The Czech writer Karel C ˇapek produced a considerable body of work, both nonfiction and fiction of
various types including some science fiction and
fantasy. His biggest contribution to the field was
probably his creation of the word robot, in his 1921
play R.U.R., although the robots in the play were
organic rather than mechanical constructions.
His science fiction novels include Krakatit (1924),
in which a new explosive destroys the world;
The Makropoulos Secret (1925), which inspired
the opera The Makropoulos Case by Leos ˇ Janác ˇek;
involving the search for immortality; and The Absolute at Large (1922). But the only one to become
widely known outside of Europe was War with the
Newts (1936).
In the near future, humanity discovers the existence of sea-dwelling newts, inhuman but intelligent creatures who are basically friendly and
cooperative. Before long, entrepreneurs are exploiting the new species, which is capable of living
on land for brief periods, and the exploitation
grows more radical until it becomes outright slavery, although in this case C ˇapek was using that
condition as an allegory for class warfare. Eventually a charismatic leader arises among the newts,
organizes them, and strikes back at the surface
world by causing ecological changes that eventually flood all of the coastal regions in the world.
Humanity finds itself virtually powerless to counterattack, and is eventually doomed. C ˇapek’s
lightly satirical manner fails to take the sting out of
his indictment of the human tendency to take
advantage of the seemingly weak and to assume
that we are the lords of creation. Although the
newts in the novel have evolved naturally, the
story in many ways anticipates later work in which
animals have been uplifted to intelligent status,
particularly Brain Wave (1954) by Poul ANDERSON
and the Aldair series by Neal BARRETT JR.