My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Another science fiction story set in Victorian times. A man stranded at sea is forced to disembark on the island of Dr Moreau. The island host and dissatisfied guest are caught in a dilemma. The guest must stay until another boat nears the island. Such vessels visit around once a year. As sci-fi goes this was an enjoyable story and I would recommend it. The Doctor does diabolical experiments with animals. He tries to cross genetically enhance animals with human cells etc. Obviously, we do not go into too much depth about the scientific methods involved. We just know the island is running alive with Dr Moreau's discarded experiments of animal/human hybrid creatures.
Right, that part of the review is out of the way. I would like to add that this is an H.G. Wells science fiction tale and most of us know H.G. is one of the masters of sci-fi. Keep in mind, this tale is up against grand stories like War of the Worlds, The Time Machine and The Invisible Man. On that basis, I think The Island of Dr Moreau lurks in the shadows. The other three, I mentioned; are more extraordinary stories. Suffice to say, if H.G. Wells had only ever written this novel, it would have been good at the time but by now, it would be unheard of. If he had written just one of any of the other three, then any of the three would still be around today. Therefore, I think the Island of Dr Moreau is preserved because of H.G. Wells other achievements. A good sci-fi story but a league division or two below the three I keep banging on about.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment