book data
2,701 ratings,
3.54
average rating, 188 reviews
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published
January 1st 1994
(first published 1895)
by Bantam Classics
binding
Mass Market Paperback, 160 pages
characters
isbn
0553214322
(isbn13: 9780553214321)
description
A shipwreck in the South Seas, a palm-tree paradise where a mad doctor conducts vile experiments, animals that become human and then "beastly"...more
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avg 3.54
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in April, 2008
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)
The CCLaP 100: In which I read for the first time a hundred so-called "classics," then write reports on whether or not they deserve the label
Book #16: The Island of Dr Moreau, by HG Wells (1896)
The story in a nutshell:
Along with French author Jules V...more
The CCLaP 100: In which I read for the first time a hundred so-called "classics," then write reports on whether or not they deserve the label
Book #16: The Island of Dr Moreau, by HG Wells (1896)
The story in a nutshell:
Along with French author Jules V...more
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Read in March, 2009
I knew the high level concept of this book from allusions in other stories and movies, but I'd never read the original novel. It was a bit different from what I expected.
The writing style is very accessible and fluid while also being jam-packed with very vivid and detailed descriptions as well as some in-depth scientific and moralistic discussions. The first few pages were a little slow, but the rest of the book, except for a paragraph here and there, flew by and kept me very hooke...more
The writing style is very accessible and fluid while also being jam-packed with very vivid and detailed descriptions as well as some in-depth scientific and moralistic discussions. The first few pages were a little slow, but the rest of the book, except for a paragraph here and there, flew by and kept me very hooke...more
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Read in November, 2007
This book is much more compelling than Time Machine. I had to keep reading and wanted to finish the story. As usual, he has some interesting and thought provoking themes which are still relevent to us. Should we be manipulating plants and animals to suit our needs? In our search for understanding, are we losing or ignoring important ethics? I think one of the most interesting questions is why Dr. Moreau thought the image of man was the perfect image. Anyway, like his other books, it is a q...more
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Read in May, 2009
"Poor Brutes...Before they had been beasts, their instincts fitly adapted to their surroundings, and happy as living things may be. Now they stumbled in the shackles of humanity, lived in a fear that never died, fretted by a law they could not understand; their mock-human existence began in agony, was one long internal struggle, one long dread of Moreau--and for what? It was the wantonness that stirred me."
I too began to pity the beasts. However, the real beast of this nove...more
I too began to pity the beasts. However, the real beast of this nove...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
animal lovers
Something I'll never forget--Wells' favorite adverb in this book is "presently." He makes good use of this word as his character Edward Prendick vividly retells his experience of being stranded on an island with the "mad scientist" Dr. Moreau and his sot of an assistant Montgomery, who's favorite quip is to call everyone "a silly ass." No wonder this one is not frequently taught in most high schools.
Moreau has a gift for surgery, vivisection is the per...more
Moreau has a gift for surgery, vivisection is the per...more
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Read in May, 2005
I had seen at least one movie version of this book, and perhaps even read it before as a child, when I picked it up last night. It really is an excellent book, though some of the sentiments are a bit outdated. It addresses the meaning of humanity, religion, scientific progress. At points it is frightening and at others poignant. The description of the screams of animals as Moreau vivisected them is very disturbing. The story reads as both a nightmare and a commentary on man. I’d like to read m...more
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Read in February, 2009
Review – The Island of Dr. Moreau
I was wary when I picked up The Island of Dr. Moreau, having for some reason not liked H.G. Wells in my younger days. I was surprised at how refreshing and strange the book was, and how well it read.
The book is not without its flaws. The denouement – that the strange inhabitants of the island are animals surgically altered to give them human form – is loudly telegraphed, even if you didn’t already know it. At the end, Wells feels i...more
I was wary when I picked up The Island of Dr. Moreau, having for some reason not liked H.G. Wells in my younger days. I was surprised at how refreshing and strange the book was, and how well it read.
The book is not without its flaws. The denouement – that the strange inhabitants of the island are animals surgically altered to give them human form – is loudly telegraphed, even if you didn’t already know it. At the end, Wells feels i...more
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It was great fun reading this book. Wells had a real knack for telling compelling stories involving complicated scientific issues of his day. But the real force of this story lies in the underlying theological/philosophical issues he brings up and develops. Wells was definitely a Darwinian evolutionist, but he also seemed to have almost a prophetic vision for where this kind of thinking can lead. If man is the result of millions of years of random evolution, then why not perform vivisection ...more
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Read in February, 2009
There must be few educated people alive today who are unaware of the theory of evolution of species, even if they do not know the technical details or if they reject it out right. It is difficult in such a society to imagine the startlement, even shock, many people experienced when Darwin's ideas become widespread for the first time. This book is H.G. Wells' reaction to those ideas. Wells studied biology under Huxley, a great Darwin apologist, and makes his protagonist another such student - ...more
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Read in February, 2008
I hadn't read any HG Wells since my late teens; I recently discovered that Wells had been a student of TH Huxley (a friend and protagonist of Darwin). Knowing more of evolutionary biology now than I did as a teenager I was intrigued to take another look at Wells's work.
