Items related to The Absolute at Large (Classics of Science Fiction)
Synopsis
This story centers on the invention of a reactor that can annihilate matter to produce cheap and abundant energy. Unfortunately, it produces something else as a by-product, the absolute. The absolute is a spiritual essence that according to some religious philosophies allegedly permeates all matter. It is associated with human religious experience, as unsuspecting humanity is to find out all too soon in the story. The widespread adoption of the reactors causes an enormous outpouring of pure absolute into the world. This leads to an outburst of religious and nationalist fervor, causing the greatest, most global war in history.
R. D. Mullen called the novel "one of the genuine masterpieces of SF", but noted that due to its originality "it has surely had no great influence on popular SF".
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Review
"Capek's skewering of human greed and faith is all the more impressive given that the novel was originally published in 1922."―Pedro Ponce, Review of Contemporary Fiction (Pedro Ponce Review of Contemporary Fiction)
"Capek offers the tale of a machine capable of generating limitless energy that also releases the unknown spiritual essence locked within physical matter, with cataclysmic results."―Library Journal (Library Journal)
"The Absolute at Large goes beyond the religious fervor of Nazism, foreshadowing the collectivization of Communism and the emergence of a free market too wide for any known West."―Village Voice (Village Voice)
"A satirical science fiction classic. . . . Though Capek wrote The Absolute at Large more than 80 years ago, it absolutely retains its wit and relevance today."―Donna McCrohan Rosenthal, News Review (Donna McCrohan Rosenthal News Review)
"Capek's dialog is fantastic, his characters richly drawn. But his vision of a world transcendently captivated by an apparent higher calling and then hoodwinked into war for nine years over a source of fuel is so prescient, it makes the novel seem like it was written today."―Cara Hoffman, NPR's All Things Considered (Cara Hoffman NPR's All Things Considered)
About the Author
Karel Capek (1890–1938) was an acclaimed Czech author of novels, plays, essays, political writings, and short stories. His works include R.U.R., the famous play in which Capek coined the word “robot.” Stephen Baxter is the author of several science-fiction works, including the Philip K. Dick Award–winning Vacuum Diagrams, and the coauthor, along with Arthur C. Clarke, of The Light of Other Days.
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Search results for The Absolute at Large (Classics of Science Fiction)
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The Absolute at Large (Classics of Science Fiction) (English and Czech Edition)
Seller: POQUETTE'S BOOKS, DEWITT, MI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Good. EX LIBRARY BOOK. Seller Inventory # mon0000170304
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THE ABSOLUTE AT LARGE
Seller: Easton's Books, Inc., Mount Vernon, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: VG+. Hardback in Very Good+ condition without dust jacket. Classics Of Science Fiction. 6 X 0.75 X 8.75 inches. 242 pages. Interior is clean and unmarked. Binding is tight and corners are sharp. Very little shelf wear. Quick shipping, excellent customer service. All books carefully packaged in boxes and ship with tracking information. Seller Inventory # 69119
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The Absolute at Large
Published by
Hyperion Press, Inc., Westport, 1974
ISBN 10: 0883551047
ISBN 13: 9780883551042
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Quercus Rare Books, Chico, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. No Jacket. Reprint Edition. Westport: Hyperion Press, Inc., 1974. Originally published serially in 1922, this is a dystopian satire, with religious fervor somehow released by nuclear fission. Capek, a master of dystopia, eventually would write "War With the Newts," considered one of the greatest speculative fiction novels of the XXth Century. This is a Fine copy of a reprint of the 1927 Macmillan edition, part of the "Classics of Science Fiction" series. Gray cloth binding, decorated and lettered in black. Clean text; v, 242 pages. The Introduction is by William E. Harkins. No dustjacket; in an archival plastic protector. Reprint Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 003089
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The Absolute at Large (Classics of Science Fiction) (English and Czech Edition)
Seller: SHIMEDIA, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Satisfaction Guaranteed or your money back. Seller Inventory # 0883551047