You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
mintyfreshsocks's review against another edition
3.0
I fully admit that one of the reasons I wanted to read this was that it shares a name with a computer game I played at about the age of 10. They don't much compare, given my recollections of the game; that being said, I enjoyed this story and its creepiness (and imagining how folks would have viewed the science at the time). It's certainly a product of its time, with not exactly veiled racism, so a warning for that.
jonniemis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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
pappybobo's review against another edition
3.0
This was good. Not my typical read, but I’m glad I read it! The scenario is interesting and fun to think about.
wormplosion's review against another edition
4.0
it’s incredibly obvious that Wells worked with T H Huxley, like, wow! scientific racism!
that being said, really had me thinking about what makes us human and where that line is between us and “beasts”
that being said, really had me thinking about what makes us human and where that line is between us and “beasts”
alex_ellermann's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
'The Island of Dr. Moreau' works both as an adventure tale and a meditation on morality. That's what makes it good science fiction.
On the adventure side of the coin, we get a young man thrust into a dangerous situation: he's marooned on an isolated island, accompanied only by the titular Moreau, Moreau's assistant, and the quasi-human creatures the two have created through a combination of scientific intervention and harsh discipline.
On the meditation side, we get a dive into the ethics of humanity itself, along with heaping helpings of racism and colonialism.
Taken together, these provide for a story that works both as a campfire tale and the stuff of coffee conversations. What more could you ask for from your science fiction?
On the adventure side of the coin, we get a young man thrust into a dangerous situation: he's marooned on an isolated island, accompanied only by the titular Moreau, Moreau's assistant, and the quasi-human creatures the two have created through a combination of scientific intervention and harsh discipline.
On the meditation side, we get a dive into the ethics of humanity itself, along with heaping helpings of racism and colonialism.
Taken together, these provide for a story that works both as a campfire tale and the stuff of coffee conversations. What more could you ask for from your science fiction?
kubrick2899's review against another edition
5.0
Although he already had The Time Machine under his belt, it was The Island of Dr. Moreau that really made H. G. Wells famous, or infamous, if you prefer. The book was greeted with harsh scrutiny by his peers and critics, for its unapologetic approach to vivisection and meddling with "God's will." It's a brilliant work that is engrossing from the first page to the last. Through a terrible twist of fate, a man ends up stranded on an island in the Pacific Ocean, where an exiled mad scientist has been performing inexorable experiments on the wildlife, turning them into strange dual-animal breeds with human-like qualities. It's a brutally terrifying novel that shakes you to your core, and it's not one that's likely to be forgotten. It's well more than a century old, and we are still talking about it. Its moral ambiguities and scientific questions are still being asked...and ignored...today. The Island of Dr. Moreau proves, once again, that H. G. Wells was a genius well ahead of his time.
manavisharma's review against another edition
4.0
A haunting tale about the follies of man's arrogance. It is eerily relevant even today.
lliz4rd's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-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
3.5
alberony's review against another edition
4.0
La visible influencia de Wells de los textos de Julio Vernes y Robinson Crusoe de Defoe es notable en “La isla del doctor Moreau”, pero porque no agregar “Los viajes de Gulliver de Swift entre otros textos que dieron lugar a esta novela de ciencia ficción publicada en 1896. Un texto cobijado en los experimentos científicos de un “loco” que involucran la vivisección para abordar cuestiones como la evolución y la ética.
La historia, narrada a través de un manuscrito encontrado por el sobrino del protagonista, Edward Prendick, comienza con el rescate de Prendick, un náufrago, a bordo del barco Ipecacuanha. En el barco, conoce a Montgomery, un ex estudiante de medicina con comportamientos animales, y al borracho capitán Davies. Durante el viaje, Prendick nota la presencia de animales extraños. Al llegar a una isla remota, Montgomery y los animales desembarcan, pero Davies obliga a Prendick a abandonar el barco, dejándolo a la deriva en un bote.
Personalmente, el estilo de escritura de Wells en este texto es claro y evocador, permitiendo que los horrores: criaturas hibridas, el comportamiento de Montgomery de la isla, la apariencia y conducta de los habitantes, las acciones en la Estación biológica, el hombre-bestia, el constante sufrimiento y la violencia se manifiesten en la mente del lector. La novela es una advertencia sobre los peligros de la deshumanización y el uso irresponsable del conocimiento científico. Aunque fue escrita a finales del siglo XIX, sus temas siguen siendo relevantes, especialmente en debates modernos sobre bioética y la manipulación genética.
La historia, narrada a través de un manuscrito encontrado por el sobrino del protagonista, Edward Prendick, comienza con el rescate de Prendick, un náufrago, a bordo del barco Ipecacuanha. En el barco, conoce a Montgomery, un ex estudiante de medicina con comportamientos animales, y al borracho capitán Davies. Durante el viaje, Prendick nota la presencia de animales extraños. Al llegar a una isla remota, Montgomery y los animales desembarcan, pero Davies obliga a Prendick a abandonar el barco, dejándolo a la deriva en un bote.
Personalmente, el estilo de escritura de Wells en este texto es claro y evocador, permitiendo que los horrores: criaturas hibridas, el comportamiento de Montgomery de la isla, la apariencia y conducta de los habitantes, las acciones en la Estación biológica, el hombre-bestia, el constante sufrimiento y la violencia se manifiesten en la mente del lector. La novela es una advertencia sobre los peligros de la deshumanización y el uso irresponsable del conocimiento científico. Aunque fue escrita a finales del siglo XIX, sus temas siguen siendo relevantes, especialmente en debates modernos sobre bioética y la manipulación genética.