 In 3174 , the Albertian Order of St. Leibowitz is still preserving the half @-@ understood knowledge from before the Flame Deluge and the subsequent Age of Simplification . The new Dark Age is ending , however , and a new Renaissance is beginning . Thon Taddeo Pfardentrott , a highly regarded secular scholar , is sent by his cousin Hannegan , Mayor of Texarkana , to the abbey . Thon Taddeo , frequently compared to Galileo , is interested in the Order 's preserved collection of Memorabilia . 
