Book Review: The Island of Doctor Moreau

Book Review: The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells

I thought I would add a little more variety from my reading this week by going down to the local library and wandering aimlessly until I have found four random books that looked interesting. The first book I cracked open when I got home was this one from H.G. Wells. It is a strange tale, even for someone like Wells who is well known for some of his more well known fiction (War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, etc.). The Island of Doctor Moreau is a difficult book to describe without giving away too much of the plot. It is the story of young naturalist named Edward Pendrick who through a series of unfortunate events becomes shipwrecked. Barely surviving his ordeal he finds himself on a dark and mysterious island, ruled by a cunning and demented genius known as Dr. Moreau. The entire time while reading the book, Wells hints at things not right and you are haunted by a feeling of eerie discomfort as the foreboding grows. Make no mistake, this is a disturbing novel. I finished reading it and felt like Wells had approached a line of horror, crossed over it, and then pulled back just enough to make you feel thoughtful and uneasy for the remainder of the book. Not sure if I'd read it again, but definitely an interesting mixture of survival, fantasy, and horror genres. Not for children, I rate it 3.4 ninja stars out of 5.