One of the works that is considered a classic of the genre. I was delighted by the style and heavy atmosphere that the author built in this novel.
The main character (Edward Prendick) is a castaway and ends up on an island in the Pacific. It is inhabited by the bizarre titular Doctor Moreau, his assistant and a crowd of strange creatures. As it turns out, the doctor conducts experiments on animals on the island resulting in his own strange human-like creatures.
The way of narration and the language used by the author reminds me of the style of H.P. Lovecraft’s novels. There is an atmosphere of anxiety and growing horror. The main character has moral dilemmas seeing the way the doctor treats the animals he brings to the island. Very questionable morally is the argument of Moreau, who, in the name of advancing science and his ambitions, has created on the island a very grotesque and brutal procedure of changing the genes of animals. Although the book is short the plot develops gradually. From Prendick’s perspective and his daily observations, the secret that the island and its inhabitants hide emerges to us.
Wells, in this book, probably wanted to create a shock and raise questions for the reader about the validity of the rapid development of science and its ethics. Using the example of Dr. Moreau, we see that a man consumed, in this case, with a lust for knowledge and control over the forces of nature, quickly loses control over reality and is able to pay a high price for his actions. A great book that encourages philosophical thoughts after reading.