Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Island of Doctor Moreau

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells

40 reviews

kwoolfre's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

is it bestiality to have sex with an animal that has been surgically modified to have human form and mental capacity? He seems to think so
But the racist stuff here is crazy

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tungstenmouse's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book did not age well at all. Some of the attitudes presented are appalling by today’s standards. It’s also brutal and very dark. If you are very attached to animals you may have a very hard time with this.

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auroraspectre's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

Honestly only finished this because it's so short; it was fast paced yet felt like it took a lifetime to read. I already had some knowledge of what happened due to Wells being such a staple in the sci-fi genre, but I found it to be pretty boring. The use of racist/ableist descriptors being used for Moreau's creations was not unexpected, given the year it was originally published, but it certainly didn't make it any less of a drag to read. I understand the message the author was going for, but it felt a bit too forced to me in this day and age despite it probably eliciting a different reaction upon release.

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kstericker's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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hailstorm3812's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I read this because I wanted to read the Daughter of Doctor Moreau. I thought I knew more culturally about this book than I actually did. I knew it was gonna be racist but wow. The thing about consuming media that set precedents is that it is never the best one. So many things after this have used a similar premise to much better results.

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twocents's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-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

3.0

A classic for a reason. It really made me think of how science interacts with the world around us today, and what that means for the world, for science, for humanity, and for us as individuals. The science isn't believable, but as it's just a tool to communicate a broader thought, I wasn't bothered by it.

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thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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bookish_bry's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was an interesting short read. It has a plot that keeps you engaged, but at the same time that plot isn't really the point of the story. This book is really just one big metaphor reflecting on humanity and what being human means. It's about what separates us from animals and what doesn't. I think the end where

Prendick starts to see the animal traits in real humans

really drives this home.

There's a lot of interesting things this book calls into question. I find myself thinking of the humanity of Doctor Moreau and Montgomery verses the

beast people and wonder which actually express more humanity. I think on that island everyone slipped back to their natural beastly ways at least a bit even the humans and especially Moreau with his horrible cruelty. Montgomery as well seemed to show this with the way he just laid down and accepted Moreau's actions, seeming to slip a bit into obedience. You could even compare the way he bent to Moreau to the way his companion M'Ling bent to him.

Overall, I'd probably give the story about a 3 star rating, but if you view it as an extended metaphor, I'd give it a more than 4 star rating.

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claremcg's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

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a_novel_experiment's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

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