tamouse's review against another edition
5.0
This book is such a classic -- highly recommended to any fan of sci fi, and even those who are just interested in future scapes and speculative fiction. This book has influenced many other authors.
crasscasualty's review against another edition
3.0
This novel, spanning thousands of years, tells the story of society’s destruction, rebuilding, and re-destruction. There is only a tenuous plot running through the novel; it is mostly a philosophical text. Normally I would be fine with this.
However, A Canticle for Leibowitz is so didactic and ham-fisted that it is hard to enjoy. Rather than challenging the readers’ beliefs and acting as a thought experiment, it insists on an interpretation of human nature and doesn't engender or allow any dissenting opinions.
This might be just a pet peeve of mine, but I also think the central conflict is clumsily executed. There are other ways to explore the tensions between religion and science without writing 350 pages about priests arguing with scientists.
However, A Canticle for Leibowitz is so didactic and ham-fisted that it is hard to enjoy. Rather than challenging the readers’ beliefs and acting as a thought experiment, it insists on an interpretation of human nature and doesn't engender or allow any dissenting opinions.
This might be just a pet peeve of mine, but I also think the central conflict is clumsily executed. There are other ways to explore the tensions between religion and science without writing 350 pages about priests arguing with scientists.
wuzzy246's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
mbennett78's review against another edition
Stopped at 55%. It was so slow. I was bored.
buffyb's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very strange book. I'm not overly partial to stories which span long periods of time. I never really had much of an idea of where the story was going and just when things got interesting, the main character of that section would be killed off.
I found the last 100 pages or so to be the most interesting. The priest's struggle against euthanasia was pretty intense and exciting.
I'm a very character oriented person so I'm not overly interested in books which focus on a theme or plot rather than the people involved. I found that we would get close to a person or people for a brief tantalising moment only to be ripped away. I find that to be pretty frustrating.
I found the last 100 pages or so to be the most interesting. The priest's struggle against euthanasia was pretty intense and exciting.
I'm a very character oriented person so I'm not overly interested in books which focus on a theme or plot rather than the people involved. I found that we would get close to a person or people for a brief tantalising moment only to be ripped away. I find that to be pretty frustrating.
fxdpts's review against another edition
2.0
Only the first part is worth reading, and the ideas in there are only passingly interesting. It gets worse and worse and worse. The half-hearted attempt at fun pulp sci-fi stuff in part 3 could not salvage how checked out I was from the residual dullness of part 2.
canadajanes's review against another edition
4.0
Great read, reminded me a lot of Ananthem. The only thing I didn't like was the righteous anti-assisted suicide bit at the end.
ailsahatton's review against another edition
1.0
The next time anyone asks me what I like to read, I’ll just point them towards this and say ‘the opposite of that’.
Actual definition of not my thing.
Actual definition of not my thing.
espresoul's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
rickyturner's review against another edition
2.0
I spent some time thinking about why I didn't like this book and why, and I've come to the conclusion that it would've been much better if it were divided into three books and each part was expanded. I could forgive his contrived prose and preachiness if there was more substance to the plot.
The story felt rushed, the world felt under developed and every character felt like the same person, aside from two. I think it should be obvious which two I refer to.
I guess it's not really fair of me, because aside from the pioneers of sci-fi I'm not really a fan of the genre--but then, I don't think good writing should be defined by the genre.
The story felt rushed, the world felt under developed and every character felt like the same person, aside from two. I think it should be obvious which two I refer to.
I guess it's not really fair of me, because aside from the pioneers of sci-fi I'm not really a fan of the genre--but then, I don't think good writing should be defined by the genre.