You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I was recommend this book by happenstance a week after the UHC CEO was murdered by a vigilante assassin (At the time of writing allegedly Luigi Mangione), and as with all media its impression on the consumer is flavoured by the current environment it is consumed in.
So I will address the modern theme of this book that really resonated with me as I was reading it.
In this case the struggle of fighting your oppressor while requiring structure is a theme explored quite heavily in this work. Clearly the beast-men of the island are an analogue for the working class whilst Moreau, Montgomery and to an extent Prendick are the elite ruling class. The beast-men are oppressed, kept smart enough to know their place but dumb enough to not recognize their power in the deliberate imbalance designed for them.
They are convinced of a fictional religion and set of laws designed for them by the elite to prevent uprising, they are controlled through fear and violence to obey and serve. Their quality of life is threatened and they are treated as abominations by some, pets by others. It draws a parallel to the working class today by the billionaire class lobbying government to suppress regulation and cultivating the working class to disproportionately siphon wealth by artificially creating scarcity. All while pushing nonsense culture wars to inflame our emotions and passions at each other to distract.
One of the worst industries in America, a for profit health insurance company, is legally required to benefit its shareholders in the utmost. There is a direct incentive for these companies to collect as much funding as possible while denying as many claims as possible. It is diametrically opposed to the interest of the consumer. Health insurance is an excellent concept in theory, 10 people put money in a hat, and the one person that gets sick spends the money and all 10 live a prosperous life. But when your incentive is to collect all that money and then kill the one that wants to spend it... its not hard to see where the widespread anger for these industries come from.
It is easy to see that the beast-men and the working class both celebrate the murder of their oppressor. However this is where things get complicated.
The beast-men without the structure of violence and fear begin to regress, this same risk is present in the following months from this murder of the UHC CEO. Without structure, without the social contract being upheld we risk continuing this trend and regressing to our baser emotional form. There will be repeat killings, more vigilantes. (at the time of writing this act has not been copied, but I am confident others will aim to mimic due to the support Luigi has received by all but the elite class)
Soon those killed may not be guilty, may not be implicit, but rather on the wrong side of a culture war manufactured by the media. They may be mistaken, they make up more of the structure of the social fabric we currently exist in than we may be aware. We could regress to a society that rules by mob justice.
Perhaps this is a flash in the pan, the message is heard and health reform in the USA becomes popular, is this a good thing? Positive change brought through violence? I will leave that up to you to interpret. More likely the violence escalates, the lesson learnt by these people is not to treat the working class more equitable but rather to stomp harder with their iron boot.
The book written in the 1800's is surprisingly relevant in more areas than this, however for brevity I will leave my review there. I recommend this book both as commentary for our modern day and as an entertaining read.
So I will address the modern theme of this book that really resonated with me as I was reading it.
In this case the struggle of fighting your oppressor while requiring structure is a theme explored quite heavily in this work. Clearly the beast-men of the island are an analogue for the working class whilst Moreau, Montgomery and to an extent Prendick are the elite ruling class. The beast-men are oppressed, kept smart enough to know their place but dumb enough to not recognize their power in the deliberate imbalance designed for them.
They are convinced of a fictional religion and set of laws designed for them by the elite to prevent uprising, they are controlled through fear and violence to obey and serve. Their quality of life is threatened and they are treated as abominations by some, pets by others. It draws a parallel to the working class today by the billionaire class lobbying government to suppress regulation and cultivating the working class to disproportionately siphon wealth by artificially creating scarcity. All while pushing nonsense culture wars to inflame our emotions and passions at each other to distract.
One of the worst industries in America, a for profit health insurance company, is legally required to benefit its shareholders in the utmost. There is a direct incentive for these companies to collect as much funding as possible while denying as many claims as possible. It is diametrically opposed to the interest of the consumer. Health insurance is an excellent concept in theory, 10 people put money in a hat, and the one person that gets sick spends the money and all 10 live a prosperous life. But when your incentive is to collect all that money and then kill the one that wants to spend it... its not hard to see where the widespread anger for these industries come from.
It is easy to see that the beast-men and the working class both celebrate the murder of their oppressor. However this is where things get complicated.
The beast-men without the structure of violence and fear begin to regress, this same risk is present in the following months from this murder of the UHC CEO. Without structure, without the social contract being upheld we risk continuing this trend and regressing to our baser emotional form. There will be repeat killings, more vigilantes. (at the time of writing this act has not been copied, but I am confident others will aim to mimic due to the support Luigi has received by all but the elite class)
Soon those killed may not be guilty, may not be implicit, but rather on the wrong side of a culture war manufactured by the media. They may be mistaken, they make up more of the structure of the social fabric we currently exist in than we may be aware. We could regress to a society that rules by mob justice.
Perhaps this is a flash in the pan, the message is heard and health reform in the USA becomes popular, is this a good thing? Positive change brought through violence? I will leave that up to you to interpret. More likely the violence escalates, the lesson learnt by these people is not to treat the working class more equitable but rather to stomp harder with their iron boot.
The book written in the 1800's is surprisingly relevant in more areas than this, however for brevity I will leave my review there. I recommend this book both as commentary for our modern day and as an entertaining read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not saying it made a lot of sense. But... boy, it sticks with you.
That is all.
That is all.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall, kind of a creepy book. Read because it was a "classic". And probably very scary for the times.
This book was very interesting. It’s a story of what happens when a scientist decides to play God and the consequences of that decision. The plot was intriguing, but it didn’t fully capture my interest. The characters were well written, but it’s H.G. Wells, so of course. H.G. Wells is very good at describing horrifying things and complex people, with no sugar-coating and none of the edge taken off. Doctor Moreau is basically a monster who created more monsters, with no remorse, simply because he wanted to see if he could. Montgomery is the perfect “Igor” type character, just doing whatever he’s told because he himself believes there’s a bit of divinity in his scientist master. Charles Edward Prendick rounds out the trio of characters as the hapless witness to everything taking place on the island. He’s the reader’s tool to gain exposition and the mirror through which we funnel our reactions. However, there were times when I wanted a smarter mirror. When things start going wrong, I felt like Charles should’ve been a bit quicker to understand and act. Perhaps that way, the ending wouldn’t have seemed so convenient. Overall, this story was fascinating, and there were so many layers to peel off and examine. It’s one of those classics that make you think, which is something H.G. Wells is so good at.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
A strange sci fi from the past. Enjoyed the Libra Vox recorded audiobook