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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
What a creepy, fun read! I can definitely see the influence of Darwinism and recent scientific breakthroughs giving fuel to a novel like this.
There could be some interesting themes here-and there are some. But mostly it was hard for me to get over that I really didn't like the main character's overall demeanor towards people that didn't act and look like him. His level of empathy and understanding where so low that it was hard to be interested in this. However, I can see how this could inspire some really interesting stories and give others a chance to expand on in very interesting ways. And, if I'm being a little honest, I had trouble paying attention and following all the plot.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wells' narrator, Edward Prendick, asks, "Can you imagine language, once clear-cut and exact, softening and guttering, losing shape and import, becoming mere lumps of sound again?" Now that I've read this book, the answer is yes!
3,5/5 I think this is my favorite novel by H.G Wells, the writing is still quite dry but the plot and the shortness of the novel makes up for it.
The best Wells novel I've read. What a wild ride.
adventurous
dark
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
i will not deny that this is an interesting perspective on animal rights and lives. i think my main source of annoyance was that i simply cannot make myself love shipwreck adventure novels. in any case, the island of doctor moreau does a decent job at examining the implications of vivisection and the ruthless pursuit of scientific discovery. it probes the boundary between 'human' and 'animal' and begins to undo it by creating limitrophic in-between creatures. they shift between human and animal, between he/she and it, between previously fixed categories. they radically question what it is that makes us human, and whether that is a good or bad thing to be. they gaze back, and their gaze terrifies because it is unfamiliar and because its implied authority threatens human superiority and command. however, the creatures of this novel ultimately uphold the very binary they appear to oppose: if they cannot be human, they must be animal, and they must return to this. they are not even different for the different species at their bases; instead, they are all 'other', and their occasional individuality quickly blends into one again each time. maybe this, also, is telling of the ways in which we imagine the non-human, even when we attempt to question its implications. in any case, most of this examination seems to stem from the reader rather than the actual text. i would have wished for the novel to offer a more detailed perspective on the human-animal binary instead of being, mainly, an adrenaline-fueled and deliberately suspenseful chase. still, the island of doctor moreau remains an intriguing portrait of humanity and examination of vivisection and human-animal power dynamics.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated