Walter M. Miller Jr. - A Canticle for Leibowitz

Pros: Impressive scope.
Cons: Dull characters and a muddled plot.

Some books remain timeless, they either transcend it or, in the case of someone like Dickens, though they are of their time they can still speak to us over a century later. Quite often the books that last the shortest amount of time are those that deal...

Pros: High-caliber novel, well blended post-apocolyptic epic
Cons: Somewhat less accessible to non-catholics, could use a glossary

Winner of the 1961 Hugo Award, Canticle for Leibowitz is a beautiful piece of literature. Millers' only novel, after which he fairly well vanished from print except for occasional stories, it tells the tale of a post-nuclear Earth in three ...

Pros: Very thoughtful, reflective, and scholarly work of science fiction.
Cons: Could be interpreted as meaning to promote Catholicism.

I read A Canticle For Leibowitz 25 years ago, and I've had many opportunities to reflect on it since then, and some additional chances to read it too. Despite it being one of the most elegantly written and thoughtful books I've ever read, I...

Pros: Beautifully written, well thought out, flawless plot line & characters, an all around beautiful work of literary art.
Cons: So entirely possible, it could be depressing.

I am typically not a tremendous fan of the said "Science Fiction and Fantasy" genre, as this book has been categorized. In my opinion, "A Canticle for Leibowitz" would be best categorized as philosophical-science-fiction. It has been,...

Pros: Deep, thoughtful, and lots of topics for discussion
Cons: The Latin might be inaccessible for some readers.

I recently read A Canticle for Leibowitz at the suggestion of my brother, who knows how much I enjoy apocalyptic literature, like 1984 and Fahrenheit 451.

But this book was of an entirely different character than those two books. Far deeper,...

Pros: multiple plots firmly interwoven, witty yet thoughtful
Cons: Cold War era writing reflects world situation as it was, and may not be familiar to younger readers

I have read this book several times since I was in my early teens. It was then and is still now one of my favorite books.

In this book, Miller created a work that is both witty and thoughtful.

It is 600 years after the "Flame...

Pros: Fully crafted fictional world, feels very real
Cons: Heavy emphasis on the religious

Walter Miller's vision of the world after nuclear war is haunting, desperate and pessimistic. Mankind has gone simple (that's not too hard to believe, actually) and all that's left of culture is a religious order bent on squirreling away the great works...

Pros: few and far between
Cons: too many to count

This book totally confused me. It skips around from plot to plot and all sense of time is lost. I would not recommend this book to anyone especially to do a project over. I guess there is a reason Miller only wrote one book.

Pros: Deep and meaningful thoughts on the usefulness of religion.
Cons: long winded and complex.

Don't get me wrong, this does have its exciting moments that rival that of any thriller but the bulk is philosophical and political ponderings. Be prepared for religious intrigue and questions of character motives. If that is the type of book that you like then this is for you and you will not find it done any better.