A Canticle for Leibowitz
by Walter M. Miller Jr.
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Book Reviews of A Canticle for Leibowitz
Book Review: A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Summary: 4 Stars
A Canticle for Leibowitz is a 1959 science fiction novel by Walter M. Miller, Jr.; it won the 1961 Hugo Award for Best Novel. In the centuries after a nuclear holocaust, a monastic order works to preserve the remnants of scientific knowledge as civilization rebuilds. The book is comprised of three parts, essentially novellas, which take place in the 26th, 32nd, and 38th centuries, respectively.
Miller's themes are prominent, and will be obvious to even the casual reader. Primarily, there is recurrence: Miller's novel spans so many hundreds of years because he is setting up a cyclical history for humanity, and the periods of his story reflect the focus and worldview of different historical eras. And there is the timeless issue of church versus state and faith versus reason: Miller's future generations explore the same theological and moral issues humanity has wrestled with all along.
Many books in the postapocalyptic genre, when confronted with the issue of religion, dismiss, punt, or avoid entirely. But Miller addresses religion thoughtfully, respectfully, and satisfyingly. He focuses specifically on Catholicism, but his issues and points are applicable to Christianity broadly.
Miller's story tends to unfold rather slowly, and the casual reader may wonder what the point is, exactly, of the book's first two sections in particular. Admittedly, they aren't always interesting on their own (particularly part two). But they are necessary to set up the book's finale, and they are a key part of the Miller's bigger picture.
A Canticle for Leibowitz's third section is superior, not only because it features the culmination of Miller's buildup, but because it has an excellent protagonist. In part one, "Fiat Homo," the bumbling Brother Francis is carried along by circumstances that develop the story with little force of his own. Part two, "Fiat Lux," neglects character focus and is instead a rather obvious struggle between the church and secular science. But in "Fiat Voluntas Tua," Abbot Zerchi is both a principle actor upon the story and a grounded, strong and well-rounded Christian figure, and he is eminently realistic. He is Miller's best character, and gives the book's conclusion some vital punch.
In the end, A Canticle for Leibowitz is an always thoughtful and occasionally poignant look at the history, struggles and prospects of humanity.
Book Review: The First Apocalypse: What went wrong.
Summary: 3 Stars
I doubt this is THE first post-apocalyptic novel, but it's up there. I bet it was a great read in 1959. Lot's of new ideas, philosophically. The book is divided into three separate stories: (a) post apocalypse, (b) rebuilding society, and (c) pre-apocalypse #2.
After the first story, I was ready to declare this book the Lord of the Rings of the post-apocalypse genre. I really enjoyed it. The best of the three books, it described a world, where man new nothing of technology, even when staring it in the face.
The second story sucked. I thought it was a waste. It talks of war between nations, but you never get to know the warring nations. There are no emotional ties to the new characters and countries to help you understand who is who. They might as well be called team a, team b, and team c. Those cold descriptions would mean more and help me better identify who the hell he was talking about.
Another side point. I thought the use of latin throughout the novel was way overdone. I speak French fairly well, so I muddled through it fairly easily, but for those who don't it might prove frustrating. However, don't let it bother you, because what was said in latin was unimportant. So, really this is just a critique for any of you who might write in the future. Just leave stuff like that out of the book. We don't care if you have command of some ancient language. We're not impressed.
Finally, story three is the crux of the message which is basically this: "Mankind is retarded" and "Mankind is repetitive" We are stupid and we will always repeat the same mistakes over and over again. I liked the message and generally agree with the philosophical overtones in the book.
If I had read this in one of my literature classes in school, I would give this book an "A". It would have been one of the more interesting novels that we studies. AND, it would have lent itself well to some very interesting classroom discussions. But, I didn't read it for school, I read it for fun. And, therefore, I just give it a "C" or something along those lines.
If you're looking for post-apocalyptic books, I much preferred "The Road". If you want "old" sci-fi, try Asimov first.
Cheers.
Book Review: A Highly Insightful View of Faith and Culture
Summary: 5 Stars
Miller's work done in A Canticle for Leibowitz is an insightful reflection on the nature of human work, The Catholic Church, and its direction for the edification of culture. The themes undertaken in the work are heavily laden with his view of Catholicism, and he uses his faith to argue a point that is as pertinent to the world today as it was at the time of the work's writing.
