| Reading his novels in the order they were written, H.G. Wells continues to amaze me. The Island of Dr. Moreau is not much like Wells' first novel, The Time Machine, and nothing like his second, The Wonderful Visit (although all three trod new ground in science fiction concepts). Dr. Moreau is the most morose of the three, chilling and nightmarish. Told by the last survivor of an island-bound, surreptitious medical lab, the book continues Wells' extrapolations of Darwinian theory; it's part suspense novel and part social commentary. The god-like Dr. Moreau's attempts to mutate animals to more closely mimic humans physically and intellectually seems far-fetched, but the basic sped-up-evolution is still being used in science fiction today (in both of the Planet of the Apes film series, for example). The new Penguin Classics edition features helpful annotations, a comprehensive reference guide for future reading, a note on the varying texts over the decades, and a very insightful introduction by novelist Margaret Atwood. Her different ways of viewing the novel and interpreting its symbolism will make you rethink your earlier views of the work. |
