When Humphrey Van Weyden finds himself struggling in the freezing waters of San Francisco Bay, he thinks the worst that can happen to him is drowning. After he is rescued by the Ghost and its captain, Wolf Larson, Humphrey discovers that there are fates far worse than death. On Larsen's hell-ship, the dilettante hero is forced to slave as cabin boy and humble seaman. Over the seven months' voyage to the sealing grounds off Siberia, he engages in an epic duel with his ruthlessly Nietzschean skipper, a conflict that must end with the death of one of them.
In Humphrey's story Jack London recalls his own adventures on a sealing vessel at the age of seventeen. And in the vivid dialogs between Larsen and Van Weyden he gives the clearest definition of his savage philosophy of life.
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"I raely just read call of the wild.It Is about a large dog named buck and his fight for survival.In the book he is stolen and becomes a sled dog he quickly gets used to it and becomes a leader.I thought it was a great book and if you like survival and adventure books you will like it. "
— Roman (4 out of 5 stars)
" Best book I've ever read. "
— Brandon, 2/20/2014" Tuned out almost immediately. I got through a chapter, but just barely. "
— Julie, 2/19/2014" I'm a big fan of adventure stories, consequently I like Jack London. I thought the ending a bit weak on this one, but overall a rousing sailing adventure. "
— Barry, 2/14/2014" This was my favorite book for a long time. "
— Joel, 1/25/2014" A good read. It is different than many of London's short stories, but it is not short of great descriptive sentences. "
— Brent, 1/12/2014" This book was a novel study book and i'm not really sure what to say about it... "
— Chloe, 1/12/2014" Excellent and complex story of an intellectual dealing with real life. "
— Paul, 8/18/2013" It was a good read. Perhaps not the most believable but a good read. "
— Ron, 8/11/2013" OK, not as engaging as his other works. The story jumps around, it feels like it was 2 separate ideas mashed clumsily into one. "
— Jeanine, 7/2/2013" Very well written classic with interesting speeches between the two maincharacters. Lot of shoptalk about ships but still gripping. "
— Lea, 6/23/2013" A classic that I had thought I knew all about. Read it this spring and found put otherwise. Not a gay romp through the Pacific, but thought provoking. "
— Chuck, 6/19/2013" A captivating sea tale. The violence of the monster Wolf Larsen is relieved with the appearance of the fair Maud. "
— L., 5/16/2012" Weighty powerful prose, story, undercurrents. I don't know if I chewed enough to really digest it, but I know this: London was a master and is probably underrated, underread (that goes for many!) in our time. "
— Pat/rick, 1/13/2012" Outstanding! Steve W was right, I loved it. "
— T.M., 11/28/2011" Gone like a candle in the wind, I see Jack's own struggle in his characters, the very breath of them, Hump, Wolf are like the candle gone too soon, but Jack's story remains. "
— Mac, 7/28/2011" Read White Fang this year, which was the worst of any of the stories of his I've read, but notable for its masculinist author using the word puppypack. CotW is good, though, and The Sea-Wolf is awesome. A classic. "
— Michael, 3/27/2011" If you've never read much of Jack London this edition is super. It has all his best. "
— Ann, 1/13/2011" I just couldn't get into this. It's very violent and dark - not my thing at all. Well written, to be sure, but the content was insurmountable in my mind and kept me from enjoying this. "
— Rachel, 1/5/2011" What can you say about these writings that has not already been said? If you have not read Jack London do yourself a huge favor and do so as soon as possible. "
— Clifford, 12/6/2010" jack london me faz pensar que merda eu ainda faço enfiado num apartamento no meio de uma cidadezinha de merda enquanto tem um mundo imenso e bizarro a minha espera. "
— Marcelo, 12/26/2009" OFTEN OVERLOOKED AS A 'CONTEMPORARY' WRITER - HIS STORIES ARE AS GOOD AS ANY CURRENT BESTSELLER BY FAR! CHECK OUT SOME OF JACK'S STUFF! "
— Sherri, 1/31/2009Jack London (1876–1916) was an American author, journalist, and social activist. Before making a living at his writing, he spent time as an oyster pirate, a sailor, a cannery worker, a gold miner, and a journalist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction writing. He is best known for his novels The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set during the Klondike gold rush, as well as the short stories “To Build a Fire,” “An Odyssey of the North,” and “Love of Life.” He also wrote of the South Pacific in such stories as “The Pearls of Parlay” and “The Heathen.” He was a passionate advocate of unionization, socialism, and the rights of workers and wrote several powerful works dealing with these topics, including The Iron Heel, The People of the Abyss, and The War of the Classes.
Stephen Hoye has worked as a professional actor in London and Los Angeles for more than thirty years. Trained at Boston University and the Guildhall in London, he has acted in television series and six feature films and has appeared in London’s West End. His audiobook narration has won him fifteen AudioFile Earphones Awards.