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A Canticle for Leibowitz

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A Canticle for Leibowitz

By: Walter M. Miller Jr.
Narrated by: Tom Weiner
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About this listen

Hugo Award Winner, Best Novel, 1961

Winner of the 1961 Hugo Award for Best Novel and widely considered one of the most accomplished, powerful, and enduring classics of modern speculative fiction, Walter M. Miller’s A Canticle for Leibowitz is a true landmark of 20th-century literature - a chilling and still-provocative look at a post-apocalyptic future.

In a nightmarish, ruined world, slowly awakening to the light after sleeping in darkness, the infantile rediscoveries of science are secretly nourished by cloistered monks dedicated to the study and preservation of the relics and writings of the blessed Saint Isaac Leibowitz. From there, the story spans centuries of ignorance, violence, and barbarism, viewing through a sharp, satirical eye the relentless progression of a human race damned by its inherent humanness to recelebrate its grand foibles and repeat its grievous mistakes.

Seriously funny, stunning, tragic, eternally fresh, imaginative, and altogether remarkable, A Canticle for Leibowitz retains its ability to enthrall and amaze. It is now, as it always has been, a masterpiece.

©1959 Walter M. Miller, Jr. (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Dystopian Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Witty Funny Thought-Provoking

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Critic reviews

“Chillingly effective.” (Time)
All stars
Most relevant
really enjoyed this. ment to be the inspiration for the fallout franchise and you can really see it.

really enjoyed this.

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I absolutely loved this! Can't believe I hadn't found this earlier. Took a little while to get used to the reader but really grew on me as he went on. The story is just incredibly interesting (and given its vintage has been really influential) and has really stuck with me since finishing due to many layers of story and some surprising conclusions (as I read them anyway). Also surprisingly funny despite the dark subject matter. Highly recommended.

Brilliant!

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Utterly prescient and humble storytelling that sinks you into a spectator seat that transports you freely over the ages, and brings you the very edge of grief in a bittersweet acknowledgement of humanities pridefulness.

Classic and brilliant

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Would you listen to A Canticle for Leibowitz again? Why?

I've listened to it several times and have even about a copy of the book. This book is a poem to the circular nature of humanity. A prophetic testament to our desire to control the cataclysmic power of physics and its inevitable triumph over us.

The Best Author Ever.

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For how much of a classic it is considered, I didn't find it very good. The concept and the way the story is told is somewhat unique, and its influence on later work is definitely obvious. But I couldn't really connect with the characters, possibly because we spend so short a time with each of them. It is performed very well, but even so I found it a little tedious.

Misses the mark a bit

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