The Island of Dr. Moreau
The Island of Dr. Moreau is an 1896 horror and occult fiction novel by H. G. Wells. It is set in the late 19th century. Key subjects include islands, animal experimentation, Occultism and shipwreck survival.
Open Library readers give it an average of 3.7 out of 5 from 53 ratings, and 401 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 295 editions across 8 languages.
It runs to roughly 168 pages — 3–4 hours of reading at an average pace.
About The Island of Dr. Moreau
Ranked among the classic novels of the English language and the inspiration for several unforgettable movies, this early work of H. G. Wells was greeted in 1896 by howls of protest from reviewers, who found it horrifying and blasphemous. They wanted to know more about the wondrous possibilities of science shown in his first book, The Time Machine, not its potential for misuse and terror. In The Island of Dr. Moreau, a shipwrecked gentleman named Edward Prendick, stranded on a Pacific island lorded over by the notorious Dr. Moreau, confronts dark secrets, strange creatures, and a reason to run for his life. While this riveting tale was intended to be a commentary on evolution, divine creation, and the tension between human nature and culture, modern readers familiar with genetic engineering will marvel at Wells’s prediction of the ethical issues raised by producing “smarter” human beings or bringing back extinct species. These levels of interpretation add a richness to Prendick’s adventures on Dr. Moreau’s island of lost souls without distracting from what is still a rip-roaring good read.
Opening line
“on February the 1st, 1887, the Lady Vain was lost by collision with a derelict when about the latitude 1° S. and longitude 107° W.”
Quick answers
Who wrote The Island of Dr. Moreau?
The Island of Dr. Moreau was written by H. G. Wells and first published in 1896.
What genre is The Island of Dr. Moreau?
It is usually shelved as Horror, Occult Fiction and Victorian Science Fiction.
How long is The Island of Dr. Moreau?
The median edition has 168 pages, about 3–4 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.
What books are similar to The Island of Dr. Moreau?
Readers who like it often enjoy The Picture of Dorian Gray, The House of Souls and The Coming Race.
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