Metropolis

Every ten hours the machines of Metropolis roar for food, and the food is men.

While the workers of Metropolis labor in hellish machine rooms deep beneath the city streets, the privileged elite, in their shining towers, lead lives of luxury. Among the fortunate sons of Metropolis no one is more privileged than Freder Fredersen, and no one is more revered, or more feared, than his father, Joh Fredersen.

After an encounter with Maria, a spiritual leader for the oppressed workers of Metropolis, Freder begins to question how the workers in Metropolis are treated. Joh Fredersen then decides to crush his son's sudden conscience regarding the underclass, along with Freder's growing infatuation with Maria, by portraying Maria as the leader of a murderous worker's rebellion.

However, Joh Fredersen realizes too late that his son's willpower rivals his own. With the city falling into ruin around him, will the Master of Metropolis accept that he cannot command his son's love as easily as he commands the loyalty of others, or will his hubris condemn Freder and Maria to death along with Metropolis?

Metropolis, by Thea von Harbou, was first published in 1925 and formed the basis for Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film of the same name. Like the film, the novel is a classic in the science fiction genre. Unlike the film, the novel spotlights much more than class struggle. It also explores the dehumanizing aspects of technology with a plot riding on turbulent undercurrents of hubris, betrayal, and revenge.