A review by house_of_hannah
The Island of Doctor Moreau and Other Stories by Emily Alder, H.G. Wells

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

3.5

My ranking of the 4 stories in this book are as follows:
Aepyornis Island
The Sea Raiders
The Island of Doctor Moreau
The Empire of the Ants

I feel like this kind of tale does well as a short story. I was surprised at how some of the descriptions really got to me, and I definitely felt some tension. I'd really only call Doctor Moreau sci-fi out of the four, as the other three were simply animals being animals really.

For me, I think what makes sci-fi a terrifying genre is when what is being explained feels probable. Perhaps that could be something that actually happens one day. That is not the case at all in Doctor Moreau; it is definitely something that will not be possible, and I believe that took me out of the story. This is to no fault of the author, but is simply my tastes.

Overall, I am quite happy that I have finally read this story ! I am still trying to navigate what parts of this genre I enjoy, so this helped with that. 
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