A Canticle for Leibowitz
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.by Walter M. Miller Jr. and Волтер Майкл Міллер-молодший
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 33 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Post-apocalyptic science fiction praised for its striking writing, religious and intellectual themes, and unsettling ending that stays with readers.
Post-apocalyptic science fiction praised for its striking writing, religious and intellectual themes, and unsettling ending that stays with readers.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Memorable, unsettling post-apocalyptic story
“"Canticle" blew my 14 year old mind. Really sad ending but the mutations really got under my skin.”
Comment from 4 Aug 2026 in “Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" is set today (2026-08-04)” “It is an ur-text for the Fallout wasteland for sure.”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Well written, talented authors
“Imagine the different potential outcomes had our authors not been so talented.”
Comment from 4 Aug 2026 in “Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" is set today (2026-08-04)” “It's startlingly well written, at least the first two parts.”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Where did all the starships go?” Rich religious and intellectual themes
“readers of this thread who did appreciate the religious themes of Hyperion may be interested”
Comment from 28 Feb 2026 in “Dan Simmons, author of Hyperion, Song of Kali, dead at 77” “If you want the intellectual take go with A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller)”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| A Canticle for Leibowitzby Walter M. Miller Jr. and Волтер Майкл Міллер-молодшийThis page | 15 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
What people said
11 of the 15 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It is an ur-text for the Fallout wasteland for sure.”
“books I liked more when I reread them as an adult”
“I greatly prefer A Canticle for Leibowitz”
“"Canticle" blew my 14 year old mind. Really sad ending but the mutations really got under my skin.”
“Imagine the different potential outcomes had our authors not been so talented.”
“See A Canticle for Leibowitz”
“If you want the intellectual take go with A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller)”
“It is one of my favorite books.”
“readers of this thread who did appreciate the religious themes of Hyperion may be interested”
“It's startlingly well written, at least the first two parts.”
“My favourite part of a Canticle for Leibowitz is the manual auto regressive model the old monk is using to recover damaged books.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.