Review: The Island of Dr. Moreau

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

About: The Island of Doctor Moreau is an 1896 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells. It is told from the point of view of a man named Edward Prendick who is shipwrecked, rescued by a passing boat, and then left at the ship's destination by the crew along with the ship's cargo of exotic animals. The island is home to a scientist named Doctor Moreau, who is conducting bizarre and cruel experiments on the animals he has imported, attempting to create sentient beings out of animals. The novel deals with numerous philosophical themes, including the need to take responsibility for the things we create, the question of what makes a man a man, the cruelty of nature and of man, and the dangers of trying to control nature. (from amazon.com)

Review: So I'm sure you know H.G. Wells and his other more popular books, The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. Basically I found this book at my local rare bookstore, Ken Sander's, and recognized the author and decided to read it. It sounds simply intriguing to me and the whopping 104 pages made it more desirable. The book was actually very interesting. The story was told from Edward Prendrick's point of view, almost a journal of the account of his time from being rescued to leaving the island. The book was more about character development than anything. Wells really made you know and feel the characters. Montgomery who liked Prendick, for he was the one that saved him, was a drunk, but you sympathized with him. You found out his past and why he drank and came to the island. Montgomery felt for the beasts on the island but at the same time boasted his superiorness around them. Prendick, for instance, I found interesting, didn't care for the beasts at all. From the time he arrived on the island to the time he left you knew his stance on the beasts, and it didn't change. The book really kept my attention the whole time. Near the end it felt slightly cast-awayish, with Prendick trying to leave the island. But other than that I enjoyed it. It was intense but calming, a very interesting point of view and theory. I also liked that it was like a journal but not entirely. It was from Prendick's point of view, but it wasn't laid out in Journal format. I could have easily had this book read in a day, but sadly school and work conflicted and it took be a bit longer. If you are looking for an extremely good, quick read, find this one. I bought mine for only $2.00.