Over on Twitter, I asked for recommendations of little-known books that deserve more attention. Richard Pastore answered the call by recommending this one, a post-apocalyptic tale from the 1950s.
While reading it, I thought to myself that there is an easy way to summarize this book: “Catholic Fallout.” This describes it remarkably well, in my opinion, but since I’m guessing few of my readers have played any of those classic RPGs, more elaboration will be necessary.
The story begins with a young monk, Francis, holding a vigil in the desert. When a mysterious wanderer passes by his outpost, Francis uncovers a fallout shelter from the past nuclear war, which holds artifacts which appear to belong to “the Blessed Leibowitz”–an engineer from the pre-war era who, after surviving the nuclear holocaust, joined the church and strove to preserve knowledge during a Dark Age called “The Simplification.”
Francis’s discovery of the relics paves the way for the beatification of Leibowitz, and ultimately, after many years, the young monk makes his way to New Rome for an audience with the Pope himself.
Time–measured in centuries–passes. Technological progress begins, and with it comes a kind of renaissance, as well as feuding tribes and political machinations and scientific progress. All the while the Order of Saint Leibowitz carries on.
More time passes, until society has developed computers and off-world colonies. And, most significantly, nuclear weapons have returned, and the Order is once again faced with preserving their traditions and teachings in the face of horrific devastation.
The book, in short, is not really a feel-good tale. But it does include two of the hallmarks of 1950s and ’60s zeitgeist: space travel and nuclear war. In that sense, it’s very much a work of its time, and that, of course, is one of the great things about Vintage Sci-Fi Month: the opportunity to look back on what people of the past thought were the burning issues of the day.
Ah… perhaps that was an unfortunate choice of words. But, never mind! The techno-optimists of the era were enthralled by space travel, the techno-pessimists obsessed with nuclear armageddon. It’s clear enough that Miller, in addition to being a Catholic, was definitely in the pessimist category. And this is rather understandable when you learn he fought in World War II, and was present at the destruction of a Benedictine Abbey at Monte Cassino. It haunted him, and that comes through clearly in the text, as the cyclical destruction of all efforts to build civilization is perhaps the central theme of the book.
Usually, I don’t like generational epics. Stories that span huge swaths of time tend to leave me feeling distanced from the characters. Call me simple if you like, but I generally prefer my stories to follow one character, or group of characters.
However, while this book spans centuries, it definitely worked for me. Each set of characters was so carefully-drawn that I could relate to all of them, and get involved in their struggles. Which in turn made it all the more poignant when their time came, as it always does.
All right, I’ve tap-danced around the issue long enough; I can’t put it off any longer. This book involves some very weighty moral and religious ideas, and does not shy away from taking a stance on certain issues. How one feels about this may color one’s perception of the entire story.
I, however, am in no position to pontificate about such matters. I have my opinions, as everyone does, but in the grand scheme of things, I am just a thirty-something blogger who has probably consoomed more Content than is really healthy. It is not for me to sit in judgment of the philosophy of a man who led the life that Miller did, and saw the things he saw, as though I am somehow “above” him. Nothing is more obnoxious than to judge the past without at least being willing to ask how the past would judge the present.
So, yes; the last third especially might be off-putting to some readers. Nevertheless, I encourage approaching it with an open mind and an understanding of the author’s experiences. Seen in that light, it is an especially haunting and gloomy story, but one which I recommend to all sci-fi fans.
I guess I have to say this. I read this back in the 70s (I think I read it twice) and frankly didn’t understand it. Isn’t that the one where a guy grows an extra head on his shoulder? And I knew it had something to do with the Wandering Jew myth, but otherwise I don’t remember anything about it. I was reading Ursula LeGuin at the time, along with other things that were comprehensible.
Yep, that’s right. (Well, it’s a woman, and I think she’s supposed to be touched by the Holy Spirit, but basically yes.) It’s quite bizarre, for sure.
Interesting you mention LeGuin; when I bought this book, Amazon recommended a novel by LeGuin, so I picked that one up, too. Probably I’ll review it next year for Vintage Sci-Fi Month.
Would you mind giving the title? Maybe I can tell you something about it.
“The Left Hand of Darkness”
Oh, definitely one of her best, and one of my favorites!
YES!!!! There are two writers at the top of my pantheon – Frank Herbert, and Ursula K. LeGuin. Dune and especially Left Hand of Darkness opened my mind to the possibilities of scifi. Thrilled you love the book too. 🙂
Now I’m really looking forward to “Left Hand of Darkness”.
