Customer Reviews

To Build a Fire: and other stories

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The stories that have been selected for this collection show the entire range of Jack London; roughly half of the book features his trademark setting of the Klondike, while the other half showcases some of his less-well-known subjects, ranging from American cities to Pacific Asian islands.

On balance, the Klondike stories comprise the better half of the book. London is more at home in the far north, and every story shows us a new facet of the astonishing blend of cultures that must learn to cope with one another in a land that brooks no foolishness. Taken together, the stories give us an astonishingly comprehensive portrait of the region.

London's writing ages well; his cut-to-the-chase prose and fact-oriented descriptions are still riveting a hundred years after the fact. Additionally, his ear for dialogue and ability to insert philosophical musings into the story without compromising any forward motion are reminiscent of Twain.

Despite the fact that many of them end bleakly, the Klondike tales include a healthy dose of the fierce, joyful vitality that burns brightly in the chests of so many of his characters. He paints a picture of harsh men and harsh conditions, but the men are capable of great joy; the conditions great beauty.

While I enjoyed almost all of the Klondike writings, one of the great standouts was the epic "An Odyssey of the North," which features a man from a simple northern village whose prospective bride is stolen away by a visiting ship captain. The story is complex and unfolds over decades, leading up to a climax that keeps us in suspense until the last couple of pages. The characters and images were so vivid that I could easily imagine the thirty-page tale being turned into an epic trio of movies ala "Lord of the Rings."

Other Klondike stories that stood out include "The League of the Old Men," "Love of Life," and the titular "To Build a Fire."

The second half of the book fares less well than the first. While the backdrops are interesting and varied, London never seems as at ease as he does in the far north. He relies more heavily on simple narratives that illustrates an obvious "point" or "message," said message being telegraphed in the first couple of pages. Also, the characters often lack that spark of life that enlivened so many of the Klondike-dwellers; we are sometimes left to ask why these characters exist, and the answers are invariably depressing.

Perhaps the worst story is "South of the Slot," which features a man whose academic interest in the working class soon leads to a secret life as a blue collar worker that he enjoys more than his real life. While the values are admirable, the story itself is repetitive and predictable, which makes for a slow read.

But even though the quality isn't consistent, there are some real brilliant gems. "All Gold Canyon" gives us an entertaining and knowledgeable portrait of a gold prospector. "A Piece of Steak" is a heartbreaking and disturbing look at a desperate, aging boxer. "The Mexican" is another, very different, boxing story, which gives us a hero who we can't help but admire, even if we don't support his cause. And "Told in the Drooling Ward" might feature the most surprisingly likeable character London has ever created, an asylum resident who gives us a first-person account of his life.

As a reader, I strongly recommend this vibrant and engaging book. You are bound to find a story or two that speak very personally to you. Ideologically, this book shows us a marriage between rugged individualism and socialism that may give you pause.

There aren't many writers who have the entertaining storytelling capabilities of a Louis Lamour, and the academic credentials of a Melville, but London was just such a man. Enjoy!

About 6 months ago our battery First Sgt. decided to have everybody ruck with over 40 pounds on their back through 12 inch snow and negative degree temperatures at 5 in the morning. I lasted through that march because I had been there before. Thanks to this GREAAAAAAT BOOOOOK. If you read London you actually get tougher!!! One of my favorite short stories is entitled THe ODYSSEY. It tells the story of a great young indian who pursues the maiden of his heart across the globe. She was captured by a rich,large and white conqueror. The ending is spectacular because you understand how this new frontierland could never go back to it's way of life. In addition to detailing man at his toughest London has a rich understanding of man's compassion. Also unlike all those writers who live in New York and hit the coctail circuit, London actually lived the stuff he wrote about. He lived on ships, met trappers, drank a lot of whisky and actually froze his behind many a night in Alaska. This is not fiction he is writing about but are stories he lived through or gathered on many a cold night, while a fire burned with his frontier bretheren out in the last North American frontier.

This was one of the first short stories I read to improve my English when I arrived in the United States. It still grips me because of how well the main story is written!

Jack London knew the power of nature over and against humankind. And in this book we encounter his telling of yet another story of the fight for survival.
In this short story we are swept back to the Arctic in a brutally cold setting. So cold that the moisture from a person's mouth instantly becomes ice when it hits the air. So cold that to stop moving is to risk freezing to death. So cold that to get wet means certain death.... All of these risks are very real and can only be combatted by one element-- Fire!
Our main character struggles to travel to his camp, making his way up the bank of a frozen stream.
As he progresses in his travel the need arises for him to build a fire. In fact the only way he will survive is to build a fire. And that is the crux of this cracklingly dark short story.
Jack London sends us into this frigid environment and won't let us go until the story is resolved. I was honestly shivering as I read this story, because of the stark reality that London creates in lean story telling. London tells us just enough to set the scene and let's your own imagination take over.
This is a quickly paced story of survival. London drives the pace like a runaway freight train. Hang on tight and enjoy the ride!

