Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

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

43 reviews

chriswaldron15's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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neolx's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

4.5

This was a really thoughtful and creepy horror sci-fi story that explored the fuzzy line between human nature and animals that was written, I think, in the wake of the publication of Darwin’s ideas. The author really excelled at creating an eerie atmosphere full of tension and beautiful, terrifying imagery. I can’t wait to read more H.G. Wells!

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ruffian23's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5


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bessadams's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0


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poirot's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75


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lynxpardinus's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense

2.0


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grinchem's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I won't deny that the story has its flaws, but overall I still found it interesting and entertaining.

The protagonist is almost comically incurious. Of all the wild things he witnesses, he's generally just focused on himself and doesn't think any further. It plays into the horror, that he may have seen things coming if he had just put a little more thought into the implications of what he had seen.

I felt like the story didn't give enough weight or attention to this brand new developing culture. It was seen through that old colonial British lens of "lesser" and therefore not deserving of attention. But it was consistent with the characters that they view it that way, and considering the book was in part inspired by the new (at the time) theory of evolution, I think it speaks to how people at that time saw an inherent horror in the idea of something not-yet-human. I think the horror for a modern reader is a little different, but the story still holds the power to make you quietly whisper "what the fuck"

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stephaniekrebs's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75


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makayla_muir's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Interesting read. The premise was intriguing and the writing was brilliant at times, though some of the imagery was lost on me. I didn't find it bad and I didn't find it good - it was just 'eh', alright. The ending was fantastic though, I would've loved for this idea - of Prendrick's life after the island and the psychological effects of being there - to be explored more, I did think the last two pages were the most interesting of the whole book. 

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dustspectre's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This is one of those books that would be far better if it were a) longer and b) rewritten for the modern day. As it stands, the book is far too short, suffers a lot from telling rather than showing (especially for the final few chapters), and the science really doesn't hold up. Not to mention the casual racism for most of the book.

The concept is certainly very interesting, however, hence the extra star. Again, if a book was published today with a similar premise/message I'd probably eat it right up. 

(I will also give Wells credit for making a main character that actually has flaws rather than going the route of so many other 19/20th century authors and making their MC have every skill and scrap of knowledge on Earth. It's actually impressive how little Prendick knows/how few skills he actually has)

Edit: on further reflection, dropping from 2 to 1 stars due to just how lackluster the last few chapters were. The content in those chapters (
Spoilerthe reversion of Moreau's creations to becoming animals, and Prendick's realisation that humanity was the monster
) was far too short and should've taken up the majority of the book rather than just the final ending chapters. The telling rather than showing aspect of Wells' writing also becomes painful here. Once again, this could be so much better if remade for the modern day, featuring better science and writing.

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