How many words are in The Island of Doctor Moreau?

by H.G. Wells · 1896 · Science Fiction

43,545
Word count
3 hr 3 min
Reading time
175
Est. pages
1896
Published

The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells is approximately 43,545 wordslong. At an average reading speed of 238 words per minute, that's about 3 hr 3 min of reading spread across several sittings. First published in 1896, it sits in the Science Fiction category.

Typical science fiction novels run 90,000125,000 words, with a sweet spot around 100,000–115,000. At 43,545 words, The Island of Doctor Moreau comes in below the typical range — closer to a novella in length.

Source: Word count computed from the Project Gutenberg plain-text edition (eBook #159, public domain) · referenceVerified 2026-06-21

Science Fiction novels of similar length

TitleAuthorWord count
Fahrenheit 451Ray Bradbury45,910
The Invisible ManH.G. Wells48,500
The Time MachineH.G. Wells32,149
The War of the WorldsH.G. Wells59,796
Around the World in Eighty DaysJules Verne63,334
Brave New WorldAldous Huxley63,766