John Clute
It is hard to think of a more qualified person to give us, at long
last, a version of an H. G. Wells novel which could be trusted...
Professor Philmus's edition is extraordinarily full.
Interzone
David Seed
[T]his edition ... [leaves] the reader well placed to observe Wells's
changing conception of his work and particularly to see how the novel
grows out of the Gothic tradition. [I]t is important to stress what a
wealth of materials is assembled in this volume.
Udolpho
Dale Kramer
This is a useful book for its placing the novel
against its background of late-Victorian intellectual issues.
English Literature in Transition
Darren Harris-Fain
Philmus's variorum edition of The Island of Doctor Moreau is a shining
example of the quality of work that can and should be done in the
[science-fiction] field.
Extrapolation
From the Publisher
The Broadview Edition of The Island of Doctor Moreau restores this greatest of all post-Darwinian island fables to its original context. In his introduction, Mason Harris provides a lively account of the evolutionary debates that influenced the novel’s construction and an informative overview of criticism to date. Appendices show the controversy generated by Moreau’s publication, situate the final text alongside early drafts and Wells’s journalism, and reprint scientific and literary sources crucial to understanding the novel. This edition will appeal to both those in the academy and the general reader, and is to be strongly recommended.” — Steven McLean, H. G. Wells Society
“Mason Harris provides the reader with essential connections between The Island of Doctor Moreau and the scientific and philosophical debates that raged in the Victorian world. This edition provides vital insight that allows the reader to slice through the shadows of Moreau’s House of Pain and emerge into the true turn-of-the-century horror that H.G. Wells constructed. The appendices, including samples of Wells’s scientific journalism, help bring focus to the complexity of the author’s vision.” — Eric Cash, Abraham Baldwin College, Editor, The Undying Fire: The Journal of The H.G. Wells Society, the Americas, 2001–2005
Eric Cash
"Mason Harris provides the reader with essential connections between The Island of Doctor Moreau and the scientific and philosophical debates that raged in the Victorian world. This edition provides vital insight that allows the reader to slice through the shadows of Moreau's House of Pain and emerge into the true turn-of-the-century horror that H.G. Wells constructed. The appendices, including samples of Wells's scientific journalism, help bring focus to the complexity of the author's vision."
Steven McLean
"The Broadview Edition of The Island of Doctor Moreau restores this greatest of all post-Darwinian island fables to its original context. In his introduction, Mason Harris provides a lively account of the evolutionary debates that influenced the novel's construction and an informative overview of criticism to date. Appendices show the controversy generated by Moreau's publication, situate the final text alongside early drafts and Wells's journalism, and reprint scientific and literary sources crucial to understanding the novel. This edition will appeal to both those in the academy and the general reader, and is to be strongly recommended."
OCT 97 - AudioFile
H.G. Wells’s classic horror story centers around monster-making. As the tale begins, the nephew of Edward Prendick is reading from an account written by his uncle as a old man. While in the prime of life, the shipwrecked Prendick was saved from death by Dr. Moreau, an expatriate living on a deserted island who was attempting, by surgical experiments, to humanize animals. Through Prebble’s narrative mastery the character of Prendick evolves with the events he describes. The opening chapter is performed in a dry, weary voice. As Prendick describes the animals’ agony and the misshapen results of the “man-making,” Prebble reads in a shadowy, intense tone, conveying events too horrible and unbelievable to describe. Prebble’s reading makes the story more visual and visceral than the recently released silver-screen version. L.R.S. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine
AUGUST 2021 - AudioFile
Narrator Jonathan Keeble’s deep, strong voice sets an ominous tone for this short, dark novel about perverted ambition and the bestiality of men. It’s set on a small island, where the tortured creations of misguided science lurk. Some of Keeble’s vocal characterizations make for uncomfortable listening—a pronounced lisp, for instance—but they are true to Wells’s descriptions. At times, Keeble’s delivery is close to overwrought, nearly a shout, but it’s always true to the melodrama and violence of this science-fiction fable. Most impressively, Keeble’s voice sustains and builds the mood of threat and dread. More than a reading, this is a fine version of a powerful classic. W.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
AUGUST 2021 - AudioFile
Narrator Jonathan Keeble’s deep, strong voice sets an ominous tone for this short, dark novel about perverted ambition and the bestiality of men. It’s set on a small island, where the tortured creations of misguided science lurk. Some of Keeble’s vocal characterizations make for uncomfortable listening—a pronounced lisp, for instance—but they are true to Wells’s descriptions. At times, Keeble’s delivery is close to overwrought, nearly a shout, but it’s always true to the melodrama and violence of this science-fiction fable. Most impressively, Keeble’s voice sustains and builds the mood of threat and dread. More than a reading, this is a fine version of a powerful classic. W.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine