Shipwreck survivor Edward Prendick is picked up by a dodgy cargo vessel and befriended by the secretive Montgomery. When the latter is dropped off at his destination – a mysterious island – Prendick is reluctantly offered refuge, but his welcome is not all-encompassing and the sinister Doctor Moreau and his bizarre experiments quickly throw our hero into a difficult situation. Including notes by Steven McLean and with an introduction by Margaret Atwood, The Island of Doctor Moreau is billed as a parable on Darwinian theory and a biting social satire.
I’m a big fan of HG Wells and have been meaning to read this for years, but this book really didn’t do a darn thing for me. I struggled through it to the bitter end, but while I can see it must have been pretty shocking/thrilling to contemporary audiences (it was published in 1896), I really can’t see the appeal now. Compared to his other books, I found the writing tedious and the story hard going. All in all, there was very little to keep me interested.
I realise I’m in a minority here, but this won’t be a book I’ll cherish for years to come – rather, one I’ll pack up for the second-hand book shop.
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Oh I think it’s totally fine not to love what others consider a “classic.” I read…what was it…House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne. HATED IT. “But it’s a classic!” I was told time and again. Bah! Those stories may connect to many people, but they don’t HAVE to connect to you.
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Glad I’m not the only one 😉
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Interesting review, Colin. All writers have good books and less good ones. This proves that. I couldn’t even finish The Dome by Stephen King but I loved some of his books.
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Indeed – can’t win ’em all. I’ve had Under the Dome on my bookshelf for more than a year – one of these days…
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