A Canticle for Leibowitz

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• Book Review: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. Share

  Published during the height of the Cold War, A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller, Jr. imagines the U.S. after nuclear devastation. Learning is feared and punished, defended only by small groups of religious brethren in the wilderness. Grotesque ... (read full critics)

  blogcritics published on Sun, 28 Aug 2011

3 Reviews

• A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. (2006)

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  Reinhard said on Oct 4, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  The general mood of this book is elegiac. Even when funny passages appear, they tend to be ones with wry humor. One can feel the author's sense of anger and helplessness toward the human folly which seems bound to repeat over and over again because human beings are just unable to learn the lesson at ... (continue)

  The general mood of this book is elegiac. Even when funny passages appear, they tend to be ones with wry humor. One can feel the author's sense of anger and helplessness toward the human folly which seems bound to repeat over and over again because human beings are just unable to learn the lesson at all. Benjamin utters out such sentiment concisely in a line: "The children of this world are consistent too."

  In addition, I like the final scene of this novel very much. Sublime, and yet very sad, too.

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  yuuyh said on Jul 6, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  Interesting premise/exploration, if somewhat frustrating execution

  This book explores the ever-more-likely apocalypse scenario of nuclear war. However, instead of writing about political turmoil and society's involvement, Miller chooses to focus on the perspective of the Catholic Church--how it's survived the "Flame Deluge," and what role it takes in thousands of y ... (continue)

  This book explores the ever-more-likely apocalypse scenario of nuclear war. However, instead of writing about political turmoil and society's involvement, Miller chooses to focus on the perspective of the Catholic Church--how it's survived the "Flame Deluge," and what role it takes in thousands of years that man exists.

  While the premise is interesting, the execution can be maddening at points. Frankly, I didn't encounter any character in the book that I was able to get attached to or sympathize with, and Miller builds up tension by depressingly predictable character actions and stagnant plot events. This gives the reader a sense, perhaps, of Miller's own frustration, but it doesn't necessarily improve the quality of the book.

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  Chezmerelda said on Mar 3, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
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• English Books
• Hardcover
• Edition: Reprint
• ISBN-10: 9990229198
• ISBN-13: 9789990229196
• Publisher: Ultramarine Pub Co
• Pub date: Jun 01, 1975
• Also available as: Mass Market Paperback, Paperback, Library Binding, School & Library Binding and Others
• In other languages: other languages Livres Français, Deutsche Bücher, Libros en Español, Livros em Português, Libri Italiani, Magyar könyv

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• The Collective (146)
• science fiction (468)
• England England (1200)

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