Call of the Wild by Jack London

Title: Call of the Wild

Author: Jack London

Published: 1903

Genre: Classic Fiction

Grade Level: Adult

-Trigger Warning: Animal abuse

-Movie Rating: PG-13

Audiobook

Read by: John Lee

Length: 3hrs 26min

Recommend: Yes

Blurb (from goodreads):

Based on London's experiences as a gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness and his ideas about nature and the struggle for existence. The Call of the Wild is a tale about unbreakable spirit and the fight for survival in the frozen Alaskan Klondike.

My Scores:

Writing Style: Top Notch

I love the way this novel was written. Unlike so many pieces from this time, every detail of setting is actively relevant to the plot and not just symbolic. Every action sequence had me on the edge of my seat, cringing and turning my head from the words, like how an eight-year-old would watch a horror movie through his fingers. 

Jack London pulled no punches.

My only complaint is that the story was so compact that it was over in a flash. It felt like there wasn’t enough words on the page to emotionally process everything that happened (which kind of reminds me of The Red Badge of Courage).

Characters: Memorable

The novel never shifted from the POV of our main protagonist, a dog named Buck. While I’m not a big fan of animal POV’s, I truly bought into this one. There is a lot of care and thought given to the development of this character, enough that it truly carries the weight of the entire novel.

We do get introduced to several human characters, the main one being John Thornton, but I feel that they lacked some substance. Don’t get me wrong, I grew attached to John Thornton as much as anybody, but it was only because of Buck’s attachment to him. To me, he doesn’t have enough development to be memorable all on his own. It was Buck, and Buck alone, that made me feel something throughout the novel.

Plot: Absolute Page Turner

The action sequences are masterful! They flowed evenly with exquisite pacing. Despite being a classic, I wasn’t bored for even a second. There are so many gut punches to the soul that it was hard for me not to physically turn away from the page.

Overall: Totally Obsessed

I truly had a great time with this book! It’s a wonderful classic that everyone should read before they die. I can only hope that the new movie will be good enough inspire curiosity into the novel.

Similar Books:

White Fang by Jack London

The Sea Wolf by Jack London

Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

(And it IS a trilogy! Lets all forget that the fourth book even happened, lol)

Goodreads Rating: 5 out of 5 stars