The Island of Dr. Moreau, by H.G. Wells

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells begins with Edward Prendick's ship, The Lady Vain, being wrecked at sea, leaving him stranded. He then finds a ship full of animals owned by a man named Montgomery. Seeing that Prendick has nowhere else to go, Montgomery reluctantly takes him along with him to a strange island, apparently inhabited by only Montgomery and his colleague, Dr. Moreau. However, it isn't long before Prendick finds out that Moreau is doing strange and horrific experiements on animals to give them humanoid traits... and that the experiments are about to go horribly wrong.

The Island of Dr. Moreau is an absorbing and suspenseful adventure that, like H.G. Wells' other works, still manages to interest and puzzle the reader over a hundred years after its original publication. Edward Prendick serves as a very believable main character, being equally fascinated by the wonders of the mysterious island and horrified by the abominations that Moreau had created. It is also very interesting to see how H.G. Wells displays the consequences of tampering with nature by giving the creatures conflicting primitive animal traits and human traits. While not as memorable as sont of Wells' other works, The Island of Dr. Moreau is still a great novel for classic literature readers or science fiction fans.

-Reviewed by Liam, grade 9.