Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

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

23 reviews

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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emperorsonicus's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective 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

3.75

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freso's review against another edition

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  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

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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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sarahsemeniuk's review against another edition

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

3.5

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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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lorraine19's review against another edition

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

3.5

I wasn't overly thrilled with this story - it wasn't awful, but kinda boring to me. 

If you're not a fan of HG Wells then you may be turned off by the writing style because this is definitely in his usual, somewhat dry, style. It also covers a dark aspect of humanity, like most of his work, so don't expect a happy read. As someone who has read some Wells stories before, I found War of the Worlds (which I recommend to anyone reading Wells for the first time) much more entertaining. It just kinda felt like this one was trying too hard to be deep but didn't really go anywhere or state anything that hasn't been said a hundred times before. 

That being said, this may be more appealing to those with a strong interest in biology or philosophy that examines what it means to be human vs animal. 
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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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alienexpert's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

A decent classic read, but left me wanting a bit more substance.
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