Filmed numerous times, The Island of Doctor Moreau remains one of H. G. Wells' best-known novels. The story tells of Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat who is left on the island home of Doctor Moreau, a reclusive genius who creates human-like hybrid beings from animals via vivisection. The novel deals with a number of philosophical themes, including pain and cruelty, moral responsibility, human identity, and human interference with nature.