This book is atmospheric and concerned with the darker side of humanity. It made me go back to the original The Island of Dr. Moreau
which was itself spooky and mysterious. What constitutes a monster? Is
it the creation or the creator? Shepherd does a good job of tackling
these questions.
My husband used to laugh at me because I would
feel sympathy for a dead bunny on the road, but not for a dead possum.
My defense was that bunnies are cute and possums are not. I really feel
like Juliet makes these distinctions as well. She is ready to save
Alice who is cute, but not willing to save Balthazer because he is not.
There were both creations so there is no argument that both were in her
eyes abominations. (view spoiler)
This
was a great read if you suspended disbelief at the door. If you try to
logically piece things together, everything falls apart. But the same
could be said of the original novel as well. Fortunately, I am one of
those people who can read a novel and just take the facts as they are
presented so I found this to be an enjoyable read.
I re-read
Dr. Moreau while I was reading this so most of my comments will be in
that review. I will say that Shepherd does a great job of asking the
important questions. It will make you think and wrestle with complicated
questions that are still relevant today. It is the age old question
asked often of science - just because we can do something, does that
mean we should? Dr. Moreau pursues science without thought to the consequences. The Madman's Daughter opens up that discussion and
would make a great book for a book club.
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