Gladiator
First published 1930 Reading time about 5 hours
Gladiator, first published in 1930, tells the story of Hugo Danner, who is given superhuman speed, endurance, strength, and intelligence by his father as an experiment in creating a better human. We follow Hugo throughout his life viewed from his perspective, from childhood, when Hugo first discovers he’s different from others, to adulthood, as Hugo tries to find a positive outlet for his abilities around the time of the First World War. Gladiator has been made into a 1938 comedy movie, and is thought to be the inspiration for the Superman comic books—though this has not been confirmed.
- Science fiction
- Fathers and sons · Fiction
- Psychological fiction
- Alienation (Social psychology) · Fiction
- Human experimentation in medicine · Fiction
- Loneliness · Fiction
- Muscle strength · Fiction
Read it on Old Book Reader
With explanations of any passage, a built-in dictionary and notes that open in place. Join the waitlist and we'll write once when Old Book Reader is available.