Daughter of Doctor Moreau

Q: Are we not men?
A: No, thank god.

The Island of Doctor Moreau, like many of Wells' stories, lends itself to a lot of allegorical readings, especially as both society and technology marches forward. I should probably re-read it.

One of Daughter's most admirable strengths is that it's both rich enough in detail and distanced enough from the present day (set in the revolutionary 1870s) that it doesn't lend itself to ONE reading. Sure SMG has put some much-needed focus on the gender and colonial lenses, but at its heart it remains a story about people - whether fully Homo or not - grappling with power. Setting it deep in the jungles of Yucatán gives it some extra context and some more dimensions; we're not on a mystic isolated island, we're smack dab in the middle of history with all its complexities.

Sure you could have wished for some more character depth for one or two of the quite obvious villains. Then again, sometimes they really are that obvious. If old dogs can't learn new tricks, make better dogs, I guess.

I loved the Yucatan setting and the core mystery of this novel. The main concept is adapted from an old SF book featuring the same Doctor, but I appreciate how it was transplanted into this setting with the political undercurrent of the late 1800's. Most of the supporting cast are quite spunky and really stood out. Unfortunately I do feel like the two main characters don't have much of a relationship; they also tend to be a little one-note and frustrating.

The audiobook narration was also quite high quality particularly in the use of Mexican, French, and English accents. The narrator (Gisela Chípe) really brought the characters to life with craft and energy.