Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman
Encyclopedia
Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman (1997) is a science fiction
novel written by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
. It is a follow-up to Miller's 1959 book A Canticle for Leibowitz
. Miller wrote the greater part of the novel before his death in 1996, and it was completed from his outline by Terry Bisson
.
The novel is set chronologically some eighty years after the events of the second part of A Canticle for Leibowitz
, "Fiat Lux" (c. 3254 AD). As the third part of the original novel, "Fiat Voluntas Tua", is set over six centuries later (3781 AD), the novel can be seen as a 'midquel'; that is, a sequel which takes place during a chronology gap of an earlier work; rather than as a 'sequel' per se.
In the novel, the city of New Rome has been captured and destroyed by the Empire of Texarkana. The Papacy, in exile from New Rome, now lives in the city of Valana. The story chronicles the plan of a worldly deacon and his followers to unite the remaining independent nations in North America
against the Texark Empire, and to restore power to the Church.
After completing Canticle, Miller signed for another book with Lippincott
, but the project apparently fell apart when the publisher offered only a small advance of $1,000. In 1978, Miller sent his agent, Don Congdon, a sixty-page excerpt from a "parallel novel" related to the earlier book. More than a decade later, Bantam
publisher Lou Aronica
learned of the draft, convinced Congdon to send him a copy, and quickly encouraged Miller to resume work on the novel. After Miller sent more than one hundred more pages to Aronica, Bantam contracted for the project a few months later, and Miller complete 250 more pages in 1990. Progress slowed, but by 1995 Miller had completed more than 600 pages. However, during a period of ill health following his wife's death that year, he stopped work on the novel, and committed suicide in early 1996.
Brownpony and Nimmy set off to the conclave, along with Brownpony's other servants: Wooshin (aka "Axe"), a mysterious warrior from the Orient, and Chur Hongan (aka "Holy Madness"), his Nomadic driver. Soon afterward, the reigning Pope dies. A conclave of cardinals is called to elect a new one, including a Cardinal Abbess from N'Yok (New York
). The Church had been exiled from the holy city of New Rome in previous decades because of an invasion by then king (or "Hannegan") of Texark. As a result, all papal affairs were conducted in the city of Valana, beyond the reach of the Texark empire.
During their journeys, the group (specifically, Holy Madness) have a divine vision. The vision is of the Night Hag, who only appears to a man in order to announce the death of someone else. It is from her appearance that Brownpony infers the death of the Pope. The Night Hag is one of the three avatars of the Nomad goddess, Open Sky. Open Sky's other two avatars are The Buzzard of Battle and the Wild Horse Woman.
Upon arriving at the settlement of Arch Hollow on the way to Valana, they are accosted by genetically handicapped Nomads. The Nomads are quickly subdued by Wooshin, an adept warrior. Among the Nomads, Nimmy has occasion to meet Ædrea, a beautiful mutant who is able to pass for healthy. The two fall in love, despite the fact that both are forbidden to fraternize: he because of his vows, she because of her genes. The group continues to Valana without her, and Nimmy is prohibited from seeing her again. Only after they have left Arch Hollow far behind does Blacktooth realize that he has left his rosary
in Ædrea's possession.
At the Conclave, Brownpony surprises the assembled cardinals by openly admitting that he is of Nomad ancestry. He makes this confession in order to embarrass a Texark scholar who was then present. Unfortunately, immediately after the outburst, a sickly student marches into the auditorium and attempts to assassinate the very same Texark infiltrator. Given the timing, it is widely presumed that Brownpony was behind the assassination, so attempts are made on the lives of Blacktooth and Brownpony. The violence of the Conclave escalates to a breaking point. The citizens of Valana, impatient for a new Pope, sequester the Conclave until the rival factions of cardinals (some allied with the Church, others with Texark) elect a new Pope. Under duress, the Conclave elects Amen Specklebird, a cryptic and oracular
vagrant, who doubles as a cult icon for the Valanian people. Amen's election marks the first stage in a series of events that escalate tensions between Texark and the Church.
Amen's reign as Pope proves to be short-lived. He makes an abortive attempt to return the Church to New Rome by sending a mission of Nomads and Cardinals east. The convoy is turned away by Texark guardsmen. However, the Nomadic contingent of the convoy, being hungry and poorly fed, decides to split from the Papal authority and raze the countryside around New Rome.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel written by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Walter Michael Miller, Jr. was an American science fiction author. Today he is primarily known for A Canticle for Leibowitz, the only novel he published in his lifetime. Prior to its publication he was a prolific writer of short stories.- Biography :Miller was born in New Smyrna Beach, Florida...
. It is a follow-up to Miller's 1959 book A Canticle for Leibowitz
A Canticle for Leibowitz
A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller, Jr., first published in 1960. Set in a Roman Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the story spans thousands of years as...
. Miller wrote the greater part of the novel before his death in 1996, and it was completed from his outline by Terry Bisson
Terry Bisson
Terry Ballantine Bisson is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for his short stories...
.
The novel is set chronologically some eighty years after the events of the second part of A Canticle for Leibowitz
A Canticle for Leibowitz
A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller, Jr., first published in 1960. Set in a Roman Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the story spans thousands of years as...
, "Fiat Lux" (c. 3254 AD). As the third part of the original novel, "Fiat Voluntas Tua", is set over six centuries later (3781 AD), the novel can be seen as a 'midquel'; that is, a sequel which takes place during a chronology gap of an earlier work; rather than as a 'sequel' per se.
