Book Review: The Island of Dr. Moreau

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
Release Date: 1896
Publisher: Heinemann, Stone & Kimball
Audience: Everyone
Pages: 209
Read the Book: Project Gutenberg ; Kindle
Buy the Book: Amazon
Book Rating: 4.5/5








I suppose H.G. Wells has done more to incite my interest both in Anthropology and English than any other author to date. The Island of Dr. Moreau was no different, as it explored the possibilities of science and evolution much like his creation of the Morlocs and Eloi in The Time Machine. Relatively straightforward plot, The Island of Dr. Moreau follows Prendick (thank you for a name this time around Wells), a bourgeoisie victim of a shipwreck who lands on, as the title implies, an island run by a man calling himself Dr. Moreau.  The main brunt of the story follows Prendick as he slowly uncovers the truth of the island, dicussions with Dr. Moreau over what makes one 'human' and, eventually his attempts to escape the island as things turn for the worse.

If you have only seen one, or more, of the movie adaptations, I strongly suggest reading the book as the themes presented in the movies and the themes explored in the book are, while similar, more questioning, ambiguous, and deeper than those presented in the movies, especially the 1996 version, which I think went for shock value more than anything else. What is especially interesting to me is the moments where Prendick is in the village of the beast-men and encounters the Sayer of the Law, and Prendicks own thoughts on the blurring of man and beast and his own place within that spectrum.

Now, I don't want to ruin anything, but where the movies end, the book does not, and the book takes the plot in an interesting direction though, in the case of Wells, less is more. Further, we get a bit of an epilogue with Prendick back in England with the now tired claim that 'men are just animals in suits, etc, etc' but, understandably, was fresher in 1896.

The Island of Dr. Moreau is a shorter book for those on the go and a compelling read. If you have only seen the movies, or, more likely, the 1996 version, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. The movies don't do Wells justice.