Today I’m reviewing the classic anthology of Jack London’s Klondike gold rush wolf stories. This book covers books 20-23 for the 2024 reading challenge. There are four separate stories in the one book, so I’m taking them as separate reads. Given the slog on the last one, I think that’s fair. One more book to go!
Plot summary
There are four stories here, but they are very alike. These include: Batard, The Call of the Wild, Love of Life and White Fang. I’ve decided to summarise them as a whole, rather than individually. Each story is set in the era of the Klondike Gold Rush, which occurred in the harsh conditions of Alaska in the late 1800s. The stories are centred around the character of a single dog, either a part wolf or large working dog breed, who has been roped into service as a sled dog for miners or Alaskan Indians. These are tales of the brutality of the wild and of life working in the Arctic Circle. London’s interest in eugenics and Darwinism come through, as he talks at length about the primacy of the strong over the weak, and praises highly the strong dog who meets all challenges and survives despite the odds. The one exception is Love of Life, which describes one man’s survival against the odds.
Owning my own ‘wolf’ changes how I view these stories
The dogs in these stories are treated incredibly harshly, with savage beatings with clubs, overwork on the sleigh and being starved, chained and forced into dog fights. To some extent, this was what was seen as necessary to mould dogs into strong sled animals who could work and survive in the hard conditions. However, I must admit that owning a dog makes me cringe at the descriptions of the punishment given to these dogs. I probably sound like a soft, crazy dog lady. But, I hate the thought of someone treating my dog like that. And I also don’t think you will actually get the best results from that method. Much like other forms of Arctic survival, sled dog training has come a long way!
Wordy but poignant wolf stories
In terms of the stories themselves, they are enjoyable. They bring out a cold, deadly world, where man pitted himself against the elements in search of wealth and adventure. At times, there is an eerie quality to them, that makes these tales almost ghost stories.
On the negative side, London’s work can be incredibly wordy. In White Fang, he waxes lyrical for pages and pages about the strength, cunning, etc. etc. of the eponymous dog character. Considering it’s a short story, it’s far too much. Back to back pages with the same content described over and over again is too much. However, Call of the Wild is much punchier and pulls the heart strings with it’s bittersweet ending.
I would recommend these for older teens upwards, given some of the harder topics dealt with. They are a good look into a world that was, and certainly makes you feel very grateful to have central heating and a small fluffy puppy on your lap.