The Absolute at Large (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Karel Ccaron;apek
- First Published: 1922
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Science fiction—extrapolatory
- Time of Work: 1943-1953
- Setting: Primarily Czechoslovakia
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, 1940’s, Religion, Czechoslovakia or Czechoslovakians, Nuclear energy or power plants
- Locales: Czechoslovakia
The Plot
Karel Čapek published The Absolute at Large at the beginning of his career, showing early his fascination with futurology. The interest manifested itself in several other works. The story concerns a young Czech engineer, Rudolph Marek, who invents a machine called the Karburator, which uses atomic energy without any residue, which he calls the Absolute. A manufacturer, G. H. Bondy, inspects the machine and is overcome by a strange euphoria resembling that of religious ecstasy. This absolute, godlike power of the machine made the inventor anxious to sell it....
[The entire page is 970 words long]