Although there are three chronologically distinct sections in the book, one theme permeates it. In the first section, the story progresses as the fabled Blessed Leibowitz is investigated for full Canonization based upon the findings of one Br. Francis. The first section is most importantly a reflection on the work done to preserve the "memorabilia" of human culture after nuclear fallout. The monks of the Albatian Order of Leibowitz work to preserve those works that they can find, followed by prudence and the grace of God, so that the world may one day relearn the knowledge which it destroyed after the fallout.
This theme is picked up in the second section as the Utah Monastery is visited by a secular scientist, Thon Taddeo, who is interested in the records kept by the monks. The story in this section reflects on the course of human action and how it should be related to the individual, the state, and to God. It is during this time that the Second Renaissance occurs after the fallout, and the Church once again argues about the nobility of directing work to the glory of God and not to the good of a state (or individual) which (who) has imposed itself as a god. The attitudes of the monks are contrasted with the views of Taddeo and the state which he represents.
The final section views the second modernity and the perils which have developed with the forces of secularization. For the sake of not spoiling the story, I will not say much about this section other than it functions to show the outcome of the reflections undertaken in the first two sections.
A Canticle for Leibowitz is an excellent reflection on the nature of human work (as well as many other matters as they develop throughout the story). It offers a counsel for direction which is especially needed in this very day.
Book Review: Simply a great book-- I sing a Canticle for Walter M. Miller Jr.!
Summary: 5 Stars
There are literally dozens of post-apocalyptic fiction books to choose from. My review intends to persuade you to choose this one among your first.
This book is really three different books, each set 600 years after the other. They require some description just to give you a sense of how expansive the book is--all in a mere 300+ pages.
The first story is set 600 years after an extremely devastating nuclear holocaust. Civilization has been blown back into the Dark Ages. The story revolves around one Brother Francis who is a feckless and aspiring member of the Order of Liebowitz, a Christian sect in the future. The Order's job is to painstakingly preserve historical documents, much like how the Medieval monks preserved Hellenistic and Roman knowledge during our own Dark Ages. Early into the story, Brother Francis discovers an ancient fallout shelter during one of his fasting rituals and the story develops around his relationship with the Order and his tribulations.
The second story is set 600 years after the first story; now civilization is beginning a Medieval Renaissance. Education is starting to revive and kings have their eyes set on conquest. This story primarily deals with the conflict between a brilliant, but arrogant, scientist set on rebuilding the world to its former glory and a wise, but physically frail, Abbot of the Order.
The third story is, of course, 600 years after the second. Civilization has not only rebuilt itself to 20th Century standards, but now is capable of deep-space flight and robotics. This story describes a new pending nuclear holocaust and the moral conflict between Christianity and euthanasia.
In sum, this is not just another science fiction novel, but a short epic into what humanity is capable of, both good and bad. Miller infuses his characters and scenes with life, running the emotional gamut from witty comedy to heart-wrenching tragedy. Best read in short bursts, this book will stay with you for some time as the question of humanity's potential is always a relevant one.
Book Review: Post-Apocalyptic Journey of Faith
Summary: 5 Stars
Science fiction writers often steer clear of religion in their works, partly because of the mistaken belief that science and faith are incompatible, and this is a shame, since the relationship between faith and science can be a strong and interesting one. "A Canticle for Liebowitz" brings us a post-apocalyptic world where the remnants of science become intertwined with faith in a most fascinating way. Liebowitz, a figure who in this world has become the focal point of myth, was once an engineer, and represents the world we all know: technological, worldly. But for those who have survived Miller's apocalypse, new meanings are needed to explain their world, and its relationship with the old.
What is most interesting about "A Canticle for Liebowitz" is the fact that the monks who have gathered and maintained Liebowitz's relics ask the same questions that those who seek answers through faith always have, and as a result their journey is more familiar to us than we might expect at first. Miller succeeds on many levels with this book: rather than making action the focal point of the story, as science fiction novels commonly do, he focuses on broader themes. The novel has multiple protagonists, which again is unusual in the genre.
The themes of this story are woven together well. They include the relationship between technology, which tends to be inventive, and religious dogma, which is skeptical of such innovation, the relationship between politics and religion, with each attempting to use the other (often with negative results), and the very nature of human history; are we condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past? Miller's novel wrestles with these, and makes us wrestle with them too. This book is worth reading and then re-reading.