Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Call of the Wild

Installment #12 on my quest to read the great classics of Western Literary Canon, The Call of the Wild is one of several works by Jack London that deal with the Alaska Gold Rush. I read it back when I was 12 or so, but it's been quite a while since then, and I was eager to see what it brought to the table as an adult.

The book follows Buck, a not-so-ordinary pet dog who is kidnapped and sent to the Yukon as a sled dog. There, he learns how cruel the world (and people) can be, but also unlocks an inner strength and connection to his wolf ancestors that he never could have dreamed of as he passes through various masters and journeys through the wilderness.

This book was okay. The writing style is a little. . . I hesitate to say outdated, because that sounds more negative than I want it to. But it's certainly not a narrative style that is used a lot in modern writing. It's very much "tell don't show", almost as though we're being told a story rather than experiencing it with the characters. It works very well for the story they're telling, but it's a bit of a shock if you aren't expecting it.

I feel like I should have more to say about this one, but it's kind of just "there" for me. The characters are relatively well drawn for how limited the interaction with most of them (apart from Buck) is, the character arc for Buck makes sense, etc. I enjoyed reading it well enough, but I guess it just didn't connect with me.

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decaying's review against another edition

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The plot point was getting too repetitive that it sort of dragged. I understood it heavily emphasized on "it's a tough world out here and only the strongest can survive" but just how many times do you need to repeat that?

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heatherdakota's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

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

3.5

A great story of survival, determination, and the wild heart that beats within all of us.

The character of the protagonist, Buck is so well developed. Jack London truly takes you on a roller coaster of Buck's life.

Super-quick read so don't miss out on this classic.

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mokiethe_dog34's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Beautifully written. Made me want to run off into a forest somewhere. (In a good way.)

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scruffie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

I'm beginning to feel that London revels in cruelty and has much respect for the "survival of the fittest". Don't get me wrong, Buck is a great dog, but it seems to me that London pays a lot of attention to ancestry, genes, and race (and, most importantly, discriminates on it). Now that I've read both White Fang and The Call of the Wild I don't think I'll be reading any more of his books; he really tips my racism sensor and I've been annoyed enough by this.

For what it's worth, I liked the ending.

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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

1.0

I went into this blindly. I thought I knew what the plot was about but I was way off. Had I known, I don't think I would have picked it up. I have a very low tolerance for animal abuse and violence. I read on since this is a classic (and not a long one at that) hoping it would improve. I also don't like heavily accented writing because it messes with my brain and throws of the rhythm of my reading. My rating is solely on personal taste. I can see why it's a classic and while people like it, but I couldn't get past the gruesome content.

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