The Island of Dr. Moreau

July 4, 2016
Voice actor Griffin brings the perfect sense of earnestness to his reading of this prophetic tale of science gone mad. Edward Prendick, an upper-class Englishman, is shipwrecked, adrift on the ocean and facing certain death, when he is miraculously rescued by a passing ship. His relief is short-lived, however, as he soon finds himself marooned on a strange and dangerous island ruled by a mysterious scientist named Dr. Moreau. The only other inhabitants of the island are Moreau’s assistant, Montgomery, and a disturbing collection of beast folk—animal hybrids stitched and spliced together by Moreau through a series of cruel and painful experiments in his attempts to elevate common animals into some twisted semblance of humankind. Trapped on this bizarre island-sized laboratory, Prendick must survive while under the ever-watchful eyes of his human benefactor and the unpredictable eyes of his animalistic creations. Griffin’s reading brings a level of hopeful desperation to Prendick, the story’s narrator. His Prendick is a man damaged by having seen horrendous things he can never fully explain—or forget—and yet he’s determined to tell his story one last, definitive time. It is a solid, compelling and thought-provoking reading of this timeless tale of science fiction.

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. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Released in conjunction with the movie featuring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer, this audiobook enjoys the talents of a particularly effective reader. Michael Williams has a low-key, cultured British intonation, which sounds almost jaded in parts. Yet he distinguishes the various characters with fluid skill: A sea captain's voice is so rough it sounds like a metal rasp; the beast-men created by Moreau's vivisection sound almost ethereal, as if still exhausted by torture under the knife. There's no musical punctuation or any other enhancement. Williams carries the somber story alone, his voice tense with excitement at times, almost whispering at more contemplative moments. D.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine