The Island of Dr. Moreau

By: Wells, H. G.

A shipwreck in the South Seas, a palm-tree paradise where a mad doctor conducts vile experiments, animals that become human and then "beastly" in ways they never were before-it's the stuff of high adventure. It's also a parable about Darwinian theory, a social satire in the vein of Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels), and a bloody tale of horror. Or, as H. G. Wells himself wrote about this story, "The Island of Dr. Moreau is an exercise in youthful blasphemy. Now and then, though I rarely admit it, the universe projects itself towards me in a hideous grimace. It grimaced that time, and I did my best to express my vision of the aimless torture in creation." This colorful tale by the author of The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds lit a firestorm of controversy at the time of its publication in 1896.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B086PRJM7B
• ISBN13: 9798627256122
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 104 Pages
• Weight: 0.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

"I hope, or I could not live."

As with many of H.G.'s stories, it is a tale told by a narrator. Also, at first, you may not notice his slipping in of social underpinnings. Pendrick, our narrator, starts out trying to tell how he was disenshipped and disappeared at sea for a year to turn up alive. His explanation is so fantastic that no one believes him. However, after we read his account, we do. He spent the bulk of his time on an isolated island with the mysterious Dr. Moreau, Moreau's right-hand man Montgomery, and a menagerie of unique people. Where did they come from, and what are they doing on this island? As the story unfolds, Pendrick realizes he is the next either on the operating table or for supper or maybe something more sinister. This story has shades of William Golding's "Lord of the Flies". However, I can swear that I work with the very same creatures every day. Moreover, I will never look at my cat in the same way. Somehow, I missed the movie version of this book, so I cannot compare them.