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A review by taicantfly
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Funny and witty near the start, a well constructed and immersive setting used as a musing on religion's place in humanity's lives, culture and knowledge. Francis' encounter with the Old Jew was an excellent hook in and I found myself reading more in my first sitting than I could remember having done in weeks. I thought it'd be this strange almost anthropological adventure and then an unseen, unnamed barbarian shoots our protagonist through the eyes and I realise the book is split into thirds. My mouth was fully open and I decided I'd put the book down before continuing.
The middle third was my least favourite. At times I was disengaged with the politics and although the "war is inevitable so long as autocracy prevails" message was both biting and well delivered, it felt like a lot of time was wasted. I enjoyed the back-and-forth between Dom Paulo and Thaddeus and found that it left me wondering (as all good scifi should) about the role of religious institutions throughout history as catalysts of science. Overall solid, but lacklustre compared to how good the other parts were.
The ending, especially the last 20 pages, was heartwrenching and bitterly cynical. Doctor Cors and Zarchi were probably my favourite characters in the book (I think Zarchi was entirely in the wrong throughout the entire act but he was written too well to ignore) and the penultimate chapter created in me such a profound and fearful stillness I had to sit in my dim room for a minute after I'd finished to just feel it.
Zarchi's frantic realisation that only Rachel survived the blast was superb and I (despite not being religious) could so strongly feel his panic at his entire worldview crumbling in the face of the incoming nothingness as he grasps for straws of meaning (baptising Rachel, praying for the last time, coming to peace with his supressed guilt about the baby). If the whole book was as gorgeous as the ending I'd not hesitate to call it a favourite.