Classics: The Island of Doctor Moreau

The Island of Doctor Moreau 
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Edward Prendick, the single survivor of a shipwreck, is rescued by a vessel carrying a menagerie of savage animals. Soon he finds himself stranded on an uncharted island in the Pacific with the strange vivisectionist Dr Moreau, whose experiments have led him to break the laws of nature, stitching together man and beast with horrific results.

Okay...nobody shout at me but this is the first H.G. Wells book that I've read and I completely loved it! I'm in love with the Pocket Penguin editions in general, and the notes for this edition of Moreau really helped when reading. They let you know what all the nautical terms where and met, and offered historical insight in to the novel and what may have influenced it as well as some critical reviews and what they made of certain parts of the book, which was just as interesting to read about as the book itself. 

I was hooked from the introduction of this book. It sent a shiver up the spine and immediately intrigued me and I was intrigued for the entirety of the book. Who is Moreau? Why did Montgomery have to leave? What exactly is going on with all these creatures?! I got a little bit of a Jurassic Park vibe, purely because you have an island filled with all of these creatures and the people in charge lose control. But in this case it's more animals reverting back to their original instincts, rather than getting free of their enclosures. 

I'm not a science person, I'm a history person, but even so I found the science to this book fascinating, especially with the notes that added some historical insight in to it all. I perhaps didn't understand all of the finer points in detail but I got the gist of it. I found the island to be a vivid creation, and the creatures really spring to life. The entire point of the book, the morality and ethicalness of it make you think, and it's cleverly done. Entertaining rather than a lecture. 

The book may be short, but it manages to explore a lot, genetics, religion, psychology, experimenting on animals, ethics and more. It's a read that definitely makes you think, and is brilliantly written. I hugely enjoyed it and found it a breeze of a read, oddly enough! It was also quite creepy at points! I'm thinking I need to read all of his other works sooner rather than later! I have been meaning to get to them, I swear! The Island of Doctor Moreau is an entertaining read, that you can read easily in one sitting, and that'll have you thinking about it long after you've put the book down!