Naiche A. (Naiche) reviewed on 1/16/2012 + 91 more book reviews

I have very mixed feelings about this book.

In the first section (it's written in three sections), it's centered around a post-nuclear war Catholic monastery which has attempted to retain as much of the knowledge and technology of the pre-war era as it can get its hands on, with mixed and hilarious results. This section is witty, provocative, and an interesting and thoughtful exploration of both the positive roles of the church as a stabilizing and civilizing force in barbaric times and the negative roles of the church as closed-minded and focused on rote repetition. It's also very funny.

However, the following sections of the book, however, lose this nuanced view and the theme turns into: "What is really wrong with all human societies is that they don't follow the (specifically Catholic) church" and "Without the Catholic church, humans are doomed to despair and savagery". I found this a little hard to swallow, and the depiction in the later sections of the book of Catholic leaders as universally wise, principled, and self-deprecating was a little much. I found these sections both less interesting and less believable.

Overall, I'm glad I read it, but I can't overwhelmingly recommend it.

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