Set in a Roman Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the story spans thousands of years as civilization rebuilds itself. The monks of the fictional Albertian Order of Leibowitz take up the mission of preserving the surviving remnants of man's scientific knowledge until the day the outside world is again ready for it.
A highly literary science fiction novel, with his conflicts between the scientist's search for truth and the state's power, and a cyclical motif make it an interesting, if laborious read.
I mean, I get the theme that man has a habit of repeating himself, that we destroy, rebuild and will destroy again. Perhaps some 50 years ago when this was published, people were more inclined to fear nuclear weapons. Sure, we still do today, but man's inhumanity to man is pretty consistent.
As for the religious dogma, well that was interesting. Insomuch as I understood little of it. A bit dry, a bit dramatic and pretty depressing. I had wanted to read it for a while, but to be honest, I don't find anything that made this book so special to win a Hugo Award.
I mean, I get the theme that man has a habit of repeating himself, that we destroy, rebuild and will destroy again. Perhaps some 50 years ago when this was published, people were more inclined to fear nuclear weapons. Sure, we still do today, but man's inhumanity to man is pretty consistent.
As for the religious dogma, well that was interesting. Insomuch as I understood little of it. A bit dry, a bit dramatic and pretty depressing. I had wanted to read it for a while, but to be honest, I don't find anything that made this book so special to win a Hugo Award.
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