The Island of Dr. Moreau
-
-
4.0 • 4 Ratings
-
-
- $1.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Voice actor Griffin brings the perfect sense of earnestness to his reading of this prophetic tale of science gone mad. Edward Prendick, an upper-class Englishman, is shipwrecked, adrift on the ocean and facing certain death, when he is miraculously rescued by a passing ship. His relief is short-lived, however, as he soon finds himself marooned on a strange and dangerous island ruled by a mysterious scientist named Dr. Moreau. The only other inhabitants of the island are Moreau's assistant, Montgomery, and a disturbing collection of beast folk animal hybrids stitched and spliced together by Moreau through a series of cruel and painful experiments in his attempts to elevate common animals into some twisted semblance of humankind. Trapped on this bizarre island-sized laboratory, Prendick must survive while under the ever-watchful eyes of his human benefactor and the unpredictable eyes of his animalistic creations. Griffin's reading brings a level of hopeful desperation to Prendick, the story's narrator. His Prendick is a man damaged by having seen horrendous things he can never fully explain or forget and yet he's determined to tell his story one last, definitive time. It is a solid, compelling and thought-provoking reading of this timeless tale of science fiction.
