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Jul 17, 2016susan_findlay rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Bleak and barbaric. While the setting is the future, the world presented more closely resembles a prehistoric one than a futuristic one. For that reason, it doesn't particularly read like science fiction. The book is divided into three sections, each set in a different century after a nuclear war had destroyed much of civilization, and the hatred of knowledge felt by the remaining humans had destroyed much of the rest (blaming the nuclear war on science/technology/knowledge rather than on human weakness - though the humans perceived as responsible had been slaughtered while the books burned). As the first section of the book begins, the only place that has attempted to preserve knowledge is the church. The hero of this section is a monk who accidentally stumbles across a fallout shelter which still contains some pre-war papers. The other two sections also follow monks at the same monastery - though the third section is jarringly different from the first two (which are excellent). It's necessary to fully communicate the author's overall message, but it's a very awkward transition. I would hate to have to live in the world portrayed in this book, but most of the characters are compelling and the scenario is not entirely unbelievable.