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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I saw somewhere that The Island of Dr Moreau was inspired by Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but I thought Wells' book was much better.
As a kid, one of my favourite books was, perhaps bizarrely, HG Wells' The Invisible Man. I read it many times. I eventually read The Time Machine too. So I'm surprised it took until my 30s to read possibly his koat famous novel, The Island of Dr Moreau, and that only in anticipation of reading Silvia Garcia Moreno's retelling, The Daughter of Dr Moreau.
This novella deals with themes of cruelty and humanity and explores the concept of monster vs human...and how too often the human is the monster.
As a kid, one of my favourite books was, perhaps bizarrely, HG Wells' The Invisible Man. I read it many times. I eventually read The Time Machine too. So I'm surprised it took until my 30s to read possibly his koat famous novel, The Island of Dr Moreau, and that only in anticipation of reading Silvia Garcia Moreno's retelling, The Daughter of Dr Moreau.
This novella deals with themes of cruelty and humanity and explores the concept of monster vs human...and how too often the human is the monster.
My favorite HG Wells - even more than Time Machine. Maybe it's the biologist in me.
mysterious
As I was reading the last chapters I thought it was more of a 4.5 star read (rounded down to 4) but those final few pages introduced another angle to the story which earned the rounded up score.
Firstly, wow, great concept! Secondly, the prose feels contemporary, specially the dialogue. Characters interrupt each other in very natural ways and have distinct mannerism while speaking. I was not expecting these things having read a few late Victorian novels with pompous, straightforward dialogue.
The negatives: The book is still dated by mentions of 1800s “scientific” notions and terminology about race. To say the least, these sections were unpleasant to read. Also, after the protagonist figures out what’s going on in the island the story drags a little. But as said before, I thought the ending made up for the slower falling action.
It’s difficult to talk about this book without spoiling it, so I’ll just say: Fans of body horror, this book is a great insight into some early examples of the genre and the anxieties around scientific advancements that are so often written about in body horror.
Firstly, wow, great concept! Secondly, the prose feels contemporary, specially the dialogue. Characters interrupt each other in very natural ways and have distinct mannerism while speaking. I was not expecting these things having read a few late Victorian novels with pompous, straightforward dialogue.
The negatives: The book is still dated by mentions of 1800s “scientific” notions and terminology about race. To say the least, these sections were unpleasant to read. Also, after the protagonist figures out what’s going on in the island the story drags a little. But as said before, I thought the ending made up for the slower falling action.
It’s difficult to talk about this book without spoiling it, so I’ll just say: Fans of body horror, this book is a great insight into some early examples of the genre and the anxieties around scientific advancements that are so often written about in body horror.
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I do not understand how certain books become classics. It was a new idea for the time and as such made an impact, I get it, but really, this is a poorly written piece of tripe.