by Walter M. Miller Jr.
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Product Description
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, Jr.'s A Canticle for Leibowitz is a true landmark of twentieth-century literature -- a chilling and still-provocative look at a post-apocalyptic future. In a nightmarish ruined world slowly awakening to the light after sleeping in darkness, the infant 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, and 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.
Amazon.com Review
Walter M. Miller's acclaimed SF classic A Canticle for Leibowitz opens with the accidental excavation of a holy artifact: a creased, brittle memo scrawled by the hand of the blessed Saint Leibowitz, that reads: "Pound pastrami, can kraut, six bagels--bring home for Emma." To the Brothers of Saint Leibowitz, this sacred shopping list penned by an obscure, 20th-century engineer is a symbol of hope from the distant past, from before the Simplification, the fiery atomic holocaust that plunged the earth into darkness and ignorance. As 1984 cautioned against Stalinism, so 1959's A Canticle for Leibowitz warns of the threat and implications of nuclear annihilation. Following a cloister of monks in their Utah abbey over some six or seven hundred years, the funny but bleak Canticle tackles the sociological and religious implications of the cyclical rise and fall of civilization, questioning whether humanity can hope for more than repeating its own history. Divided into three sections--Fiat Homo (Let There Be Man), Fiat Lux (Let There Be Light), and Fiat Voluntas Tua (Thy Will Be Done)--Canticle is steeped in Catholicism and Latin, exploring the fascinating, seemingly capricious process of how and why a person is canonized. --Paul Hughes
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 St. Leibowitz: A Post-apocalyptic Saint for our Times, 2008-11-06
A truly classic novel is one that reveals deeper layers every time it is read. Walter Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz is one of the all-time classics of science fiction, and if it weren't such a Catholic book, would undoubtedly be rated as highly in literature as 1984 and Brave New World, though some reviewers rate it that highly anyway. Miller's book, a collection of three novelettes, is actually deeper than either of those distopian visions, possibly even surpassing C.S. Lewis's space trilogy in terms of character development, solid theology, realistic vision, and mystical insight.
Written as the cold war was heating up, Walter Miller chronicled a three-part history of one abbey on the edge of the Utah desert, starting from two centuries after a nuclear holocaust. The first part, Fiat Homo ("And He created Man"), occurs during the second Dark Ages, and involves the beatification of Isaac Leibowitz, a former weapons engineer who founded an order of monks to preserve the fragmentary knowledge that survived the nuclear war. During this time, life in the abbey reflects in loving detail the Medieval mindset that values eternity above all else. Fiat Lux ("Let there be Light") is set during the second Renaissance a few hundred years later, in which the world discovers science and international politics. Finally in Fiat Voluntas Tua ("Thy Will be Done"), events occurring in a second modern age impact the monks and nuns in ways similar to how the world affects us today.
The first layer of Canticle mesmerized me with its development of saints. This is especially well done in the first part -- Miller beautifully portrays his protagonists as unpretentious and earnest souls who were simply trying to do the best they could with the limited gifts that God gave them. Later generations often revered them, as the ordinary events in their lives mythical proportions. I really liked the ambiguity with which Miller surrounded most of the miracles he recounted -- just as in real life, miracles do not convert those who have refused to believe, while for those with faith, miracles are unnecessary for belief. Miller's portrayal of the unfolding of history is wonderful, and I never saw such a powerful anti-war retelling of WW III until I saw the playground scene in Terminator II.
A second layer of meaning can be found in the theological issues underlying the entire book. The conflict between science and religion provides much of the tension in the second Renaissance -- as it did in the (real) first one. But theological issues become most obvious in the last section, in which the Church battles the heresies of modernism and euthanasia -- as it does today. What is amazing is how accurately Miller portrayed the roots of the pro-euthaniasia groups, calling them the world's oldest and greatest heresies: that pain is the worst evil, and that society determines right and wrong. Miller's predictions about social issues are no different than those made by many popes in the Twentieth century, so perhaps his success in predicting them should not be surprising. Predictions aside, only C.S. Lewis and Peter Kreeft have been able to weave the practical consequences of theological issues into stories as well as Miller did.
The mystical third layer is usually impenetrable to the logical and engineering geeks (like me) that normally read many science fiction books. Obviously, Miller looks at suffering and death very differently than secular writers do -- as a Catholic, how could he do otherwise? But the last time I reread Canticle, what really floored me was his vision of the Immaculate Conception. Mysteries are unfathomable by nature, but sometimes it possible to catch a glimpse beyond the veil. At such times, I can understand why after seeing a vision of heaven, Thomas Aquinas put down his pen and never wrote again -- declaring that all he had ever written was straw. It is absolutely true. I owe Miller a deep debt of gratitude for the glimpse he gave me (though I haven't quite laid down my pen yet :-) ).
The only possible drawback of Canticle is that it was written before Vatican II, and Miller did not foresee the practical disappearance of Latin as the linga franca of the Church.[...]
Miller treated the Catholic Church with affection in Canticle, though not without criticism, alluding to Church politics and theological hair-splitting. His increasing disenchantment with the Church became obvious in his sequel, St. Leibowitz and the Horse Woman, which unfortunately does not even come close to his other work. Some of his short stories are as good as Canticle (especially "Gray Benediction"), so I was really hoping for a masterpiece. Unfortunately, his "sequel", set soon after the second section of Canticle, is a bitter story of political machination, wasted love, and confused theology. The protagonist is a monk who is not well suited for monastic life, so he ends up involved in the tumultuous events surrounding a succession of the Papacy. Meanwhile, he falls in love with a mysterious woman, adding further conflict and doubt to his already troubled faith. Many of the same themes appear as in Canticle -- especially the nature of Christian faith in a very human world full of conflict. However unlike Canticle, the sequel is more graphic in its portrayal of sexuality and violence, and refuses to answer any of the deep questions of faith posed to the characters. That bothered me the most, since he had done such a masterful job of doing so in Canticle. The character development in the sequel is probably better than most science fiction (with the exception of Donaldson's The Real Story), but I was *very* disappointed.
As book-reviewer Paul Ziring put it, "Perhaps an author only gets one such inspiration as Canticle per lifetime". That may be true, but like Aquinas' straw, such an inspiration sheds light for generations.
(This review originally published in Credo, January 11, 1999)
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
 No cause for excitement, 2008-10-17
Thanks to the previous reviews and the collective high rating, I gave this book 4 opportunities to give me a reason to stay. The 4th came 2/3 of the way through. Normally, I would not have stayed that long but felt like I just wasn't getting it and did so want to. However, no memorable characters, a wandering plot and a pretty nothing premise forced me to not just shelve the book, but to actually throw it in the trash. It was certainly no invitation to try out sequel that took 40 years to put out. Pretty much the stupidest read that I can remember, and I have tried to choke down a many of one.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
"Sic transit mundus", 2008-09-29
Comparing the United States to the Roman Empire seems to be a fashionable thing to do lately. And the argument is certainly not without merit. As the only superpower left its natural to make judgments based on the worlds great empires and to ask if we are making the same mistakes that caused their downfalls. The real question, of course, is whether we can learn from history in order to avoid those same mistakes.
Which is just another way to say that I recently read A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller, Jr. Published in 1960, the book may be best described as a work of "Catholic science fiction." It follows the travails of a monastery in a post-apocalyptic world where, following a massive nuclear war, humanity turns against intellectuals and learning in a great "Simplification." Books are burned, universities torn down and the general populace intentionally becomes illiterate in the hopes that another "Flame Deluge" may be averted. The monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz (ironically, and unintentionally, abbreviated to AOL) have been charged with protecting what writings they are able to smuggle into their great collection (the "Memorabilia") in the hope that humanity might one day be ready to accept them again.
The book is divided into three sections, each separated by 600 years. The first deals with a young postulant's discovery of relics of Blessed Leibowitz, whose cause for canonization has been opened. The second chronicles the arrival at the monastery of Thon Taddeo, the age's greatest secular thinker, and the world's re-discovery of the treasures hidden there. In the last part humanity is once again threatened by the re-development of nuclear weapons and the Church must decide how best to preserve the world's knowledge and ensure the survival of future generations.
One of Miller's main themes is the cyclical nature of history: in forgetting its own past, the world inadvertently makes its second annihilation possible. Miller makes a fairly explicit comparison between ignorance and violence on the one hand and knowledge and peace on the other. The tribal factions of the outside world are constantly at odds, fighting over territory, food and other resources. They are unable to work together and, as a result, can build nothing of lasting value.
Yet there is still hope in the form of community. By maintaining their connection to the past -- by remembering who they are and passing on that knowledge to future generations -- the monks are able to keep their charge for over 1200 years while, all around them, empires rise, reign and fall. It is the thankless dedication of generations of monks that allows humanity to pull itself from a second Dark Age.