When I got this book, I really didn't know what to expect, having only read 'To Build a Fire' about 12 years ago. Now I'm hooked on London. This collection is without a doubt an excellent starting point for anyone who is unfamiliar but curious about London's writings. His Klondike tales are his best, and by no means are they monotonous. He manages to extract many unique scenarios that the harsh conditions of the North can create. His other stories aren't as fascinating, but each still has an interesting twist to it. Whether it be prize fighting, blue collar labor, or warfare, London makes shrewd psychoogical insights that also illuminate his clearly socialist opinions. I can't say enough about London's abilities.

Man, alone against nature, at his most vulnerable, this is the dramatic story that every person can understand London is not a feel good writer, he tells the story in all its brutal truth.

I read many of London's abridged novels when I was very young, but I never really appreciated his writing to the fullest extent until I read this collection of stories. These stories are not simple, shallow writings. They each have a message of their own, they take digesting. In each story the author reflects upon human nature and strikes a chord that rings true in all of us. After the end of each story, I had to pause and take in the story. As was noted previously, the highlight of this collection were tales in the Arctic setting, such as "To Build a Fire" and "The Oddysey." However, one of the greatest things about this collection is its diversity, and there are many great stories with varied settings. Although it is not guaranteed that you will enjoy each and every story, there is definately something for everyone. In conclusion, London's works are masterpieces that I highly recommend

London is a tremendously talented writer and his understanding of life matches his tremendous knowledge of the snow-enshrouded world of the upper latitudes. His writing can be beautiful, poignant, and powerful, yet also somber, morose, and infinitely real. However, in this collection, his Klondike stories stand out above all the others: "The League of the Old Men," "Love of Life," and the titular "To Build a Fire." These stories are the worthy stories, the others much less so hence the title of this review and my 3-star rating.

Years after reading this collection, what stood out was London's real, visceral language and description in "To Build a Fire." This is hard to forget, as is the blisful ignorance that characterizes the protagonist. London seems to be saying that we must respect and understand nature in order to survive and prosper. The protagonist's demise is more a shame than a tragedy because of his lack of understanding and appreciation for the harsh realities of his environment. Bottom line, those who refuse to give in to their lowest instincts and who do not truly respect nature do not survive.

"To Build a Fire," written by Jack London is a moving story. It takes place in 1896 in the far northwest of Canada. The main character of the story, mentioned only as a man, was hiking along the Yukon River to the Henderson to meet up with the others. He was accompanied by only his dog, Pepper. Despite the warnings from an old timer, of the danger of hiking alone, the man felt he was at no danger.
He was soon to realize the danger the old timer was speaking of. After breaking through the ice he knew his only hope in surviving the -75 degree temperature was to build a fire before he froze. After several attempts of building a fire to restore feeling in his hands and feet, he realized he was unable to do so with his hands already frozen and nonfunctioning. His only other option was to kill his dog and use his body for warmth. Once again this was a failed attempt, with his hands not functioning and frozen. At this time the realization of freezing to death became an actuality. With this in mind he begins to run in the direction he was headed, hoping to get warm and even of reaching camp. He then sits down, knowing there is no hope in either. At this point he knows he is going to freeze to death.
This is where the story ends, leaving the viewer with the realization of how harsh the elements of nature are. I think that Jack London did an excellent job in describing how each thought goes through the man's mind as he is faced with different obstacles. I think Jack London is trying to tell us that life is much harder than most realize and that we often need the help of others. He does this throughout the story by showing that if the man had listened to the advice of the old timer, he could have had the help in building the fire he needed for survival. This story is a great example of how pride can get in the way of every day life, let alone the survival of some, such as the man in the story.

In his story, "To Build a Fire," Jack London describes a day in the life of an unnamed traveler in the Klondike as he, accompanied by his dog, trudges through the snow to join his companions. The traveler is new to the Far North; this is his first winter. Although new to this region, as the protagonist sets out, he seems heedless of his environment. The lack of sun and the unbroken expanse of whiteness facing him doesn't seem to worry him.

The main character has a character flaw: he lacks imagination in the sense that he fails to appreciate the nature of this outdoor environment and what it means to be out in it. As London uses the term, imagination signifies judgment and awareness. As the story progresses, the reader learns that the protagonist has several handicaps: he is traveling alone, he is inexperienced, and he ignores the advice of an experienced old-timer. The story's central idea is that the traveler's character flaw, his lack of imagination, produces handicaps, causes him not to correctly assess his dangerous situation, and leads to serious consequences.