his murder at the hands of cannibalistic mutants was a shock that required rereading. The longer the book goes, however, the more the characters began to feel like vessels for theological and moral arguments, and the final few chapters are so steeped in religion that it was difficult for me to finish. The fascinating story, involving a basic conflict between an abbot and a doctor on the morality of encouraging radiation victims to commit suicide, takes a back seat to dreams and symbols that are less compelling. Overall, the book has those ingredients that make a classic; an inspired background, intriguing human interactions, and philosophical statements all coexist on the same pages. The warnings against nuclear war must have seemed especially relevant when the book was first published in 1959.
What I learned:
This book gave me an appreciation for the intricate inner workings of the Catholic Church. I grew to appreciate the seriousness of sanctity, as it is built on an unbroken chain of tradition that has been passed on for thousands of years.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing
Review: I've read hundreds of SciFi novels, and rarely give a book five stars - but here is one that deserves it. Written about a post-apocalyptic world, it is basically three books in one, with each taking place about 500 years apart, and starting about 500 years after the near-destruction of mankind.

Without giving anything away, the early Fallout Shelter encounter is fantastic, and a great start-off to this wonderful, quick-reading, and decent-sized book. There are lots of interesting characters, and while not action-packed, there is always something interesting going on to keep you turning the pages to see what will happen next.

Very impressed that the advanced spaceflight predicted by Miller in 1959 avoided the use of the dead planets Venus and Mars (many writers made the mistake, as late as the 60's, that there was life on these planets, or that they could be easily colonized).

This book will not appeal to those not interested in reading some occasional passages in Latin (and even a few Hebrew phrases), or to those having an aversion to a book with a strong religious theme... Indeed, I think it exactly because of these two factors that the book has not become a popular classic. Having said that, I wouldn't let the "religious content" bother open-minded individuals - I'm pretty much an agnostic (albiet right-leaning), and I find the introspections into the monks' Second Dark Age lives more than interesting in the context of the book.

Rating:
Summary: words cant describe
Review: This is possibly one of the best science fiction books I have ever read. Once I picked it up it was amazingly hard to put back down. The constraints of work and school seemed like secondary concerns compared to finishing and understanding this work. Yes, It may have been written during the cold war (with nuclear destruction its main premise for the story) although it still is able to explore some very serious and pressing questions about the race of man.
Taken from the point of view of "the Monks of St. Leibowitz" the book goes into the fall of man after a nuclear war (an amazingly real threat at the time of its publication) and the rise of our race thereafter. What appealed to me most was not the actual story (take your pick of post-apocalyptic fictions) but the way in which it was told. The story is conveyed in such a way that even the less educated among book readers (if there are any these days) is forced to think very hard about the questions that arise from the book. This is what makes it a great book, not the story, but the contemplation one must embark upon after reading it. If I could give it above 5 stars I would.

Rating:
Summary: What an amazing book.
Review: This book really did catch me off guard when I read it. I picked it up at the recommendation of an employee at my local bookstore, and while I have read several good books via a strangers recommendation, I have never read one as good as this.

This book is basically one story split into three sections titled "Fiat Homo", "Fiat Lux" and "Fiat Voluntas Tua". They all take place after the 'Flame Deluge', which is when mankinds ignorance and evil have culmanated into a nuclear holocaust. The story is about an abby named after a man of science who learned the errors of his ways late in life and sought to preserve our knowledge, while ignorance roamed the land in the dark times after the flame deluge. The plot is a straight forward one and I while I was able to speed read some parts of the book, I had to slow down and sometimes reread sections that dealt with some serious philisophical matters that, even now I find myself thinking about. This book is truly thought-provoking and I thought, for once, the jacket aptly described it when it says this book is a book that ranks with 1984 and Brave New World. I even think in some ways it is better than those two. It's very seldom when reading a book of the sci-fi genre (my favorite along with fantasy) that one reads a book that let's one reflect on themselves and human nature in general and provides such valuable insights into life.

I give this the highest rating I can. I advise you get it as soon as possible. I am glad I did, I had never heard of it and it is almost fifty years old too.