Favorite book I read in 2013: A Canticle for Leibowitz

A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter M. Miller, 1960
This novel describes a post-apocalyptic future through three vignettes involving the Brothers of St. Leibowitz.

"Fiat Homo" (let there be man), takes place during the first centuries after a nuclear war referred to as the Flame Deluge", when the world is just emerging from the wreckage. This revolves around the brothers of, not yet, St. Leibowitz attempting to get their founder canonized by Vatican in "New Rome". The state of society, and their understanding of the period that came before are at a very low level. Miller clearly means this to be an analogy for the Late Antique period, commonly referred to as "The Dark Ages", and people are very much

"Fiat Lux" (let there be light), is set during an period obviously modeled on the renaissance. Science & Technology are being rediscovered at a quick pace. The libraries of the Brothers at St. Leibowitz are crucial since they have been copying blueprints from the time before the fall. Along with these discoveries, however, questions emerge. As humans achieve greater things, and obtain more power, who should control the information? the state? scientists? And what is the relationship of the divine with these new discoveries and creations.

"Fiat Voluntuas Tua" (they will be done), brings the cycle full circle. The world is either what we would consider moderns, or near future. The Abbey at St. Leibowitz is divided between a glass and steel research institution and the old "Medieval" house of worship. A unique facet of this section are the "press conferences" that sometimes get inserted between chapters (implying advanced communication tech), that update the reader on "current" global events. This final act deals with humanity struggle to deal with the world it has create. This is played out on the geopolitical, social, and individual level, for a satisfying, if depressing, conclusion.

The three parts are styilistically and thematically distinct. "Fiat Homo" has a slow moving mystical quality to it. "Fiat Lux" is faster paced, and giving a sense of progress. "Fiat Voluntuas Tua" is almost chaotic. The three work well together to tell the story of an entire epoch. Emergence, growth, and culmination are played out in a grand tune that tells of hope, courage, cowardice, and ultimately, destruction.

I recommend this book to everyone.

Note, previously I said I would write about all the books I remembered reading. Scrapping that. Grad school and work shut me down pretty hard last month, and I wanted to get this out before march rolled around.

Books I read in 2013

So 2013 was a good year, for reading books anyway. Like many people (at least, I hope I'm not alone), I have an ever growing "To Read" list. Bellow is a semi-complete list of the Books I read, reread, or listened to this year and what I thought about them.

Note. I don't really have a preference between listening and reading books. I'm sure I notice differences, but I don't think I miss more when reading or listening. I'll also switch off in the middle of a book, while I'll admin this is difficult to sync sometimes, it's worth the effort to keep the story going while I'm doing chores or whatever.

Anyway, here are the first few.

Neuromancer

William Gibson, 1984
Neuromancer is an important novel to read. It has inspired a lot of other material since its creation. The Matrix Trilogy, Strange Days, Snow Crash, Aeon Flux, and Ghost in The Shell all draw from it. The representation of tech and the all around aesthetic of the novel is its most distinguish feature. Most obviously, hacking on a computer is presented in a romanticized, action packed, visually interesting way. Body modifications, bizarre subcultures, and globalization also contribute to an interesting texture for this world. The result is a bit of a free for all.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes Phillip K. Dick, the works I listed above, or dreams about computers.

Rubicon: The last Years of the Roman Republic

Tom Holland, 2003
Rubicon is a popular (as in for the populace) history book, that follows the course of the ancient Roman Republics decline. I was already familiar with the people and events before reading, nevertheless I found Rubicon entertaining and edifying. Tom Holland weaves history, myth, and gossip into a compelling narrative. Not only does Rubicon cover the battles, generals, kings, elections, and trials that impacted the period. Debauched resort towns, beatnik counter culture, prophesy, prostitutes, slaves, and gangsters all play their parts. And the lines between these are often blurry.

After reading, I have a richer vision (if not understanding) of the people, places, and course of what may be the greatest epic in human (at least western) history. I'm also left with the impression that they are at once shockingly modern and barbaric. Would recommend to anyone who kinda thinks ancient stuff is cool.

How To Create A Mind

Ray Kurzweil, 2012

I wrote an earlier post about this book, so I'll just summarize here.

I see this as the latest incarnation of Kurzweil's singularity books, expressing his vision of future human computer evolution. How To Create a mind focuses specifically on advancements in our understanding of Human Cognition. As always the predictions are optimistic and met with skepticism. That's ok. Kurzweil is writing in a long tradition of futurist that date back at least to the 19th century. However likely this future is, Kurzweil is convinced it is certain, there is still value in grappling with the implications. It is like a great SF novel. Not that it is fiction, but that the ideas challenge my notions of cognition, self, humanity.

A bit heady but worth reading.

Nostrilia

Cordwainer Smith, 1964 (first half as "The Planet Buyer")
This is the weirdest book I read this year. Maybe the weirdest I've ever read. Two reasons stand out: stroon, and underpeople. In the far future, stroon is a substance that grants immortality and is extracted from building sized infected sheep. Underpeople are animals that are bread to look and think a lot like people, and perform less desirable tasks, such as maintaining the vast infrastruct or, to put it bluntly, whoring. Navigating these ideas and others even through a fairly straight forward narrative proves challenging. The universe is so foreign that I end up empathizing the underpeople more than the "real people", who live thousands of years and are telepathic.

Unfortunately this is Smith's only novel. But he does have a collection of short stories called "The Rediscovery of Man", that I will definitely be checking out.

Like "How To Create A Mind" this book challenges what it means to be human. I would only recommend this to harcore SF people.

Furies of Calderon

Jim Butcher, 2004
This is a straight forward sword and sorcery novel. Not a whole lot in the way of new ideas. The author borrows heavily from Wheel of Time especially. There are a couple of satisfying twists, and the world is charming. But overall I feel like there we a lot of times when the book was dragged out needlessly. And while charming the world lacks the depth and richness of other fantasy worlds. There is also that feeling that nothing really bad is going to happen to any character of importance. Basically none the characters with independent action are killed (only captured, or injured and flee). Make no mistake there is tons of death, plenty of underlings die, but nobody that really matters.

Would recommend to someone looking for an easy fantasy read. It's like OK, but I didn't love it.

To be continued....

I'll complete the list and name my FAVORITE BOOK I READ LAST YEAR in a upcoming post.