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Title: War With the Newts by Karel Capek, Ewald Osers ISBN: 0945774109 Publisher: Catbird Press Pub. Date: 1990 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.74
Rating: 5
Summary: Priceless satire
Comment: In a remarkably funny and thought-provoking book, Karel Capek portrays the 20th century in all its monstrosity. He cleverly demasks militarism, racism, and cut-throat capitalism with a story about man-like newts who are exploited by greedy and power-hungry humans. More than anything, Capek's book is an attack on modern culture's emphasis on science and technology to the detriment of humanity and civilization. This culture includes nationalist ideology, which is useful in excusing atrocities and excesses. As a result, the future of mankind itself is threatened (World War II, needless to say, proved Capek's point).
The newts, discovered far away in the Dutch East Indies by an eccentric captain, are spread around the world with funds from a wealthy industrialist syndicate. They learn how to use tools, even how to speak, and soon they are used not only for commercial but also for military purposes. Afraid to fall behind in the underwater arms race, leaders ignore the possibility that the newts one day might rise up against their masters...
Although Capek is addressing difficult and serious questions, his writing is amusing to the point of hilarity. The style of writing is mock-serious and satirical. Here is a writer who knows people, and has the ability to bring out the comedy within the great human tragedy. I recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humor and a concern for the future of civilization.
Rating: 4
Summary: Definitely worth reading
Comment: War with the Newts is a good book not only for its intellectual value but also for enjoyment. The plot is interesting and easily captivating. In an age where exploitation in its many forms (politically, racially, environmentally, etc.) is still prevalent, the books stands as a strong satire to the possible, if not far off, consequences of society's actions. As the satire builds and the newts gain control, the book becomes more interesting, especially in a realistic sense with its constant explanatory footnotes and articles from such established periodicals as National Geographic. The final chapter is noteworthy, as Capek reveals his consciousness of the reader and his/her possible reactions to the brief (some would say sudden) ending. An easy and entertaining read, War with the Newts is defintely worth reading. (Personal note: About time, Mr. Rutstein.)
Rating: 5
Summary: This is the way the world ends...
Comment: ...and this is also the genesis of science fiction as a medium for social commentary. Long before Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, and Douglas Adams mined science fiction for dark pearls of wisdom, Karel Capek set the stage with the delightful "War with the Newts." A long-time favorite of mine ever since I studied it in a literature class in college, I enjoy revisiting this book time and time again. Capek effectively uses a time-line approach to document the exploitation of the "newts," all the while poking fun at (then-current) Aryan superiority, rascism, and "bonehead" science. The assumption of the inferiority of certain classes of people is shown by Capek to inevitably lead to the downfall of the world as we know it. Since Capek's time, other authors have followed his path with some success, but Capek remains the master of this genre, and, along with H. G. Wells, Olaf Stapledon, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Jules Verne (oft-imitated authors in their own right), he must be considered one of the pioneers of modern science fiction
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Title: Tales from Two Pockets by Norma Comrada, Karel Povidky Z Jedne Kapsy Capek ISBN: 0945774257 Publisher: Catbird Press Pub. Date: 1994 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: R. U. R. and the Insect Play by Josef Capek, Karel Capek ISBN: 0192810103 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 1961 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Apocryphal Tales by Karel Capek, Norma Comrada ISBN: 0945774346 Publisher: Catbird Press Pub. Date: 1997 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Rossum's Universal Robots by Karel Capek, Paul Selver, Nigel Playfair ISBN: 0486419266 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 2001 List Price(USD): $1.50 |
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Title: Three Novels: Hordubal, Meteor, an Ordinary Life by Karel Capek, R. Weatherall, M. Weatherall ISBN: 0945774087 Publisher: Catbird Press Pub. Date: 1990 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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