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

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My Pre-Reading
Paul's Review

I haven't read a classic novel in a really long time, and so this was a little hard to get into at first. I mean, the premise is really interesting, and the story is great, but it's just... a classic. And after reading so much fast-paced YA, it was just really slow for me.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy it once I finally did get into it. I think for the time period it was written it, it was definitely a book that pushed limits and made the people of that generation really think. It has so many moral implications, and it kind of presents science as a really scary thing. In the 1800s, I'm sure it was scary. 

I really love the way that H.G. Wells is able to bring science fiction to the masses. He did it with The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, and pretty much all of his other books too. But this book takes place on Earth, with no alien invasions or anything. So it hits a little closer to home, and I can imagine that there were people who actually thought this was happening. Props, H.G. Wells, for making something that sounds so crazy seem so real. 

I really enjoyed seeing everything from Prendick's point of view, because you can really see how Moreau and Montgomery change over the course of the novel. Moreau goes from being a crazy man to being more of a hero, and Montgomery devolves into a crazy man. And of course the beast creatures, who seem so human at first, revert back to their bestial natures and become more dangerous the longer they live. I thought it was really interesting that Wells would choose to give that characteristic to them; it's almost a social commentary on how, no matter how humanized people may seem, they can always become more beast than human.

I would definitely recommend this to any fan of H.G. Wells, and fans of science fiction. Even if you don't really read classics, I think this is an important novel for anyone to read. Especially with science progressing as much and as fast as it has. I would give this a 4/5. 


--Ashley

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

The Island of Dr. Moreau

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

I haven't read a classic in some time. I believe the only other H.G. Wells novel I have read is The Time Machine, which I read many years ago. It was interesting going from modern YA to something written in the 1800s.

I did not know what to expect when I started reading this. I was recently home in Memphis, where my parents still live and my old bookshelf lives as well. I perused the bookshelf for books I hadn't read that I was interested in reading. This was one of my discoveries. I later found out that this book is available for free on Goodreads. I'm glad I know that now because other classics can also be found there, too.

The main subject this book deals with is the difference between man and beast. Dr. Moreau has created Beast Men through vivisection, merging different breeds into humanlike entities. The science of this book is unbelievable, but I'm sure this was a potential fear for people in the late 1800s. Darwinism had emerged and science was quickly progressing.  

Taking into account the time period this book was written, it must have been groundbreaking. I really enjoyed the way religion was brought into it. The Beast Men's mentalities has similarities to the animals in Animal Farm, with laws that they force themselves to follow. 

The language was, at first, difficult to comprehend, but I got used to it a few chapters in. The word "presently" is used in this novel an excessive amount!  

I give this book a 4/5. Classics always seem better when you aren't reading them for school. I recommend this to anyone interested in a classic thriller sci-fi. There were some pretty creepy parts in this book.

-PAUL