I don't have time/energy to excerpt from this book; just wanted to list it to add to my list of recommended books. Here's a quick preview:
A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic social science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller Jr., first published in 1959. Set in a Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the book spans thousands of years as civilization rebuilds itself. The monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz preserve the surviving remnants of man's scientific knowledge until the world is again ready for it....In 1961 it was awarded the Hugo Award for Best Novel by The World Science Fiction Convention. In the years since, praise for the work has been consistently high. It is considered a "science-fiction classic ... [and] is arguably the best novel written about nuclear apocalypse, surpassing more popularly known books like On the Beach".
It's curious that this book has never been adapted into a movie.
It's been adapted for radio - I heard it on BBC Radio 4 Extra, it's not on there any more but it might be the one that's on Fourble: https://fourble.co.uk/podcast/acanticleforliebowitz
ReplyDeleteThis is the book I would tell my non-sf-reading friends to read if they wanted a taste of great sf. IIRC Mr. Miller was a Catholic convert who was particularly devoted to the Virgin Mary.
ReplyDeletehttps://archive.org/details/NPRPresentsACANTICLEFORLIEBOWITZIn15Parts
ReplyDeleteAs recorded with Edgewood College and the great Carol Cowan
I read this in high school, juxtaposed against the book of Ecclesiastes. There is nothing new under the Sun. But at the time, I was most impressed by the view that computers have a soul, and they have chosen evil.
ReplyDeleteThere is a sequel as well; "Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman" by the author, published nearly 40 years later! I'd also recommend a recent series that are an excellent homage to the "how religion evolves after great upheavel" brand of sci-fi. "A psalm for the wild-built" and "a prayer for the crown-shy" by Becky Chambers are both very good, addressing a world's faith after an AI-goes-sentient singularity destroys civilization. The former won the Hugo award as well.
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