Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells

46 reviews

grinchem's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Torture, and Murder

Minor: Racism

stephaniekrebs's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Death

makayla_muir's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Blood

moreau's review against another edition

adventurous reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

my favorite book ever. the language is hilarious, the characters are fucking amazing which is a first for hg wells, hell most of them even have names. he never names his characters or gives them any depth but these characters are actual people. still not fleshed out or anything but theyre there. prendick is boring and an average wells mc, has no opinions on anything. and Montgomery is kind of confusing, if you watch all the movie adaptations of this he's completely different in all of them yet all are somehow accurate to his book counterpart, but moreau is a solid character. hes just chill like that. love the pink sloth. this book completely changed the way i see the world, every biology class i have i mention it, everywhere i go theres a reference to it that goes over most people's heads and I'm like "oohh ohh i know that!!" (totally ruined the mighty boosh and the simpsons for me.) this book basically made me a furry because im so obsessed with if it could actually happen or not. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Torture, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide attempt

skitch41's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Torture

nubecato's review

dark reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism and Body horror

Minor: Torture

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

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

stacyaj's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Body horror

Moderate: Gun violence

phantomgecko's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-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? No

4.0

Upsetting.

I love the premise of this story, but I'd've liked to see more horror and action, actually. The existentialism is a fun important part too, of course. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Violence, Blood, and Suicide attempt

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, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

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

Minor: Cannibalism and Fire/Fire injury