I had considered the book to be another "Treasure Island" and a work critical of the British Empire at the time (1896), but my views are more bio-political now. There is certainly an element of "God" in the...more
I had considered the book to be another "Treasure Island" and a work critical of the British Empire at the time (1896), but my views are more bio-political now. There is certainly an element of "God" in the...more
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Read in September, 2007
I haven't seen the movie(s) of it, so that didn't taint my perception. On the other hand, having Oingo Boingo running through my head the entire time I was reading was a little distracting...
My actual criticism is the lack of physical description and characterization that went into the Beast Men, which is rather unfortunate for a book about their brief stint of humanity.
My actual criticism is the lack of physical description and characterization that went into the Beast Men, which is rather unfortunate for a book about their brief stint of humanity.
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03/26/09
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A very good/ strange, scary story. I give it 4 stars. It's about a man that becomes standed in the sea and a man rescues him and later he follows this man to an Island. Their are a lot of weird looking humans around any way this man comes to find out that these are not people but beasts. Dr. Moreau is a crazy scientist who puts these beasts together from two or more animals. They look like humans and they speak. It made me a little mad and sad of the whole Darwinism in this, but it still doe...more
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Read in November, 2008
I got this as one of my 100 free classics. I vaguely remember the movie. The book is good. Fortunately HG Wells doesn't write in too crazy of a style. I've never made it through lots of the classics because I prefer modern English to anything else (no Grapes of Wrath, no Jane Eyre, etc.). I read to relax so I don't want to have to work hard :-)
****
Now I can happily say I'm done and I doubt I'll ever read this again. I didn't *hate* it, but I certainly didn't love it...more
****
Now I can happily say I'm done and I doubt I'll ever read this again. I didn't *hate* it, but I certainly didn't love it...more
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Read in March, 2009
A shipwrecked man finds himself on an island filled with strange creatures and run by an exiled doctor. Wells' ability to write science-fiction was pretty amazing. Gene-splicing and genetic manipulation still can be found in the news and some of the scientific ideas in this story are feasible. The second part of this story which is interesting is the nature of animals and men. Wells looks to see if clothes and speaking is all that is necessary for humanity (and an underdeveloped part of the ...more
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Read in July, 2009
After Darwin’s theories of evolution were published, Victorians had to come to terms with the fact that they were descended from apes rather than angels - could they take a step down the evolutionary ladder as easily as they stepped up? This idea of reversion is obvious in Dr Moreau.
Wells explores degeneration and reversion - devolution rather than evolution perhaps? He also seems to recognise man as animal only removed from the ape by evolution and moral training. How easy would i...more
Wells explores degeneration and reversion - devolution rather than evolution perhaps? He also seems to recognise man as animal only removed from the ape by evolution and moral training. How easy would i...more
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A "classic" book that truly is one. A man is on a remote island with a Dr. performing surgery/vivesection on animals in an attempt to make them human. Yes, not a subtle way to explore what it means to be human or difference between humans and the animal kingdom but very well done. Also, unlike many gothic era stories (ex Dracula) the book is clearly written and a pleasure to read from the start to the end.
One idea of the book is that an animal can be cunning but it takes...more
One idea of the book is that an animal can be cunning but it takes...more
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Mainly I needed a short book after my last slog, so I went for this one. Although it was interesting, it was a very bleak, misanthropic little book. It reminded me a bit of Gulliver's Travels, but shorter and more to the point. From his other work, the pessimism about man does not surprise me too much, but this was more disturbing for me--perhaps because the destruction came from an egomaniac experimenting on helpless animals rather than just slothful humans not paying attention to where they ar...more
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Read in January, 2007
I was excited to read this book because it had a lot of hype, and the plot - a man stranded on an island with crazy scientists and mutated man-animals - sounded fascinating. However, it didn't meet my expectations. It ended up being entirely ridiculous and frustrating. There were so many opportunities to make points about morality, human responsibility, ethics...and it took none of them. There's a lot of promise in this premise, but it never quite follows through. Not to mention it's a very quic...more
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Read in January, 2009
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Read in December, 2008
Similar to Marry Shelley's Frankenstein, The Island of Dr.Moreau features a mad scientist who plays the role of god. He fuses many animals together to end up with something totally new. However, he finds that his new creations do not act the way he intended them to. There are many interesting and thought provoking themes that Wells focuses on and mixes well together. Such as nature, religion, and society. Like his other books such as "The Time Machine" or "The War of The Worlds...more
