Válka s mloky (1936)

In War with the Newts, Čapek’s intelligent newts become profitable workers before the humans exploiting them reckon with the consequences. Reports, anecdotes and invented documents let the satire spread across commerce, nationalism and scientific authority. Read for science fiction whose form is as mischievous as its premise. Ewald Osers’s translation from Czech is one established English option, alongside other versions. The original title is Válka s mloky; this is the novel, not Čapek’s separate robot play R.U.R.