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The Call of the Wild
by Jack London
A kidnapped dog must adapt and survive in the harsh Alaskan wilderness.
When gold is discovered in the frozen Alaskan wilderness, Buck’s life is forever changed. Born to a life of privilege and ease, Buck soon finds himself brutally torn from his comfortable home and headed toward the unknown. He must learn the laws of the harsh Arctic wilderness if he is to survive: laws of the club and the fang, as well as lessons of cruelty and hunger, and finally, of love and loyalty. In this harsh, foreign world, Buck encounters all sorts of masters: cruel and ambitious, demanding but fair, and the rare good man worthy of a dog’s love and loyalty.
Jack London’s short novel, The Call of the Wild, is a fast-moving, powerful portrayal of the incredible odds faced by men and dogs alike on the great Northern frontier. Through the eyes of Buck, a remarkable, intelligent German Shepherd/St. Bernard cross, London introduces readers to a starkly vivid portrait of the internal and external forces that drove men to risk their lives attempting to conquer nature itself. London lived his stories, and his intimate knowledge of his settings is present on each and every page.
The Call of the Wild is a gripping adventure story celebrating the spirit of the sled dogs that played a pivotal role in the Alaskan Gold Rush of 1896. But more than that, it is a story of survival, both animal and human. London examines and explores the primal, immutable laws imposed upon life by nature. Buck’s story is that of a return to the wild, a casting off of generations of domestication. He is guided by an irresistible summons to return to nature, a call tempered only by love for his master.
London’s writing is often as stark and spare as the landscapes he writes about. The plot moves very fast, sometimes bordering on a cursory summarization of events. However, his style is gripping, holding readers in thrall from beginning to end, and his observations on the nature of man and beast speak unmistakably of a man who has lived his stories.
Title: The Call of the Wild
Author: Jack London
Publisher: Aerie
ISBN: 0812504321
Review written by: Jess Boettger
Reviewer's Rating:7.5
Reader's Rating: 6.43
Reader's Votes: 7
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