A review by dustspectre
The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

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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