RUR & War with the Newts

Two dystopian satires from one of the most distinguished writers of 20th-century European science fiction. R.U.R. is the work that first introduced the word 'robot' into popular usage.

Written against the background of the rise of Nazism, War With the Newts concerns the discovery in the South Pacific of a sea-dwelling race, which is enslaved and exploited by mankind. In time they rebel, laying siege to the strongholds of their former masters in a global war for supremacy.

R.U.R., or Rossum's Universal Robots, seen by many as a modern interpretation of the 'golem' myth, is regarded as the most important play in the history of SF. It introduced the word 'robot' and gave the genre one of its most enduring tropes.

Review

Two cautionary (and visionary) tales that show us full well that man is at the top of the evolutionary chain through no real merit of his own. -- Graeme Flory ― GRAEME'S FANTASY BOOK REVIEW Blog

About the Author

Karel Capek (1890-1938) was one of the most important Czech writers of the twentieth century and a major voice in early European science fiction. His work traversed many genres, and his most famous play, R.U.R., introduced the word 'robot' into popular usage. He died on Christmas Day 1938.