The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells - Ashley's Pre-Reading

Paul's Review


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Title: The Island of Dr. Moreau
Author: H.G. Wells
Year Published: 1896

Synopsis: 

Ranked among the classic novels of the English language and the inspiration for several unforgettable movies, this early work of H. G. Wells was greeted in 1896 by howls of protest from reviewers, who found it horrifying and blasphemous. They wanted to know more about the wondrous possibilities of science shown in his first book, The Time Machine, not its potential for misuse and terror. In The Island of Dr. Moreau, a shipwrecked gentleman named Edward Prendick, stranded on a Pacific island lorded over by the notorious Dr. Moreau, confronts dark secrets, strange creatures, and a reason to run for his life. 

While this riveting tale was intended to be a commentary on evolution, divine creation, and the tension between human nature and culture, modern readers familiar with genetic engineering will marvel at Wells’s prediction of the ethical issues raised by producing “smarter” human beings or bringing back extinct species. These levels of interpretation add a richness to Prendick’s adventures on Dr. Moreau’s island of lost souls without distracting from what is still a rip-roaring good read

Why?: I mean, why not? I haven't read a good, classic, science-fiction book in a while and this seems like it will definitely fit that bill. Plus, The Madman's Daughter is finally out, and I want to know the original story before I go pick that one up. Because I'm totally intrigued by The Madman's Daughter and have wanted to read that for quite some time.

Expectations: I expect a very scientific book that also explores the less scientific nature of life. I'm also expecting a lot of grotesque creatures that are probably described in way too much detail, but I'm kind of looking forward to that. Plus, the usual mystery!

Judging a book by its cover: There are so many covers for this book that it's hard to judge just one. I think some of them, like the one shown above, would probably catch my attention if I saw it on a shelf somewhere. Other ones though are very plain and "classic," and wouldn't really stand out amongst all of the other classics that would be with it. So I'm not really sure how I would judge this book by its cover...


--Ashley