F13 Book Club Part 2: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller

[Samwise]

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller.  Should be in your local bookstore or library under science fiction.

Plan on starting spoileriffic discussion in February.

(edit) I'm going to add a poll to this topic to try to track how many people are working on it and how many have finished it; that way we can start spoilers early if everyone finishes early.  Vote "not yet" now, then remove your vote and change it to "all done" once you're finished, kk?  This will be a bold experiment.

[bhodi]

Hell yes, great book.

[Morat20]

Hell yes, great book.

Very good book.

[Samwise]

Unless you've read it recently enough that it's really fresh in your mind, I'd suggest rereading it.  Especially if you read Cat's Cradle last time around.

[lamaros]

If anyone is interested I read an article that goes in to some detail about the Catholic elements of the book that I found interesting and informative. If anyone might be interested in reading it let me know via PM or something as it was obtained via uni (it is a journal article) and I don't want to be hosting it. It's a quick read.

I found the article mentioned here: http://www.infography.com/content/040281001962.html
I can probably obtain most of the others listed there for people if they don't have a way of accessing them.

This is just for personal pleasure. I don't mean to define the discussion along any of these lines by mentioning this.

[MaceVanHoffen]

I'm having a surprisingly hard time finding this book.  I was hoping to pick it up locally, but neither B+N or the local store Copperfield's has it.  My local library has all copies out.  I'll probably drive down to Berkeley, since there's more bookstores there than up here in the sticks.

Anyway, I might be late to this discussion.  Too bad, since everyone I talk to says this book is great, and oh why haven't I read it yet!?

[bhodi]

If you really want to read this, but have exhausted all other options, and don't mind reading at the computer, you can PM me.

[Samwise]

I'm having a surprisingly hard time finding this book.  I was hoping to pick it up locally, but neither B+N or the local store Copperfield's has it.  My local library has all copies out.  I'll probably drive down to Berkeley, since there's more bookstores there than up here in the sticks.

Anyway, I might be late to this discussion.  Too bad, since everyone I talk to says this book is great, and oh why haven't I read it yet!?

According to the poll, most people are still in the process of acquiring the book, so we'll hold off on discussion for another week at least, I think. 

I'm slightly shocked that B+N didn't have it; even the shitty little book store here in Alameda had a copy, and it never has ANYTHING.   

[MaceVanHoffen]

So, I'm halfway through this book, and I have to say that Samwise will be denied my black spot.  This is a great read.  I'm glad I bought it (found a small bookstore in a town a few highways over), as I will most definitely reread it.

I shall refrain from spoilerage, but I think calling this book sci fi does it an injustice only because so often sci fi gets relegated to "light" reading.  It's got some real meat to it, good discussion fodder.

I'm reading this at the same time as Dan Simmons' Ilium, so it's taking me longer than usual to finish.  I bought Ilium at the same time, and dammit it's good too.

[Soukyan]

I, too, am about halfway through Canticle, but it is a re-reading so whenever the discussion starts, I'm ready for it.

[Morat20]

So, I'm halfway through this book, and I have to say that Samwise will be denied my black spot.  This is a great read.  I'm glad I bought it (found a small bookstore in a town a few highways over), as I will most definitely reread it.

I shall refrain from spoilerage, but I think calling this book sci fi does it an injustice only because so often sci fi gets relegated to "light" reading.  It's got some real meat to it, good discussion fodder.

I'm reading this at the same time as Dan Simmons' Ilium, so it's taking me longer than usual to finish.  I bought Ilium at the same time, and dammit it's good too.

Canticle made the list in a Sci-Fi lit class I took about ten years ago. (For the record, it was joined by: Frankenstein, War of the Worlds, Childhood's End, Solaris, Neuromancer, The Lathe of Heaven, The Left Hand of Armageddon -- there were nine, and now I can't remember the last one.).

[lamaros]

Mmm, solaris.

[Miasma]

I'm enjoying the book but am getting irritated by the amount of untranslated Latin in it.  Exactly how much am I missing out on because I dropped out of Latin class during grade eleven in the only school in my province that still taught it?

[Strazos]

Just got it today. I won't get much of a chance to read it until Monday night.

[Morat20]

I'm enjoying the book but am getting irritated by the amount of untranslated Latin in it.  Exactly how much am I missing out on because I dropped out of Latin class during grade eleven in the only school in my province that still taught it?