The book also highlights the perennial struggle between science's pursuit of fact, the state's pursuit of power and faith's search for truth. This is especially evident in the second part, during which Thon Thaddeo is at odds with the Order over access to the Memorabilia (he wants to relocate the archive to make them more readily accessible to other scientists) and in the third part in which the state sanctions euthanasia camps for radiation victims. How the monks deal with these threats to their mission says a great deal about how and why the Church pursues knowledge (as opposed to science and the state).
Although it met with mixed reaction upon its release, A Canticle for Leibowitz went on to win a Hugo Award and is now considered a modern classic in science fiction. I highly recommend it to any fan of the genre or anyone interested in the mission of the Church, even in the most trying of times.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 Good, 2008-09-27
Having grown up watching 1950s sci fi I was familiar with many of the Doomsday tropes from such films as The World, The Flesh, & The Devil, & On The Beach. Most were fairly pessimistic. So, I was a bit surprised when I picked up & read Walter Miller's A Canticle For Leibowitz, in that it both used & subverted the genre & its tropes. The book is not really a novel, but 3 linked novellas that follow the Resurrection of Mankind after a 20th Century nuclear exchange, through the prism of a secretive order of Catholic priests, in the Utah desert, that prevent the total barbarism of what was once the United States of America. The 3 novellas are set about 600, 1200, & 1800 years in the future.
The 3 sections of A Canticle for Leibowitz give, at the same time, a cyclical view of history that's pessimistic, yet hopeful. Even the long suffered for knowledge of the past the Leibowitzians preserved cannot save humanity from near-annihilation, yet it is only near-annihilation. Humanity perdures. There is also a watcher- the only character that appears in all 3 tales- a combination of the desert wandering Jew & Lazarus- a deathless figure.
The book deals with many issues- large & small. For example, there is the recurring theme that most people work for purposes they have no grasp on. In part 1 Brother Francis wastes 15 years copying a Holy Liebowitzian artifact, only to have it stolen. In Part 2 Brother Kornhoer follows ancient blueprints & builds an electric light, unaware that he was doing so. Another theme is how history is shaped as much by its recorders as its participants. Just how much we think we know of the Mayas, Phoenicians, Chinese, Minoans, or even Neandertals, etc. may be our own imposition of biases, rather than fact.
Given that the book was written in 1959, during Cold War hysteria, yet is still relevant, is a good endorsement of its timeless quality. Yes, the idea that any organized religion- in this case Roman Catholicism- represents an answer, rather than a problem, is a bit of Miller's own näive-té &/or bias leaking through. After all, he portrays the Church as an unchanging vehicle for ignorance whether it be in the Dark Ages, our time, or the 3 future periods of mankind- a highly suspect proposition in the post-9/11 world. This is but a minor quibble, though, for the overriding point is it's a good tale- whose overall narrative takes precedent over any individual.
Although most post-Apocalyptic tales tend to be either to too gloomy or too optimistic, A Canticle For Leibowitz strikes a believable balance. Would that its subjects could do the same the book would be as superfluous as the devotion to the Blessed shopping list!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Sci-fi that isn't, 2008-07-11
Do you know many science-fiction books that quote Latin? Where the heroes are monks and abbots? Where the protagonists argue over illuminated manuscripts? A Canticle for Leibowitz has an appeal well beyond science-fiction fans.
Too much of it shouldn't be given away, but the story takes place after a nuclear war and concerns the fight to preserve what is left of human literacy and knowledge. Of course, this is about the need for spirituality and wisdom to balance progress in scientific pyrotechnics. But A Canticle for Leibowitz is first and foremost an utterly convincing political fable, interwoven with a host of private adventures and tribulations. And while nuclear holocaust may sound less likely today than in the 1950s, what is astonishing is that this book hasn't aged a bit, that it has none of the technological and contextual faux pas that makes so much of science fiction dated.
Walter Miller wrote with authority, conviction and humour. His dialogue between churchmen is jaw-dropping in its veracity; I couldn't believe afterwards that he was never a priest or a novice. The novel's politics are as credible as they are subtle. Miller creates a reality in which you will find yourself completely immersed without wanting to leave it, however harsh it may be. My only quibble, in fact a major disappointment is that, incredibly, Walter Miller never wrote anything else.
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