Title: A Canticle for Leibowitz
Author: Walter Miller
The story takes place following a nuclear halocaust on Earth. Civilization actually does survive, but the people begin to kill all scientists to ensure that such a thing never happens again. As the decades pass, the people begin just killing anybody who can even read. After five generations, there is nothing left of civilization and all knowledge is lost. However, the Catholic Church does survive and an order of monks are charged with protecting the few shards of knowledge that remain. Though the monks do not know what any of it means, they copy down anything they can find from the time before the halocaust, which is referred to as the Fallout (sort of like a mythical monster).
The story itself is actually broken up into three sections. The first takes place 500 years after the Fallout, and is mainly concerned with introducing story and how civilization was torn apart. It also introduces one monk who stumbles upon a fallout shelter, in which several important documents are found. The monks then spend time deciphering a strange list on which is listed strange words such as:
"2 carrots"
"carton of milk"
"salad"
It's pretty funny.
The second part takes place 1000 years after the Fallout and is about the beginning of a Renaissance period. Scholars are finally beginning to rediscover certain aspects that the ancients knew, and are busy studying everything the monks keep in their abbey. Because of the knowledge the monks kept, civilization is able to advance forward very quickly.
The third part is the best, and I won't transcribe it here. Just suffice it to say that the ending is absolutely superb.
Overall, the book really makes you think. It's extremely well written and provocative. Definitely a worth while read.
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