Reviews tagging 'Blood'

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

32 reviews

toriliz's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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sims2machinima's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

i listened to an audiobook while reading, and the narrator kinda sounded like willem dafoe in nosferatu, which led me to imaging dr. moreau as willem dafoe for the entirety of the book... i am unfraid i will never be unable to unsee this (and tbf he would absolutely kill it)

no but seriously, this is definitely an interesting read. i had to read the book from a pro-vivisection/anti-vivisection perspective for a class presentation, and i think its commentary on human nature is very thought-provoking yet at the same time quite upsetting. at the end of the day, even when presented with something horrible happening, most of us will do nothing about it and instead focus on our own self-preservation. 

(yes, i do realize h.g. wells supported vivisection in specific circumstances, but i felt it was hard to see the piece as pro-vivisection because of how difficult it is to sympathize with prendick, who only acts in ways that promote human superiority and hypocrisy; i do not think the intended humanism was successful) 
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fieval_loves_books's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

<light spoilers>
Early science fiction! The book is much better when you understand the historical context in which it is written.   Otherwise it can seem a bit….goofy..

Victorian paranoia around scientific advancement  and particularly vivisection put the horror element into context.  

The mystery of what the island is becomes relatively apparently early in the book.  

It’s a short read but also fun to listen to on audiobook.   good to read if you are interested in the development of the horror genre / science fiction and  how monsters are a reflection of societies paranoia. 
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simonnebee's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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mousecat's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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lanid's review against another edition

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dark mysterious
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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tmwarner_1994's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

First I want to say that this was not as gruesome as I thought it would be. Now it was still hard to read at some parts, but it wasn't as detailed as I thought it would be given the subject matter.
I like the twist at the end where you kind of find out that the whole story was written like a letter, but you aren't sure if it really happened or not. Was there really an island with a mad scientist who experimented with animal/human creatures? Who knows.
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draven_deathcrush's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I've always wanted to read something from this author, and I think this might be the only one I read. While it was a quick read, and it was very cinematic, so it was good for getting out of my reading slump, I usually prefer more flowery writing with good quotes. I also wasn't a fan of a lot of the language used in this book, especially the language towards the creatures. Besides that, it was an interesting concept, and it was a quick read. It made me think about the kangaroo dudes from Tank Girl.
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katenovah's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

3.75

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queenpebbles's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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