ISBN: 0486834085 9780486834085

Category: Fiction / Science Fiction / General

Page count: 176

<p>&quot;One of the genuine masterpieces of sci-fi.&quot; — R. D. Mullen<br><br>In this satirical and enduringly relevant work of science fiction, the acclaimed Czech author Karel Čapek offers a prescient fable of the benefits and dangers of atomic power. Originally published in 1922, the story is set in a then-futuristic Czechoslovakia of 1943, in which an inventor develops the Karburator, a device with the potential to provide abundant low-cost energy. But the reactor's exciting possibilities are shadowed by its dangerous side effect: instead of carbon dioxide, it emits the Absolute, a spiritual essence that inspires a powerful religious fervor. Greed triumphs over ethics as the inventor and his business partner proceed with mass production of the Karburator, resulting in simmering religious strife that ignites a world war.<br>Karel Čapek is best known for popularizing the term &quot;robot&quot; in his play <i>R.U.R.,</i> a seminal work of science fiction in which the robots are metaphors for a world dehumanized by social organization and technology. He offers another strikingly foresighted vision in <i>The Absolute at Large, </i>written decades before global warming awareness yet predicting the catastrophic consequences of the unchecked pursuit of profit by business and industry.</p>