Walter M. Miller's retro sci-fi apocalypse arrived in the mail as a birthday gift apparently designed to remind me of my mortality (thanks EA!). While I don't want to spoil it by giving too much away, I think it's fine to say that it tells the story of how all things pass away from a deeply Catholic perspective -- roughly speaking, the endless cyclic instability of the world is laid at the doorstep of original sin. That said, one hardly needs to be a Catholic to read or enjoy the book (though some knowledge of Latin would have helped). It's a well told story with a number of surprising twists that, despite its clear message, does not browbeat the reader like a pedantic allegory. In fact, in the end, there is even a profoundly weird and rather subversive ray of hope for 'humanity'. Just don't pick it up with the expectation of feeling comforted about turning 50.
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