Walter M. Miller, Jr. (1923–1996)

I guess this is a classic of sci fi literature, written in the late 1950s and focused on the dangers of nuclear Armageddon. It starts in the near future, after a nuclear war has destroyed society and a subsequent worldwide purge of scientists and statesman has occurred, as they are to blame for the destruction.

A monastery is set up in the desert American west, where Christian monks have rescued great works of science and literature, named after Liebowitz, a key founder and martyr who is eventually granted sainthood by the Church. We then follow the monks at intervals of many hundreds of years, as society rebuilds itself slowly and attempts to rediscover the science it has lost.

The book is profoundly cynical about human nature, seeing nuclear destruction as inevitable and likely to repeat. The writing is pretty good, but the focus on Christian imagery got tiring for me- there's lots of Latin in there! (This was written before Vatican II). The last section is kind of tedious, with a lengthy tangent into the ethics of euthanasia that I found unnecessary. Not my favorite sci fi classic.… (meer)