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jberry92's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
scribbler67's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
lisawreading's review
4.0
This book is so weird… and I loved it.
In The Album of Dr. Moreau, we meet the WyldBoyZ — the world’s most adored boy band, who sing in perfect harmony, have killer dance moves, and have the physical appearance of very interesting animal/human mixes. These five pop stars are genetically engineered animal-human hybrids, and they’ve taken the world by storm.
As the book opens, their ethically-challenged, manipulative manager Dr. M. has been found brutally murdered in his Las Vegas suite after the Boyz’s final tour performance and blow-out afterparty. Who wanted Dr. M. dead, and who had opportunity? As Detective Luce Delgado quickly establishes, all of the Boyz had motive, and any one of them could have had access.
Meanwhile, the case is complicated by the WyldBoyZ’s wild celebrity, as well as by their rabid fan base, referred to as zoomies (which true fans consider offensive — they prefer zoomandos, thank you very much). Zoomies dress in elaborate animal costumes, so as Luce and her colleagues review the video footage from the party, it’s pretty much impossible to tell who’s who beneath the unicorn, gopher, chipmunk, and other furry costumes.
As Luce investigates, we get to know each of the Boyz, and learn more and more about their backstory, where they came from, and what they’ve had to endure. I absolutely loved her interviews with the band members, seeing their personalities, their habits, and their quirks… and how not weird she tries to make it as she’s sitting and having a conversation with a human-pangolin hybrid, as one example.
This book is short, but so jam-packed with goodness that there’s no wasted space. I was entertained and hooked from page one, and adored every moment. The wacky idea of a human-animal-hybrid boy band is so out there, and it’s perfect.
I happen to have read The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells last year, and that made reading The Album of Dr. Moreau extra amusing as a point of comparison — but don’t worry if you haven’t read the Wells classic. It’s not necessary for enjoying this book, since they don’t really have anything to do with one another except as a passing reference… but if you’re curious, it’s worth checking out.
The Album of Dr. Moreau is so much crazy fun. My only complaint: I really, REALLY, want to see a video of the WyldBoyZ in action. Please, someone, make it happen!!
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
In The Album of Dr. Moreau, we meet the WyldBoyZ — the world’s most adored boy band, who sing in perfect harmony, have killer dance moves, and have the physical appearance of very interesting animal/human mixes. These five pop stars are genetically engineered animal-human hybrids, and they’ve taken the world by storm.
As the book opens, their ethically-challenged, manipulative manager Dr. M. has been found brutally murdered in his Las Vegas suite after the Boyz’s final tour performance and blow-out afterparty. Who wanted Dr. M. dead, and who had opportunity? As Detective Luce Delgado quickly establishes, all of the Boyz had motive, and any one of them could have had access.
Meanwhile, the case is complicated by the WyldBoyZ’s wild celebrity, as well as by their rabid fan base, referred to as zoomies (which true fans consider offensive — they prefer zoomandos, thank you very much). Zoomies dress in elaborate animal costumes, so as Luce and her colleagues review the video footage from the party, it’s pretty much impossible to tell who’s who beneath the unicorn, gopher, chipmunk, and other furry costumes.
As Luce investigates, we get to know each of the Boyz, and learn more and more about their backstory, where they came from, and what they’ve had to endure. I absolutely loved her interviews with the band members, seeing their personalities, their habits, and their quirks… and how not weird she tries to make it as she’s sitting and having a conversation with a human-pangolin hybrid, as one example.
This book is short, but so jam-packed with goodness that there’s no wasted space. I was entertained and hooked from page one, and adored every moment. The wacky idea of a human-animal-hybrid boy band is so out there, and it’s perfect.
I happen to have read The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells last year, and that made reading The Album of Dr. Moreau extra amusing as a point of comparison — but don’t worry if you haven’t read the Wells classic. It’s not necessary for enjoying this book, since they don’t really have anything to do with one another except as a passing reference… but if you’re curious, it’s worth checking out.
The Album of Dr. Moreau is so much crazy fun. My only complaint: I really, REALLY, want to see a video of the WyldBoyZ in action. Please, someone, make it happen!!
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
lindsayb's review
5.0
This was so much fun!! Great twist on the classic, so funny, and a great, short mystery. Fantastic reader for the audiobook.
branch_c's review
4.0
Okay, this one is short and quirky, but unmistakably a Daryl Gregory story. It's clever and fast-paced, and while it feels like it ends too soon, the ending is nevertheless nicely done, and anyway the brief journey is part of the point here. The tight chapters are filled with snappy dialog and eye-roll inducing jokes, which makes it all the more impressive to notice that there's a solid mystery unspooling behind it all.
The characters are obviously the driving force in this book, being human-animal hybrids with bizarrely well-defined characteristics and personalities, and whose origins are initially left unsaid, as if this is a normal occurrence in this setting. But of course the title reference to the classic horror story gives away that their provenance is something darker, and the truth inevitably comes out in the end along with the resolution to the mystery.
So it's a well-constructed and satisfying combination of strangely disparate elements, from the humorous to the horrific, and unsurprisingly, Gregory manages to make it all hang together. Absolutely recommended for his fans, and for anyone who hasn't discovered him yet, this is as good a place as any to start.
The characters are obviously the driving force in this book, being human-animal hybrids with bizarrely well-defined characteristics and personalities, and whose origins are initially left unsaid, as if this is a normal occurrence in this setting. But of course the title reference to the classic horror story gives away that their provenance is something darker, and the truth inevitably comes out in the end along with the resolution to the mystery.
So it's a well-constructed and satisfying combination of strangely disparate elements, from the humorous to the horrific, and unsurprisingly, Gregory manages to make it all hang together. Absolutely recommended for his fans, and for anyone who hasn't discovered him yet, this is as good a place as any to start.
jva1229's review
5.0
This book was so fun and random! I love a quick read here and there and this really did the job. Highly recommend anything by Daryl Gregory and will be seeking out anything he puts out in the future.
ruby42's review
2.0
Yeah, this is a meh from me. Points for the original idea, but overall (and I don't like being so critical) I found this mostly just lame jokes and fluff and ....ugh. Just eye rolls all over. Entertaining and short and easy read though.
daisysbookmusings's review
5.0
TAODM is completely bonkers; it is entertaining yet disturbing and a fantastic book to read through in an afternoon with less than 150 pages. In true Gregory fashion, he has been able to blend horror with humour to keep you hooked from start to finish.
waclements7's review against another edition
4.0
Breath of fresh air
This is a ridiculous and silly story, which is just fine. I haven’t read any of the author’s other works, which I plan to remedy.
This is a ridiculous and silly story, which is just fine. I haven’t read any of the author’s other works, which I plan to remedy.