The Call of the Wild

Hello everyone!

I read The Call of the Wild, by Jack London for school last year, and I remember that I absolutely hated it. After skimming it, and reading an in-depth synopsis, I can perfectly recall why. Set during the 19th century Klondike Gold Rushes the main character, a dog, named Buck, is the pet of a well-to-do judge from Santa Clara, CA, who allows him anything. Later, he is "dognapped" and forced to become a sled dog for some cruel, greedy men who are planning to mine for gold in Alaska. Finally, he is rescued by a kind owner. This story doesn't sound so bad, does it? Wrong. His kind owner is killed, Buck goes literally berserk and becomes the savage leader of a wolf pack. That is pretty brief, but considering the storyline, there really is not much to write about. I found this book extremely boring and had entirely too much detail about everything. The men are extremely cruel and the book hardly lets go of gloom. I would not suggest this book to anyone. Animal lovers would freak out and probably never read a Jack London book again. Romantics would give up two chapters in, and even adventure people would say that this has a poor storyline. (I won't go in to science geeks...) If you need more specific reasons, then ask in a comment, and I will do my best to explain! Of course, this is my own opinion, and I hope to hear other people's thoughts. I would not give up entirely on Jack London, however, because he has written some fine stories. Thanks for listening!

~ Tony Dewhurst

1/5 Recommended