Written in 1896, The Island of Dr. Moreau was an instant sensation that went on to inspire a series of movies. It was meant as a commentary on Darwin’s recently published theory of evolution, which had riveted the world of science and therefore, of science fiction. While gene-splicing and bioengineering are common practices today, readers are still amazed by Wells’s haunting vision and the ethical questions he raised a century before our time.

Shipwrecked on a Pacific island, gentleman naturalist Edward Prendick finds Dr. Moreau, a scientist expelled from his homeland for performing cruel vivisection experiments. Here Moreau has found the freedom to continue his work, and Prendick soon becomes involved. Dr. Moreau’s project is to “humanize” animals by torturous surgical transplant, creating hideous creatures with manlike intelligence. But as the cruelly-enforced order on Moreau’s island dissolves, the true consequences of his meddling emerge.

© 2012 Blackstone Publishing (Audiobook): 9781481546959
© 2015 Xist Classics (Ebook): 9781681958033

Release date

Audiobook: July 16, 2012
Ebook: October 2, 2015