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A Canticle for Leibowitz

Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Hugo 1961, Internet Top 100

Christianity in a future warped by the effects of nuclear war and on the verge of a second, nuclear devastation. Perhaps, Miller's intent was to paint such a horrible picture of the effects of nuclear war that people would take a different path. This contention is so obvious though - it doesn't take much imagination or a sf book to realize.

The first time I tried to read A Canticle for Leibowitz, I was so disgusted I not only stopped reading near the end but vehemently through the book into the garbage. I was completely repulsed by the pessimistic view of our future ("Have we no choice but to play the Phoenix in an unending sequence of rise and fall?"), the focus on degraded mankind, and the "compassion" toward radiation-deformed mutants by a confused, power-manipulating, medieval-style church.

It didn't seem as bad my second time through but still had to really push myself to finish. We do have here a clear portrayal of the absurdity of dogma in the face of reality with this future church's view toward euthanasia. It clings to its "morality" insisting against euthanasia in spite of people suffering from the most extreme forms of radiation sickness and certain, excruciatingly painful death. The tables do turn, however, and the abbot realizes, "The trouble with being a priest was that eventually you had to take the advice you gave to others".

I've frequently wondered, "Why did it win a Hugo Award?" And perhaps more puzzling, "Why is it so high on the Internet Top 100 list still?" I can understand the first question by thinking of it as a period work, a story in tune with the unique cultural worry and attitude toward nuclear bombs in the early '60s. Why people would still like it today . . . I can't even guess.

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