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pagemaster_az's review against another edition
4.0
Jealous of the boys who have gorilla bods but human faces. Dr Moreau was a visionary
maxk's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
logan4519's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
alexmariesc's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
vivo_morior's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lorraine19's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I wasn't overly thrilled with this story - it wasn't awful, but kinda boring to me.
If you're not a fan of HG Wells then you may be turned off by the writing style because this is definitely in his usual, somewhat dry, style. It also covers a dark aspect of humanity, like most of his work, so don't expect a happy read. As someone who has read some Wells stories before, I found War of the Worlds (which I recommend to anyone reading Wells for the first time) much more entertaining. It just kinda felt like this one was trying too hard to be deep but didn't really go anywhere or state anything that hasn't been said a hundred times before.
That being said, this may be more appealing to those with a strong interest in biology or philosophy that examines what it means to be human vs animal.
If you're not a fan of HG Wells then you may be turned off by the writing style because this is definitely in his usual, somewhat dry, style. It also covers a dark aspect of humanity, like most of his work, so don't expect a happy read. As someone who has read some Wells stories before, I found War of the Worlds (which I recommend to anyone reading Wells for the first time) much more entertaining. It just kinda felt like this one was trying too hard to be deep but didn't really go anywhere or state anything that hasn't been said a hundred times before.
That being said, this may be more appealing to those with a strong interest in biology or philosophy that examines what it means to be human vs animal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Minor: Alcoholism, Violence, and Alcohol
Animal vivisection, some outdated language/slursdarkskybooks's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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.
marco5599's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
sisyphista's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Twisted descriptions breathe unsettling life into Wells: sci-fi flecked world. Well worth the read.
elliel_nook's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0