The Island of Dr. Moreau

H. G. Wells’s classic science fiction novel about a depraved scientist living on a remote island whose diabolical experiments on animals brought about hideous, humanlike results.

With an introduction by Alan Lightman

Close to death after a shipwreck left him stranded at sea, Englishman Edward Prendick finds himself on a remote island in the Pacific. He soon meets the enigmatic and notorious Dr. Moreau, a scorned physiologist who was forced to leave England when a journalist exposed his gruesome experimentation with vivisection. Thus begins Prendick’s journey that leads him to discover dark secrets, strange creatures, and a reason to run for his life. . . .

A riveting tale intended to be a commentary on evolution, divine creation, and the tension between human nature and culture, The Island of Dr. Moreau was met with intense criticism from reviewers who found it horrifying and blasphemous after its initial publication in 1896. Yet even now, more than a century later, Wells’s haunting exploration of ethical issues raised by producing “smarter” humans or bringing back extinct species still rings true.