Huge thanks to Scoot for joining me for this conversation. I certainly had fun. If you don’t know Scoot, give his work some time. He writes fiction over at Gibberish and—remarkably apt for our discussion—writes about Catholics and modernity over at The Peasant Times Dispatch.
This book has been living rent-free in my head since I finished it, and getting to talk it through with someone who appreciates it so deeply was exactly what I needed.
And thank you to everyone who tuned in live. The turnout honestly surprised me, and it was a pleasure seeing so many familiar names show up for a long, nerdy, spoiler-heavy discussion of a very strange, very demanding novel.
Show Notes:
This conversation is full-spoiler and assumes you’ve either read A Canticle for Leibowitz or you don’t care about spoilers.
We talked about:
Why this book is a Rorschach test: is it hopeful or nihilistic?
Brother Francis, anonymous sacrifice, and continuity across centuries
💀 skulls and wooden statues
Hope is a choice. Hope is also a gift.
🔥This book looks evil in the eye.
Suffering, euthanasia, and moral shortcuts.
⚕️“We can eliminate human pain by eliminating humans!”
Who the heck is Rachel? Is she a Marian apparition?
Thon Taddeo and the modern(ist) mindset
Why Dune sucks
We didn’t do a great job of interacting with chat during the stream, so I’d love to keep the conversation going here.
Did Canticle strike you as ultimately hopeful, or ultimately tragic?
And what image or moment from the book has stuck with you the most?
Feel free to comment, restack, or share this with someone who’s read the book and needs to talk about it with another human being like I did.
Further Reading:
You should read A Canticle for Leibowitz. But if not, read these instead.
From Scoot, some timely ruminations on virtues, and an exciting sci-fi serial, Before the Maps are Final. If you like Canticle, this stuff is up your alley:
And from myself, a reflection on King Théoden and his own experience with hope, which I mentioned on the livestream 👇
