War with the Newts

I enjoyed this book. A fantastical premise that seems within the realm of possibility, I loved watching the newts grow and change, slowly becoming more than anyone thought they would.

Of all the science-fiction books I read in my teenage years, this is the one that stimulated my mind the most, and the one I've re-read most often. It's the story of a discovery of another intelligent species, not in space but on an island lost in the Pacific. The new species are man-sized newts, with language and smart enough to acquire H. sapiens technology quickly. Eventually the newts and humans go to war, and that's all the plot I'll give you. I loved to watch newts when I was a kid. In California especially, there are several species with interesting life-styles. Taricha torosa is a pretty brown and red newt with pebbly skin. It lives most of the year on land, but returns en masse to water to mate. It's a graceful, gentle, slow-moving creature with remarkably human "hands" and large eyes. That's the newt I imagine as the prototype for Capek's man-sized newt. T.torosa is also deadly poisonous... if you eat it. There's an evolutionary battle occurring in California right now! The newts' chief predator is the garter snake; snakes have been evolving tolerance for the newt's poison, which would kill the hugest other predator. In turn, the newts have been evolving ever stronger toxins. Recently, a population of snakes was discovered, in an isolated eco-zone, which has evolved better resistance and thus has gained the advantage in the endless evolutionary race. In any case, reading Capek's book, I felt much like a traitor to my species. In every way, justice seemed to be on the newts' side. Obviously Capek has intuited what might well be the scenario of the future, when H. sapiens encounters another intelligence in the galaxy. Let's hope that species has evolved farther ethically than we humans have.

Of all the science-fiction books I read in my teenage years, this is the one that stimulated my mind the most, and the one I've re-read most often. It's the story of a discovery of another intelligent species, not in space but on an island lost in the Pacific. The new species are man-sized newts, with language and smart enough to acquire H. sapiens technology quickly. Eventually the newts and humans go to war, and that's all the plot I'll give you. I loved to watch newts when I was a kid. In California especially, there are several species with interesting life-styles. Taricha torosa is a pretty brown and red newt with pebbly skin. It lives most of the year on land, but returns en masse to water to mate. It's a graceful, gentle, slow-moving creature with remarkably human "hands" and large eyes. That's the newt I imagine as the prototype for Capek's man-sized newt. T.torosa is also deadly poisonous... if you eat it. There's an evolutionary battle occurring in California right now! The newts' chief predator is the garter snake; snakes have been evolving tolerance for the newt's poison, which would kill the hugest other predator. In turn, the newts have been evolving ever stronger toxins. Recently, a population of snakes was discovered, in an isolated eco-zone, which has evolved better resistance and thus has gained the advantage in the endless evolutionary race. In any case, reading Capek's book, I felt much like a traitor to my species. In every way, justice seemed to be on the newts' side. Obviously Capek has intuited what might well be the scenario of the future, when H. sapiens encounters another intelliegence in the galaxy. Let's hope that species has evolved farther ethically than we humans have.

and Saw a Beast Rise up Out of the Sea. This apocalyptic vision from the book of Revelations is a fitting introduction to Karel Capek's dystopian masterpiece, War With the Newts. Capek described in an interview how the idea for War With The Newts came to him and serves as a good synopsis of the book: "I had written the sentence, 'You mustn't think that the evolution that gave rise to us was the only evolutionary possibility on this planet. . . . that cultural developments could be shaped through the mediation of another animal species. If the biological conditions were favorable, some civilization not inferior to our own could arise in the depths of the sea. . . . Would it do the same stupid things mankind has done? Would it invite the same historical calamities? What would we say if some animal other than man declared that its education and its numbers gave it the sole right to occupy the entire world and hold sway over all creation?" Out of this thought process War With the Newts Was Born. The plot is straightforward. The master of a tramp steamer, Captain van Toch, comes across a rather curious breed of newts in an isolated lagoon near Sumatra. He discovers that they are intelligent and capable of communication. They lack, however, the ability to open easily oysters for food because of their short arms. He takes a knife and shows them how to use it. Next thing you know they have used his knife to open thousands of oysters, enough to provide the newts with food and the Captain with a large supply of pearls. Captain van Toch takes groups of newts and plants them in lagoons across the coastlines and lagoons of Asia. They are extraordinarily industrious. Before long newts become a worldwide rage. Every nation in the world uses newts to perform Herculean tasks of underwater and coastal development. The newts do not demand salaries. They merely ask for heavy equipment and munitions to facilitate these underwater projects. In short order the manufacture and supply of arms and equipment for newts becomes the single most important part of the world's economy. Despite some increasingly violent skirmishes between newts and man no nation is willing to cease providing weapons to the newts. Before long the newts revolt, led by the Great Salamander (an apparent parody of Hitler), and announce that they will start destroying the earth, continent by continent in order to provide more coastline for the growing newt population. Despite this threat the nations of the earth continue to provide arms to the newts. The resultant battle is over quickly. Mountains are leveled, continents are turned into a series of islands and what is left of man finds its way to the Alps, or Rocky Mountains, or Himalayas. As the story concludes, the author engages in a dialogue with himself and asks himself whether this is the end of man. After a great deal of soul searching he responds that perhaps the newts will take on all of the characteristics of the huma

Though perhaps best known for coining the word "robot" in his wonderful play R.U.R., Capek also wrote a number of stories and novels. Of his novels, War With the Newts is probably the best known. And with good reason. It is an excellent story. Flirting with the apocalyptic tradition in science fiction, this novel tells the story of the discovery of large, intelligent sea creatures off a small island "west of Sumatra." Initially curiosities, their intelligence makes them excellent workers for underwater projects for humans. Unfortunately for humans, these creatures are in fact quite smart enough and, over the course of a few years, develop to the point where they can challenge people for the domination of the earth. Which they do quite effectively. Written in a number of styles--journalistic and scientific in addition to straightforward prose that switches points of view--it is very engaging. Granted, the prose is a little more formal as befits a novel written in the 1930's and the translator has kept that formal feeling but I am quite fond of this style. And Capek's perceptive examination of the politics of this period in his tale of newts and man is impressive. Capek is often thought of as a science fiction writer but, as is the case with many writers of this genre, his appeal is much wider. Otherwise, why would his novels and plays still be read nearly 80 years later. Anyone with a taste for good, intellectual writing would enjoy this novel.

Captain Van Toch finds a bay which is home to a giant salanmander which he soon comes to realize is a very smart salanmander. He ends up training them to hunt for pearls, in return giving them knives to fight off their ancient enemy - the sharks. After he dies the world ends up taking over and exploiting them. These 'Newts' are trained to work underwater, carrying out projects to increase the landmass, clean harbours and build aircraft islands. Soon the military is training them to fight, the schools are training them to read and write, and the newts are also being taught about God, freedoms, history and other subjects that slowly change them to being equal to mankind in every field of science and knowledge.What happens when MANKIND is the Newts' new enemy?Is this a warning about exploiting the workers? Or a warning against mankind losing what makes us human? Or maybe a warning against relaying on machines too much? Or is it a warning about how man fights man? No matter what the warning IS it IS also a GOOD SCIENCE FICTION book. If you like Wells you will like Capek. Also lots of humor.