Very little, IIRC -- it's really there for the medieval monk flavor. If it's important, it'll be translated. If there's something you really want translated, I can give it a shot. It's been, um, 14 years since I took Latin. I still remember a bit!

[bhodi]

Sic transit mundus - How you all doing on the reading? When can we start talking again?

I'm enjoying the book but am getting irritated by the amount of untranslated Latin in it.  Exactly how much am I missing out on because I dropped out of Latin class during grade eleven in the only school in my province that still taught it?

Here you go.

[Margalis]

Might have to skip this round unless my local Borders has a copy tomorrow.

[bhodi]

I forgot to mention, if you are interested in the audiobook version, a 15-part serialization of the novel that was adapted for radio by John Reed and broadcast in 1981 by NPR, you can PM me for info on that as well. It has several actors and was well done.

[Viin]

I ordered this from Amazon earlier last week but don't have it yet. Free 2 day shipping my ass.

[Morat20]

I ordered this from Amazon earlier last week but don't have it yet. Free 2 day shipping my ass.

I have a copy I've kept safe for two decades now -- still trying to get the wife to read it. When I think of the "classics" of Sci-Fi, this one really stands out as the most approachable -- mostly because it transcends genre.

It really is a phenomenal work.

[Viin]

I look forward to reading it - I'm almost done with Deadhouse Gates and I could use a break.

[Strazos]

I'm really liking it so far. I would be shocked if this book WASN'T some sort of inspiration for the Fallout games.

The plot itself moves a bit slowly (I'm only about 1/3rd into the book), but it's so well written that I just don't care.

Nice choice, Samwise.

[Margalis]

When I we going to start discussing? Sounds like many people, myself included, are having trouble picking it up.

We should probably pick the next book much earlier.

[lamaros]

The next book has been picked, see the other thread.

[Rendakor]

Neither Borders nor Barnes & Noble around here had it in stock. Will check my college library tonite, but don't hold discussion on my account.

[Soukyan]

I don't know where most of you live, but the bookstore stock in your area must suck. They have copies of this book in every Barnes & Noble (3) and Border's (2) and Half-Price Books (2) near me. Also, Amazon for the win.

http://www.amazon.com/Canticle-Leibowitz-Walter-Miller-Jr/dp/0060892994/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202224624&sr=1-1


If that copy is too expensive for you, there are links to mass market versions that people are selling for as little as $0.01. Plus shipping of 3.99 puts it at a cool $4 USD. Not bad at all.

[Viin]

You guys can probably start - there's enough people done (and a lot waiting for the book). I'll catch up in a few days.

[Samwise]

Let's hold off until next week.  By then at least half of us should be done.

[MaceVanHoffen]

I'm on my second pass through the book.  I read it too fast the first time, as I thought I was running out of time for this discussion.  All that Latin is bringing back memories of my youth in Catholic school, damn nuns rapping my knuckles with their rulers ...

[Strazos]

I'm also seeing some parallels with the Chinese Cultural Revolution; hell, you could swap the word [spoiler]simplification for Cultural Revolution and not be too far off...kind of scarey in a way.

[cmlancas]

I really will be picking this up, probably Wednesday. I treated myself to Hemingway's "The Last Good Country" (short story) the other day and have been doing a spot of research related to an idea I have. 

Anyway, that being said, I hope to be done with Canticle by Thursday or so.


Edit: I picked it up today. Will be leafing through in the next few days.

[Strazos]

Just finished it tonight....wow, pretty amazing piece, with a powerful ending.

PLZ2bdiscussing

[lamaros]

Maybe we should make this a biannual bookclub?

[Viin]

Heh. I'm half way done, should be done soonish. Good so far!

I think I read stuff pretty lightly though, we'll see what kinda comments people have .. :P

[Samwise]

I say we go ahead and open the floor on this one.  I'm already done with the next book, FFS.  (Who's picking the next next one?)

There's a lot to say about Canticle, so I'll just start with the reason I picked it.  After Cat's Cradle I found myself unaccountably disappointed with the ending (that is, with the entire world senselessy perishing in ice), and I realized that this was strange because there are a good number of books I really like that involve the end of the world, like this one.  So I thought it'd be fun to revisit it and compare notes.