A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

This book took stages to get through. It’s written in what I can only call a complex version of English — sort of an old, religious style of writing (which actually makes sense considering the book’s storyline).

The author was an American vet from World War II writing in the 50s and 60s and his wartime background definitely shows through in his writing. According to his biography, he enlisted after the attacks on the United States’ Pearl Harbor, but the story could easily be interpreted as a critique of modern warfare and humanity’s tendency towards violence. It also has a weird religious element that permeates the story without corrupting it.

While I did find the book very difficult to read. The best parts of it are incredibly intriguing and I found that after the first 100 pages or so, I was able to fly through it without hitting another wall.

I can’t say I’d recommend it though. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s one of my dad’s favorite books, I probably would have stopped reading it midway. However, if you have a fascination with post-apocalyptic stories and the pseudo-sci-fi genre, it’s a classic that many people find relevant to our contemporary culture.

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