Ernst Kruger's experiment recalls that of the scientist in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus (1818). Frankenstein forms his creature from the bones and flesh of dead people and then gives it life. The result is a lonely, miserable being not originally savage, but one which becomes a killer after humans reject it. Kruger's de Weisse Hai is made savage from the outset because it is intended to be an unconquerable warrior. While neither story is believable, Mary Shelley does a better job of creating an atmosphere which enables the reader to more easily accept her premises. She had the advantage of introducing a new idea into fiction, the prototype for many novels, including White Shark.