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2 of 2 members found this review helpful.Hugely influential but has not stood well the test of time
“H. G. Wells predates Sci-fiction. Most of his books in the field were written before the term was coined in the 1930s. Along with Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, and Robert Louis Stevenson, his work laid the foundation for almost every major form of Science Fiction. Just as many other books written since Wells share elements with THE INVISIBLE MAN or THE TIME MACHINE or THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, so numerous novels, short stories, movies, and television episodes have been influenced by THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU. It also has been made into three films, an absolutely god-awful one with Marlon Brando in the title role, another bad one (but not as bad) with Burt Lancaster in the lead role, and a 1932 version starring Charles Laughton and retitled ISLAND OF LOST SOULS. While not a perfect film, it is easily the most intriguing of the three films, not least because of Bela Lugosi's unforgettable portrayal as The Sayer of the Law. In fact, both of the later films are more in the way of remakes of the first film rather than versions of the novel.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-06-28.
Nonetheless, like with Wells's other novels, reading THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU will feel familiar to modern readers. So many elements have been appropriated that we've all seen this time and again. That is also the problem with his books: so many elements have been appropriated that we've all seen this time and again. There are a few interesting scenes, but the truth is that a sense of familiarity runs throughout the book. This is not really a criticism of the book. It is more an acknowledgment of how successful it has been.
Still, the fact that the book can no longer feel unfamiliar and given the otherwise relatively minor literary qualities of the book (Wells is not an especially skilled prose stylist and his characters are rather cardboardish), this book is a somewhat tedious read. Its virtues at this point are primarily historical. This is a book that we read to find out how the mad scientist portion of the Sci-fi genre developed as it did. I personally find it less interesting than many of Wells's other Sci-fi works.” -
1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Interesting and great kindle read!
“Pior reviewers have done an exellent job of explaining the contents of the book.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-04-19.
My comment is regarding the Kindle edition. The content of the book itself is wonderful - Herbert George would have been considered a science fiction writer way beforee his time. His writing has content similar to Michael Crighton, and leaves the reader gasping for air and wondering "What if?"
The only problem I had with the Kindle version, which was an excellet buy at 0.00, is that the book begins as if it were a memoir. I am embarrassed to point out that I didn't know who Herbert George was prior to purchasing the book, and found myself referring to other reviews to determine if the book was a memoir or fiction.
I highly recommend the book, but in addition would recommend the publishers place the summary at the beginning so others who were not fortunate enough to attend college would understand this is a work of fiction. ” -
A Transforming Experience
“I knew the high level concept of this book from allusions in other stories and movies, but I'd never read the original novel. It was a bit different from what I expected.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-04-03.
The writing style is very accessible and fluid while also being jam-packed with very vivid and detailed descriptions as well as some in-depth scientific and moralistic discussions. The first few pages were a little slow, but the rest of the book, except for a paragraph here and there, flew by and kept me very hooked.
The story is presented as a written report from the point of view of a narrator who finds himself stranded on the island for a time after some disasters at sea. The narrator has some scientific background which lends to very analytical and in-depth commentary.
Without adding any real spoilers, the summary is this: Doctor Moreau, after being chased out of London for his practices, is living on an island in the pacific conducting outrageous experiments. Our narrator, Pendrick, finds the island populated with creatures that are neither completely human nor completely bestial...they are aberrations....creatures partially human and partially beasts....the face of a man with almost snout-like nose and lips, pointed hairy ears, elongated torso and shorter than normal legs, etc., etc., etc. The horrors and grotesque nature of the experiments are explored in depth and naturally progress to some rather disturbing conclusions.
I rather enjoyed the story and found myself immersed in the plot and the concepts. My only real complaint by the end of the book was that it all ended too quickly. I would have loved another 50 or 100 pages. Still, it is a tightly woven tale with a lot of meet in it to leave you thinking.
Wells presents a thoughtful narrative addressing some of the social concerns of his day through this science-fiction story. At that point in history (late 1800s), this was all seen as fiction but based on the fears people had of experiments in the medical community. It's even more potent now, since some 30-50 years after the book, the Nazis engaged in similar "scientific" experimentation during the Holocaust (not with the same results, but with a similar type of horror upon society).
I really liked the way the book finished up. In the last few pages, we find our narrator trying to sort through everything he's witnessed and come to terms with it. I really enjoyed the way Wells shows him trying to recognize "humanity" in people and distinguish between the "human" and the "animal."
A great read.
*****
4.5 stars (out of 5)” -
A Moderately Entertaining Novella
“Anyone even moderately literate should be familiar with the premise of this 19th century "classic" by renowned science fiction author H. G. Wells. Young man is shipwrecked, rescued and finds himself on a South Pacific island, inhabited by prototypical mad scientist Dr. Moreau. Moreau is a vivisectionist who has created a variety of "beasts" through efforts to convert animals to humans. Mayhem ensues.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-02-07.
Wells and contemporary Jules Verne have been hailed as visionaries, men ahead of their times. Of the two, Wells's work has arguably aged more gracefully. While I found this book moderately entertaining, the premise was simply too absurd to draw me in. I could swallow some of the physiological biology, however at the point where animals began speaking as well educated Englishmen, Wells lost me.
Certainly, the underlying theme has resonance today, in an era of increasing bio-medical engineering, and certainly, social commentary was among Wells's strong suits. However, in my opinion, this novella (175 pages) simply doesn't rate the accolades it has garnered.” -
1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
When men bring out the beast in the animal
“Like most people I have seen this as movie years ago but it didn't haunt me half as deeply as the small novel itself. In size it's a sliver of a book but its depth goes beyond the short amount of pages. The beginning was little tough to get into but transformed into a magnificent story that kept me up for two nights in a row. Even though this was written over a hundred years ago the tale is still fresh and shocking, waking up immense pity and outrage at what people are capable of. Like the story says, the difference between man and beast is that man can lie...but both are capable of monstrosities but not for the same reason. H.G Wells was known to paint a rather melancholic and pessimistic picture of man's footprint on nature and animals and even ourselves; strangely I have always bonded with that dark side of reality. It's true, we can destroy more than create, or perhaps create while destroying precious creatures and resources.
An amazon user wrote this on 2008-12-26.
I love all sorts of island stories, where someone is literally stranded with no means of escape and at the mercy of whatever lurks in the deep jungles and caves. In this story, a small unnamed island is populated by strangely misshapen men, resembling animals more than humans. Ran by two scientists, Moreau and Montgomery, it's an insane place where new law rules and where animals are turned into people. Or so they think, when Edward Prendick, a victim of a nasty ship wreck gets rescued and taken to the island he uncovers horror that almost claim his sanity. He sees that there is no way out, he's trapped in a place where normal doesn't exist, a new world populated with half man and half beasts, with volatile emotions and restrictions. I enjoyed discovering the islands secrets with Edward, and many emotions shook me as I read. Page 98 was perhaps the most disturbing, the memory stuck in my head, especially since I have pets at home, I can tell when one is happy and when it's distressed and this book is full of distress
After reading this I am hungry for more of H.G. Wells and his probing mind, the ideas are still great today, after all, a good writer is priceless no matter what century he or she lives in.
- Kasia S.
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