The Island of Dr Moreau

 The Island of Dr Moreau

    The book I would like to propose today I read recently. It made a really good impression on me and I wasn't bored even for a while during the reading, what is more, I think it's a really great novel, but what surprised me enough was the fact that practically none of my friends have heard of it. It's a science fiction novel and I must admit that it's not one of my favorites, that's why I'm taking such titles with a certain amount of caution... BUT! This is the work of an iconic author of the genre. You may consider this an unprofessional approach, but in my opinion, in the world of literature (with exceptions, of course, as in any field), nothing gets publicity without reason.. It's Hubert George Wells and his "The Island of Dr Moreau".

    First published in 1896 (yes, again in the 19th century, again in England), "The Island of Dr. Moreau" is a work with a serious, very dense climate of horror, so the reader with a sensitive imagination is exposed to the frequent experience of goose bumps. The main topic Wells tries to address in this novel is human nature in its broadest sense, but there are also considerations of evolution (no wonder, the author was after all an educated biologist), and a rightly forgotten field of science called eugenics. This work is not one of the shortest, so I recommend that you reserve some free time for it.

    The story begins with a shipwreck on the ocean, and the only survivor is Edward Prendick. Luckily saved by a ship passing by, he is cured by one of the passengers, a doctor named Montgomery, accompanied by a man with a grotesque body structure that is sometimes animal-like. The doctor explains to Edward that they are sailing to an island that does not even have its own name yet, and the animals that are part of the ship's cargo are also sailing there. When the ship arrives near the island, both the ship's captain and Dr. Montgomery refuse to take Prendick with them. Seeing that the ship's crew wants to abandon Prendick on the lifeboat from which they rescued him, Dr. Montgomery decides to take him to the island and there he introduces him to Dr. Moreau, who is doing research on the island. Prendick is placed in the outer part of the building nad is very interested to see the research that Dr. Moreau is carrying out on the island, especially in the inner part of the building that remains permanently closed. Prendick recalls that he had already heard of Dr. Moreau, an excellent physiologist from London, whose drastic vivisection experiments were revealed by one of the journalists. One day, because of the horrifying screams coming from the lab, Edward decides to take a walk on the island.  During this walk, he notices a group of people on the glade, resembling... Pigs. When he decides to return, he realizes he's being followed. He panics and starts running away. In the act of defense, he manages to stun the attacker, a monstrous hybrid of man and animal...

    This time the main reason why I recommend this novel so strongly is very shallow. It's just a very interesting and gripping book, evoking really strong emotions (including fear) in the reader. If, on the other hand, I were to mention its "educational" qualities, I would decide to describe it as a novel that points out how deep the original, primal instincts are still rooted and how tragic the irresponsible conduct of scientific research can be.

    Thank you for the attention. Best regards. 

    

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