Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

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

9 reviews

dustspectre's review

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 (

Spoiler

the 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Racism

liamlaurence's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Mental illness, Gore, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Blood

tungstenmouse's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This book did not age well at all. Some of the attitudes presented are appalling by today’s standards. It’s also brutal and very dark. If you are very attached to animals you may have a very hard time with this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Gore, Blood, Cursing, Death, Alcoholism, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Violence, Torture, and Racism

Moderate: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Ableism

kstericker's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Racism

Minor: Cannibalism and Fire/Fire injury

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping

Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, and Ableism

tking250's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism and Suicidal thoughts

robynsimpson's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Death, Torture, Murder, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Gun violence

rydwyn's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Sexism, and Gore

crufts's review

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.25

In The Island of Dr Moreau, HG Wells asks us: where is the line drawn between human and beast? And what would happen if that narrow line began to fray?

The tale is told by Londoner Edward Prendick, a man from London who has the misfortune to be shipwrecked, eventually coming ashore the titular island. Here he finds the amoral Dr Moreau, a once-renowned London surgeon who was chased out of town after his bizarre and cruel animal experiments were publicized. Sure enough, the island is crawling with the strange half-human, half-beast results of his experiments...

At a slim 133 pages, the book can't help but run at a good pace. Similarly, the locations and characters used are condensed to a minimal few, maintaining a strong sense of unity and cohesion. The story also ends on a strong note that ties together everything the protagonist has seen over the course of the book.

While vivid horror themes like these are not my favourite, The Island of Dr Moreau is nonetheless a strong example of the genre.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Medical content, Murder, Stalking, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Minor: Racism