Left Hand of Darkness was really her early breakthrough book. Before that she had published several rather tentative books that weren’t bad but were (I think) a learning experience. Some of my other favorites are The Dispossessed, all the Earthsea books but especialy the first one, A Wizard of Earthsea, the Malafrena books, and some of her short stories, particularly The Wind’s Twelve Quarters collection (and I’m not a short story fan). She often employs the theme of political and social revolution. The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is in my opinion one of the best short stories ever written! OK – pontification ends!
I know I commented on that Tweet that I read this book an wasn’t a fan. And that’s all I remember about it. I don’t remember if I even finished the thing or why specifically I didn’t like the book. I just remember having a very strong “meh” reaction to it.
Meanwhile, if you don’t like generational epics, you should not read any further into the Dune series than the first book. Do not proceed beyond that!!
Too late, I’ve already read “Dune: Messiah.” It made my brain hurt.
You’ve just scratched the surface though. So many more books in that series you could read. Your head would explode.
Ha, true!
To be clear, I didn’t actually hate “Messiah”; I just found it… bizarre and hard to follow. It did have some good lines though. I probably will read the next one someday, but I need to prepare myself first.
Each book gets worse. Consider yourself warned.
I’m still trying to figure out the ‘folding space’ thing. Maybe if I look upon it from a Quantum Perspective????
There are things in those books that I simply didn’t bother trying to figure out. Dune, the first book, is a classic and always will be. The rest just get worse and worse.
They have their devoteds, ones who think they ought to like them and folk who buy the books ‘just because’. But from my attempts to read the later books I agree with you.
Maybe the whole idea was too big to follow through.
Some are.
For me Asimov’s Robot Saga and Foundation ‘Quest’ merging together into one big ending was actually a great disappointment, even ruined The Seldon Psychohistory concept.
My guess is that Hebert became too enraptured with the philosophy and whatever message it is that he thought he was sharing with his readers … and forgot about the basic concept of just telling a story. There are books later on in the series that are almost completely devoid of any story at all.
Oh yes, that does happen with some doesn’t?
Very successful writers with a genuine great idea for a best seller are then encouraged by the publisher to carry on; the editor gets told ‘Hush. Leave them be,’ Then lots of folk buy the books and find hidden meanings or subtexts and so forth.
And woebetide any of us who dare to say in public :
‘Uh? I don’t get it,’
I’d be willing to bet every book in the Dune series sold fewer copies than the previous one. Maybe still enough to keep a publisher happy, but I find it hard to believe that the tens of millions who have read Dune would be happily buying and reading everything that followed.
Yes, I concur.
His son and associate invented the pre-Dune series, with cyborg type folk and humans but they never appealed to me, although a must for completists for sure
I was unaware there was a pre-Dune series. Sigh.
“Prelude to the Dune Trilogy” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson.
1997. Bantam books, $3,000,000 deal.
They are ‘ever so successful’
[I find knowledge of the whole experience helps if you employ the following:
1. Refer to ‘Mr Anderson’ in the voice of Agent Smith of the Matrix.
2. Think of titles of books where the focus word rhymes with ‘Dune’ (ghastly ‘scots’ accent Michael Myers reckoned was funny – optional extra) ] .
That’s my cultural blasphemy quota for the day.
lol – you’re looking at one of those ‘devotees’ right here. I’ve read the entire 6 book series about eight times. It does meander a bit, but book 6 brings it all back to a very satisfactory conclusion. 😀
I’ve no arguments with devotees😀. A series and a person clicks and away they both go.
Mine was the Jack Vance Dying Earth books, not so much a series though, those definitely did meander .
After all these chats I will get that audio book of Dune! 😀 (I listen on the move while doing chores, it’s how I get most of reading done these days)
Which was the one where Paul has had so much spice is kind of turned into a big worm, and he gets involved into sort of metaphysical discourse with a clone of a clone of a clone etc of Duncan Idaho, who might to fated to try and kill Paul so Paul squashes him?
(Or something like that its been twenty plus years since I read it, I may have confused some parts)
There was definitely a clone (or something) of Duncan Idaho in Dune: Messiah. I think I remember Paul’s sister falling in love with him, but that’s about it. I could only half-follow it…
Not just me then.
And yet I am still drawn back to Dune (nearly thinking about getting an audio book version- good narrators make things much clearer
I read the first three long ago and they were OK, but as I recall, the fourth is the one where the Bene Gesserit women are simply sitting around and talking philosophy. Like watching paint dry. I never finished it.
A few years ago I set out to read all of them. I believe I wrote a blog post about each book or something like that. I failed to read the last book or two because I couldn’t take it anymore. The sitting around and talking about philosophy or a character spending pages and pages thinking about philosophy overwhelmed any story that still existed.
