War with the newts

War with the Newts (1935) is one of Čapek' s prose works of the 1930s, which responded to the social and political situation in Europe, especially the imminent outbreak of another world war. This science fiction novel is such a prescient and timeless message, warning against blindness, human indifference, and fanatical desire for power.

While pearl fishing on the Pacific island of Tana Masa, Captain Van Toch, originally from Bohemia, discovers intelligent creatures similar to salamanders. He begins using them to collect underwater pearls and in return supplies them with knives so the salamanders can defend themselves against attacking sharks. Gradually, however, the captain realizes how advantageously the Newts could be used for other work. He teams up with his old friend, factory owner Bondy, and together they start a large-scale business using the Newts as cheap labor. After the captain' s death, Bondy expands his Newt business around the world, until their numbers suddenly exceed the number of humans. And the behavior of the Newts, rebelling against human enslavement, begins to spiral out of control.