The Island of Doctor Moreau

Under the guise of man-beasts there's a story of order and chaos and of what makes us human. About the animalistic nature and rising above it. I saw Moreau as a god, similar to the one from old testament. He's a creator but also a vengeful spirit who is not afraid to cause pain and suffering. And without him chaos ensues. I'm not a believer but I do believe that society as a whole needs to have something (spiritual) above it in order to function well.

It's a great theme and I guess for its time the novel explored it well enough to become a classic but in today's age it doesn't hold a candle to more modern variations on this theme. I find myself liking the old writing style more and more lately but even that did not make me feel fond of this book above what I expected.

Well known by most, it is my first reading of The Island of Doctor Moreau, written by HG Wells in 1896. Honestly I think it has aged well, over 125 years old. I suspect even if most haven't read the novel, they will have seen one or other of the films from 1977 or 1996, both of which I have seen parts without being overly taken.

The plot is simple - a shipwrecked man, Edward Prendick, is alone in a small boat when he is rescued by a larger ship conveying a man with an array of animals in cages, to a remote and uncharted island in the Pacific. The captain is unwilling to take him further, so he joins the man, Montgomery, on the island where he meets Dr Moreau. He has a vague memory of the name from London, and finally places him as doctor who was caught experimenting in vivisection. The island, of course, is populated with the results of his experimentation - monstrous hybrid beasts with human features, and the ability to speak and learn.
Control is maintained through laws, which the animals learn, including not eating meat and not walking on all fours. The carnivorous animals struggle with this, and display regression over time back towards their animal genetics.

The theme of ethics is addressed throughout, there are aspects of religion with Dr Moreau's god complex and the laws presented in a similar way to the commandments.

A quick read which held my interest. Probably 3.5 stars, rounded up.
4**

3.7

HG Wells is rightly considered to be the grandfather of science fiction. The Island of Doctor Moreau is on of his most well known pieces. Despite its age, this displays some interesting concepts that can still have some resonance today - the questioning on the difference between beast and man and taking a science fiction/horror approach to asking it. The writing is archaic at times (the edition I had had useful notes on some terms which may have dropped out of the common vernacular) but it still grips in a nice way. The relative brevity of the novel gives it an intense focus.

Ultimately my rating here is largely based on the importance of this novel. Here the forgotten land story (which was popular in that era) was taken into a more rationalised and science based direction. The creation of monsters by man in an attempt at being god is a failing that repeats to this day - hubris remains a common failing in humanity. The horror that is generated by these creatures is also very modern in its sensibilities - possibly even more so than when it was written.

HG Wells is such a key figure in the science fiction and this is one of his most important works. A must read for anyone interested in the history of the genre and it still reads in an entertaining fashion to this day.

Surprisingly creepy and dark. I found this story compulsively readable and very fast paced. There are some very dated prejudices that are found in many Victorian novels, but if you can overlook them it's a good read.

solid horror :-)Not really anything to smile at, I'm smiling at the solidity. This story is cruel.Don't read this book if you love animals and cannot abide with animal abuse. It's not graphic, but the puma was screaming of pain the first part of the book... and I can imagine :'(I read this too to better appreciate [b:The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter 34728925 The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Theodora Goss https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1490794116s/34728925.jpg 45924715]I don't appreciate it much at all.

An interesting, but at times slow read. I didn't enjoy it as much as other H.G. Wells books I have read.