The Island of Doctor Moreau

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. (Apr.)