The Island of Doctor Moreau

HG Wells is rightly considered to be the grandfather of science fiction. The Island of Doctor Moreau is on of his most well known pieces. Despite its age, this displays some interesting concepts that can still have some resonance today - the questioning on the difference between beast and man and taking a science fiction/horror approach to asking it. The writing is archaic at times (the edition I had had useful notes on some terms which may have dropped out of the common vernacular) but it still grips in a nice way. The relative brevity of the novel gives it an intense focus.

Ultimately my rating here is largely based on the importance of this novel. Here the forgotten land story (which was popular in that era) was taken into a more rationalised and science based direction. The creation of monsters by man in an attempt at being god is a failing that repeats to this day - hubris remains a common failing in humanity. The horror that is generated by these creatures is also very modern in its sensibilities - possibly even more so than when it was written.

HG Wells is such a key figure in the science fiction and this is one of his most important works. A must read for anyone interested in the history of the genre and it still reads in an entertaining fashion to this day.