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Although it is less often read than such Wells' novelsas The War of the Worlds,the basic
story of The Island o fDr Moreau is very well known through several extremelyloose film
adaptations (改编 ). Prendick, aBritishscientist,has an accident at sea and by chance finds
himself on amysterious island where Dr Moreau and his assistant Montgomery are engaged
in strange experiments of turninganimals into humans.
Wells was a social reformer,and his novels reflect(反映) his thoughts and theories about
human society. Much of Wells'writing concerns ( either directly or indirectly) socialclass,
but Moreau deals with the then-newly advanced theoryof evolution (进化)-and then works
to relate how that theory influences man' s belief in God. Wells sometimes mentioned this in
his novels,but nowhere in his work i.s this line of thought more clearly and specifically seen
than here.
Sometimes Wells tries to influence his readers strongly, while on other occasions,he does
it gently. But in The Island of Dr Moreau,Wells achieves a perfect balance of the twoextremes.
It is an impressive achievement,and in this sense I consider Moreau possibly the best of
Wells' works. The novel is as interesting for the story it tells as it is for its themes that are still
very important today.
Moreau is not as horrific as Wells' many other novels--- he often included horror and
cruelty in his science fiction. Still,this is not a book that you can read and then put away: it
stays in your mind in a most disturbing way. Stronglyrecommended.
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