In the novel, the city of New Rome has been captured and destroyed by the Empire of Texarkana. The Papacy, in exile from New Rome, now lives in the city of Valana. The story chronicles the plan of a worldly deacon and his followers to unite the remaining independent nations in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
against the Texark Empire, and to restore power to the Church.
After completing Canticle, Miller signed for another book with Lippincott
Lippincott
Lippincott is a consulting firm that primarily deals with brand strategy and the development of corporate identities. The firm was founded in 1943 by J. Gordon Lippincott and Walter P. Margulies as Lippincott & Margulies....
, but the project apparently fell apart when the publisher offered only a small advance of $1,000. In 1978, Miller sent his agent, Don Congdon, a sixty-page excerpt from a "parallel novel" related to the earlier book. More than a decade later, Bantam
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
publisher Lou Aronica
Lou Aronica
Lou Aronica is an American editor and publisher, primarily of science fiction. He co-edited the Full Spectrum anthologies with Shawna McCarthy. As a publisher he began at Bantam Books and formed their Bantam Spectra science fiction and fantasy label...
learned of the draft, convinced Congdon to send him a copy, and quickly encouraged Miller to resume work on the novel. After Miller sent more than one hundred more pages to Aronica, Bantam contracted for the project a few months later, and Miller complete 250 more pages in 1990. Progress slowed, but by 1995 Miller had completed more than 600 pages. However, during a period of ill health following his wife's death that year, he stopped work on the novel, and committed suicide in early 1996.
Plot summary
The main character of the novel is Brother Blacktooth "Nimmy" St. George, a monk at Leibowitz Abbey. Brother Blacktooth, a former Nomad, is fluent both in Nomadic and Churchspeak. Unsatisfied with his job as a translator of ancient texts, and haunted by his roots as a Nomad, Blacktooth becomes increasingly restless. He feels pulled between the two societies: that of the church, and that of the wanderer. Blacktooth's reputation as a misfit compels the Abbot of Leibowitz, Jarad, to seek his expulsion from the order, while Blacktooth's unique linguistic skills attract the attention of the visiting Cardinal Elia Brownpony (aka Red Deacon). Brownpony requires a translator in his travels in order to deal diplomatically with unruly Nomads (Grasshopper and Jackrabbit). Thus, Cardinal Brownpony decides to enlist Nimmy's services, saving him from disgrace at the hands of Jarad.Brownpony and Nimmy set off to the conclave, along with Brownpony's other servants: Wooshin (aka "Axe"), a mysterious warrior from the Orient, and Chur Hongan (aka "Holy Madness"), his Nomadic driver. Soon afterward, the reigning Pope dies. A conclave of cardinals is called to elect a new one, including a Cardinal Abbess from N'Yok (New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
). The Church had been exiled from the holy city of New Rome in previous decades because of an invasion by then king (or "Hannegan") of Texark. As a result, all papal affairs were conducted in the city of Valana, beyond the reach of the Texark empire.
During their journeys, the group (specifically, Holy Madness) have a divine vision. The vision is of the Night Hag, who only appears to a man in order to announce the death of someone else. It is from her appearance that Brownpony infers the death of the Pope. The Night Hag is one of the three avatars of the Nomad goddess, Open Sky. Open Sky's other two avatars are The Buzzard of Battle and the Wild Horse Woman.
Upon arriving at the settlement of Arch Hollow on the way to Valana, they are accosted by genetically handicapped Nomads. The Nomads are quickly subdued by Wooshin, an adept warrior. Among the Nomads, Nimmy has occasion to meet Ædrea, a beautiful mutant who is able to pass for healthy. The two fall in love, despite the fact that both are forbidden to fraternize: he because of his vows, she because of her genes. The group continues to Valana without her, and Nimmy is prohibited from seeing her again. Only after they have left Arch Hollow far behind does Blacktooth realize that he has left his rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
in Ædrea's possession.
At the Conclave, Brownpony surprises the assembled cardinals by openly admitting that he is of Nomad ancestry. He makes this confession in order to embarrass a Texark scholar who was then present. Unfortunately, immediately after the outburst, a sickly student marches into the auditorium and attempts to assassinate the very same Texark infiltrator. Given the timing, it is widely presumed that Brownpony was behind the assassination, so attempts are made on the lives of Blacktooth and Brownpony. The violence of the Conclave escalates to a breaking point. The citizens of Valana, impatient for a new Pope, sequester the Conclave until the rival factions of cardinals (some allied with the Church, others with Texark) elect a new Pope. Under duress, the Conclave elects Amen Specklebird, a cryptic and oracular
Oracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
vagrant, who doubles as a cult icon for the Valanian people. Amen's election marks the first stage in a series of events that escalate tensions between Texark and the Church.
Amen's reign as Pope proves to be short-lived. He makes an abortive attempt to return the Church to New Rome by sending a mission of Nomads and Cardinals east. The convoy is turned away by Texark guardsmen. However, the Nomadic contingent of the convoy, being hungry and poorly fed, decides to split from the Papal authority and raze the countryside around New Rome.
Writings about Miller
- Roberson, W. H., 2011. Walter M. Miller, Jr.,: A Reference Guide to His Fiction and His Life.
- Roberson, W. H. and Battenfeld, R. L., 1992. Walter M. Miller, Jr.: A Bio-Bibliography.
- Secrest, Rose, 2002. Glorificemus: A Study of the Fiction of Walter M. Miller, Jr.