Questions About The Island of Dr. Moreau

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Answered Questions (7)

Is this book too gory for a Young Adult Book Club?

Anna Definitely not. The goriest bits are blood, mentions of "open wounds," sever animal cruelty, and the vivisection, which is never described in full, on…moreDefinitely not. The goriest bits are blood, mentions of "open wounds," sever animal cruelty, and the vivisection, which is never described in full, only alluded to.

If you read this book for a book club, you might also be interested in the short story The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell. The short story is very similar to this book and very thrilling with little to no gore involved. You could compare the two stories and the two antagonists quite well, drawing parallels between the main themes of each story and how they related to the time period they were written for. (The Island of Dr. Mareau was originally written as social commentary on the practice of vivisection.)(less)

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Hello community! It has been suggested to me that I should read the introduction of this book before actually reading the book - there are spoilers though. Does anyone advise I read the intro before or after the story itself? Thanks for the help!

Greg Depends on the edition. If it's the author's introduction, absolutely. If it is someone else's introduction, then that someone might tell you too much…moreDepends on the edition. If it's the author's introduction, absolutely. If it is someone else's introduction, then that someone might tell you too much about the story. I make it a point never to read introductions unless they were originally written by the author upon publication of the book. (less)

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Who do you prefer H.G Wells or Jules Verne? I prefer H.G Wells but I want to know what the reading community thinks.

Ellen Definitely Jules Verne. His stories are way more compelling, include much more adventure, and have much more likable narrators. Sadly, many English tr…moreDefinitely Jules Verne. His stories are way more compelling, include much more adventure, and have much more likable narrators. Sadly, many English translations of Verne don't do his work justice, but his books are less disturbing and more interesting than Wells (War of the Worlds has a truly pathetic narrator; Invisible Man is creepy because the titular character is a freak; Island of Dr. Moreau is disturbing on so many levels). Meanwhile, Verne's works are just brilliant and visionary.(less)

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What age and upwards would this book be for?

John Burt I think it's a perfect book for the YA audience -- not too gory, not too dense for a literate adolescent, a rip-snorting story with (a) serious messag…moreI think it's a perfect book for the YA audience -- not too gory, not too dense for a literate adolescent, a rip-snorting story with (a) serious message(s) behind it.(less)

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Ellen That's a really good question. It seemed like towards the end Montgomery and Moreau argued over the rabbits, with Moreau criticizing Montgomery for wa…moreThat's a really good question. It seemed like towards the end Montgomery and Moreau argued over the rabbits, with Moreau criticizing Montgomery for wanting meat and Montgomery retaliating by saying that Moreau gave him permission. But why not cage them? You're right. I'm not sure Montgomery was the brightest and Moreau just seemed too into his work to really notice. Possibly an avenue for determining which creatures needed to be put down due to bloodthirstiness without risking loss of human or semi-human life. (less)

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