Lobgesang auf Leibowitz (1959)

Still an absolutely wonderful book. I could quote so many pieces of it (and probably will). It's what a dystopian, post-apocalyptic novel should be. ( )

This is an excellent book. I very much appreciated the struggle between having faith in protecting knowledge for later restoration vs using knowledge in the complete awareness that the knowledge may lead to an extinction level event. What are we? Are we only flesh and blood? Are more than that? Does our existence continue after death? If other life forms do not also continue after death than what is heaven? These are some of the question that come to mind for me. It was an interesting experience to read this book at the same time that I was reading [Physical Science in the Middle Ages] by [Edward Grant] and [Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives] by [John Hedley Brooke]. [Walter M. Miller Jr] certainly produced a future history that well portrayed what a 2nd medieval age might look like in a post-apocalyptic world. I highly recommend this book.

I like this rating system by ashleytylerjohn of LibraryThing (https://www.librarything.com/profile/ashleytylerjohn) that I have also adopted:
(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful.) ( )

I still am not sure what to think of this book. I can't decide if I should be in despair for the repetitive stupidity of mankind, or if I should have hope that maybe humankind will stop being such idiots. The author mixes religion with secularism. There is humor and irony in the Sainthood of Leibowitz. There are no adequate way to describe this story, other than it follows the Monks of the Order of St. Leibowitz from near it's founding at an Abbey in Utah through to the interesting ending of this story. It was a hard book to read in that oftimes I was totally disgusted with humanity and those in power. I still don't know what to think. Even though it was written in 1959, the behavior of our governments and those wielding power have not changed. They are still power hungry morons not caring a bit about those who try to do right. ( )

A classic, and rightly so. Beautiful and melancholic writing on the end of the world and what comes next. ( )

I was probably expecting some more Dan Simmons esque weirdness, vs what I got a pretty bog-standard sci-fi morality play. ( )