Gladiator

The classic novel about a superhuman seeking his purpose in life—and the inspiration for Superman and the pulp hero Doc Savage.

Obsessed with creating a superior human being possessing super-strength and endurance, a scientist injects his pregnant wife with a formula to alter their unborn child's genetics. When Hugo Danner arrives into the world—on Christmas Day—his physique is unlike other newborns and his abilities soon manifest. His God-fearing mother prays her son is not an abomination while his father believes he has created the first of a new race that must save humanity from itself.

Taught to keep his powers secret, Hugo struggles to connect with classmates, knowing he is different. Through childhood and adolescence, he is judged and bullied, fighting the urge to strike back at those he considers inferior. Establishing himself as a football star in college, Hugo experiences harsh lessons in life and love that wound even his invulnerable body. But it is in the trenches of France during the Great War where he witnesses the cruel insanity countries force soldiers to inflict on one another, making Hugo question his very existence as a single superhuman in a world consumed by greed, hate, and bloodshed. He has the might to tear down corrupt governments and ensure justice for all—but how can one man enforce utopian ideals across the entire human race?

Insightful and provocative, Philip Wylie's Gladiator explores how even a person with extraordinary abilities must cope with their personal emotions, insecurities, and flaws—and reveals what it means to be human.