I gave it a try a long time ago, and I’m not sure where in the story I gave up on it. Like you, I’m not a fan of generational stories, and I avoid stories with religion motifs, like this book and Dune. I seem to remember that it was required reading in one of the English classes at my Catholic high school, but not the class I was in. We read Giants in the Earth (look behind the hay stack!) and Great Expectations, which I did enjoy.
I’ve never heard of Giants in the Earth. Sound interesting!
I listened through the first 30k words. Couldn’t take it.
Some throwback monk copying vague electrical diagrams without anything happening but a robber and meeting the faux Pope — World Class Apocalypse. NOT.
The third part gets much more apocalyptic, but I see what you mean. 😀
I skipped this book back when I went on a Sci-fi kick after seminary. Got into Asimov, Heinlein, and Ellison. Read up to Dune Emperor and then that was it. Herbert has other books. White Plague, and Soul Catcher, set on modern day earth are pretty good.
I’ll have to read those.
I’m guessing you would find this book interesting, and I suspect you would get a lot more of the religious references than I did. But, it’s not exactly a joyride, so I’m not going to say anyone *has* to read it. 🙂
A bit behind (as Usual) but when I saw ‘A Canticle….’ on the summary I zeroed in at a pace. I read this back in the early 1960s when dread of nuclear war was visceral, for not a few almost a certainty. It was one of those books which probably to gain its full punch ‘you had to be there’.
No, there was nothing uplifting about it, at the end we are possibly seeing history repeat itself, and that simple minded two headed woman comes across as a mutation of nuclear fall out.
It was certainly of it’s time. I don’t think any SF writer of note did not deal with post nuclear war worlds. A few I recall :
“Dark December” by Alfred Coppel (despite the institutionalised cannibalism it has a nearly upbeat ending)
“Davy” by Edgar Pangborn (which starts off in a middle ages society aftermath with a slightly comic & bawdy feel, but veers off with a very tragic ending quite out of character with the rest of the book)
“Farnham’s Freehold” by Robert Heinlein (I am no big fan of his work and this one is a stinker, talk about transferring a male’s mid-life insecurities and hang-ups into fantasies).
And steer clear of “The House by The Crab Apple” a novella by S S Johnson which makes even “A Canticle for Leibowitz” seem a light read.
Two others- short stories whose titles I cannot recall:
One by Ray Bradbury (of course) which does not involve a nuclear war, only the threat of one and is about a trashman coming home, very down and over dinner explains to his wife they have been supplied with body bags to place the dead in, in the event of a nuclear war. That was so thoughtful in its tone as the central character reflects on the implications
Another whose author and title are long lost to me. Post nuclear war, US civilisation is in tatters, and two representatives of a community have gone to beg to a tribe of First Nation folk, who having been used to living off the land and surviving the European colonisations have handled to collapse far better. Real role reversal even to the extent of having one of the representatives get drunk on the local booze – White Folks can’t handle booze in those days.
And those are just the ones which spring to mind now.
(Just remembered a tenuous link on the subject…. Asimov’s ‘Pebble in the Sky’!)
Back to a Canticle for Leibowitz, I’m bucking the trend with this one as well. I LOVED it. Then again, I grew up reading classics like War and Peace. In comparison to that behemoth, Canticle positively gallops along.
Classic, old school scifi was very much into philosophy about tech rather than just ‘ooh, new tech, fun!’. It was meaty and made you think. A lot of modern scifi is just like the pulp fiction of that earlier era: a quick sugar hit and then nothing. The fact that I still remember Canticle after so many decades is proof that it did its job, at least on me.
I was a tween during the 70’s, so the Cold War was part of the back drop of my world. My father chose to resettle in Australia so we would be as far from Europe and the threat of nuclear holocaust as possible. If you want a more personal take on that era, read Neville Shute’s ‘On the Beach’. It still gives me nightmares.
I guess the existential threat these days is Climate Change. Will be interesting to see how the younger generations cope. There hasn’t been anything global for them to worry about for decades. As I have a son in his 30’s, I hope that life continues to be safe, but I keep thinking ‘it can’t last’, ‘we’ve had it too good for too long’. I hope I’m wrong.
Exactly! I love the classic sci-fi with its emphasis on philosophy. Gives you something to chew on.
Oh, thanks, I will add “On the Beach” to the TBR.
Climate change is one threat, yes. Personally, I’m worried about nano-machines that eat the world. I hope I’m wrong, too. :/
This is exactly the book I would have recommended if I’d seen your question on Mastodon! Glad you liked it.
Glad to hear you like it too! 🙂
I have read this book several times, although not for quite awhile. One of my favorite books. Probably time for a reread!
It is definitely a book that merits rereading. Thanks for the comment!