Reviews

The Call of the Wild, White Fang and Other Stories by Jack London

bethany27's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense

4.25

toebean5's review against another edition

3.0

Hey- a book about man and dog where the dog doesn't die! That's my kind of dog book. Sure, enough animal cruelty to make me sick, and every other dog meets a gloomy end, but... not Buck!

I recall reading this some 10-14 years ago and finding it drab. But maybe it's reading about the frozen north in the blazing heat of the summer that made it really appealing to me. Still unpleasant to listen to the dog-breaking scenes, but an interesting story nonetheless.

My favorite short story was Love of Life- a man fighting against starvation and trying to survive... and the requisite wolf that followed along. This might be the only one where the animal doesn't have a happy ending- but the man's ending is so intriguing, it's worth a read.

esselleayy's review against another edition

2.0

A classic that I never bothered to read until book club forced me. The Call of the Wild was hard to read as someone sensitive to violence against animals (even when it's portrayed as part of the natural world), but undeniably beautifully written and the perfect length. Loved it. Then there's White Fang...a product of its time, so a bit of white man savior stuff in there (gross), but also just too long and, outside of its rather brilliant opening scene, kind of a drag.

I confess I skipped the other short stories at the end. Sorry, Jack London!

thefirehawk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

4.5

bethebluebook's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

emmatoner's review against another edition

5.0

Slayyyy
Call of the wild 4.5⭐️
South of the slot 4⭐️
White Fang 5⭐️

benbru's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jtobes4's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.75

poke_it's review

3.0

I had never read any Jack London before (I'm not sure if that's a pro or a con of the public school system I was raised in), but as a Bay Area convert, I wanted to dig into some of the original writers integral to the history of the area. London's prose is not particularly daring, even as his characters take on risk and, usually, cruelty. What is apparent is his very specific understanding of the world. London approaches his stories with a evolutionary naturalism (I believe a movement that was current for its time) that fits well with the Klondike gold-rush era he returns to, at least in his most well-known stories. As any reader may be aware, London's two most famous works--The Call of the Wild and White Fang--offer an arc in either direction: from "civilization" into the Wild, and from the Wild back into civilization. What I found particularly interesting with London was his belief in a kind of mystic divine--he often notes that a character's actions are simultaneously informed by their inherent nature, while also being almost exclusively informed by the nature which "molds" them. Clay as a metaphor for character action is often used in any of his stories. The other main points to his world view favor power as strength (a mastery, fitting for the use of dogs in this selection of stories), that love can act as a kind of power, and that in spite of that, there is a universal order to which all may fall victim to, regardless of their strength. The short stories included in these selections felt mostly reminiscent of that world view, and rarely offered more insight into London as a writer. Though death seems to remain the constant, and a relationship to death that sees it as both natural and mostly inevitable. I think I've had my fill of London with these stories, but it was interesting to see an early perspective on the Bay, particularly with White Fang's ending.

stephielynn's review

4.0

Only read White Fang and Call of the Wild. Will have to make time to revisit the rest. I really enjoyed both stories. It's amazing how a person can so convincingly write from the point of view of an animal.