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The Island of Doctor Moreau

H.G. Wells

Start date: August 1, 2015

Finish date: August 31, 2015

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Oct 10, 2011 Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Island of Dr. Moreau is the third HG Wells novel I have read this year. The Time Machine and The Invisible man are the others. I have enjoyed all three so very much, each are so engaging and far far ahead of their time. The Island of Dr. Moreau is very much the achetype of a perennial classic. Why? Simply because it becomes more and more relevent as the medical achievments CATCH UP to his theories! With all the recent advances in gene therapy, cloning ect, what seemed to many in late 19th Ce The Island of Dr. Moreau is the third HG Wells novel I have read this year. The Time Machine and The Invisible man are the others. I have enjoyed all three so very much, each are so engaging and far far ahead of their time. The Island of Dr. Moreau is very much the achetype of a perennial classic. Why? Simply because it becomes more and more relevent as the medical achievments CATCH UP to his theories! With all the recent advances in gene therapy, cloning ect, what seemed to many in late 19th Century when The Island of Dr. Moreau was written, is not so very far fetched now.

The main plot, a shunned biologist, Dr. Moreau, attempting to create a new species of animals by combining biological elements of the original animal with human and other animal bloods and cells, is handled in both a dramatic, yet accessible sicentific manner.

What surpised me the most is that the main character, and true anchor of the book, is not Moreau at all, but Edward Prendick, a man of science lost at sea, who ends up on Moreau's island. The use of Prendick's nephew and heir in the beginning, explaining how he came across his late Uncle's papers, and felt the need to have them published adds an air of authenticity and is a superg starting point.
While Moreau's presence is felt throughout, he actually has a relatively minor role in the narrative, Prendick, speaking in first person, talks more about Moreau's assistant, a drunken, discraced (the cause is hinted at but never explained)and most important, the "beast people" that inhabit the Island.

Like Shelly's Frankenstein, these "monsters" are not simply portrayed as one dimensional Godzillas, rather, each have complex, and at times touching attributes that Wells so deftly portrays. The battle between their natural instincts, and the synthetic human aspects of each make for a facinating portrait of nature versus man's attempt to change the natural order, and what results is nothing short of unforgetable.

A very highly recommended read. Wells seemed to see that as human understanding of biology increased, many moral questions would arise. He was quite right, as today's medical headlines prove. The Island of Dr. Moreau should be a read as both a very original and interesting novel as well as a cautionary tale.

RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOKCLUB ...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Alberto Nieto rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, science-fiction

Really good read. Being into sci fi and science in general it was hard not to chuckle a bit. The underlying themes were good. Wells is alsways driving at some point.

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Dec 18, 2012 Lauren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1305

What a delightfully terrifying piece of fiction!

Wells does a magnificent job of transporting his reader to a small island where something is not quite right. The characters, the creatures, the setting and the tone were all just the right touch of creepy. While the premise is not believable the reader cannot help but get taken along for the ride.

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