Format: Hardcover
Page Length: 306
Pulisher: Del Ray
Publication Date: July 19, 2022
In this retelling of H.G. Wells’s The Island of Doctor Moreau Silvia Moreno-Garcia brings us to nineteenth century Yucatan. Hidden within the Yucatan during the Mexican Revolution, lies the seemingly ordinary estate of Yaxaktun. This estate is home to an incredible secret, a community of human-animal Hybrids created by the egotistical Dr. Moreau, a man dedicated to breaking the boundaries between man and nature. His daughter, Carlota sees Yaxaktun as a paradise on Earth, sheltered from the ongoing Caste War of the Yucatan and the world at large. Soon Carlota finds herself at the center of the Hybrids’ survival and continuation of her father’s work when his patron’s son begins to lust after her. The majordomo Montgomery is a man with a dark past full of loss has found something of of a temporary shelter at Yaxaktun, he is close to the Hybrids but needs to a make a choice about wanting to live.
This story has no shortage of complex characters who undergo major development, Carlota and Montgomery have the most significant ones. Carlota starts off the story as a naive young woman who dreams of the romance found in books and has no desire to see the world outside of Yaxaktun with full devotion to her father. She is eager to play the devoted daughter and act as peacekeeper on the estate. Then comes Eduardo Lizalde, the handsome son of her father’s patron, who she and her father think is the answer to all their concerns. For Carlota, it is the survival of the Hybrids, for Moreau, it is ongoing funding. While Carlota goes along with their efforts to make her into a typical lady, a pretty ornament, she begins to learn how to be clever and for the sake of the Hybrids, begins to show independence. It is when secrets about her past come to light that she resolves to stop being what everyone wants her to be and taps into strength she was unaware of.
While a good number of characters want to become better people, there are just as many who remain unlikable. If there is a main antagonist to name, Doctor Moreau fits that title perfectly. The scenes where he is featured can create a disturbing feeling with the reader as he comes across more as a cult leader instead of a scientist. He sees himself as above everyone due to his intellect and accomplishments with the Hybrids, but that doesn’t stop him from planning to scrap them for a perfect batch. With the greedy Lizalde using the ongoing Caste War as an excuse for him pushing past the ethical concerns or showing basic humanity, Moreau cares not for his creations, only for the fame it would bring him.
Characters aside, this story is told through Montgomery and Carlota who have two very different outlooks. Carlota’s is bright and innocent while Montgomery’s is sorrowful with bits of sarcasm thrown in. Presenting a fuller picture of what is going on in the exact same scenes as the reader gets two points of view. With a vast majority of the story taking place on the estate of Yaxaktun it can be isolating, but the impacts the Caste War of the Yucatan plays a large role in driving the story and becoming the main factor in how different characters find themselves interacting with the Moreaus and the Hybrids.
Overall, Silvia Moreno-Garcia created a retelling of a classic sci-fi story set in an isolated portion of the Mexican Yucatan in a way that makes the reader feel involved in the world it is set in and gain a complete picture of the main characters. Along with making them complex and intriguing to follow. There were some developments that needed a second look to fully understand, but it was easy to dive right into this world.
The Lit Spot 
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