THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU

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 [Published: OCT 97]