These stories aren’t for everyone. But if you’ve enjoyed his novels, you’ll find value in visiting these short stories from time to time.
High Point: The last story in the anthology–“The Pearls of Parlay”–provides a perfect conclusion.
Low Point: Common themes of many Jack London stories are brutality and futility. If you do not appreciate his writings, you may find these reads particularly unpleasant.
Author: Jack London
Publication Date: 1945
Genre: Anthology
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Jack London’s classic novel The Call of the Wild was one of my favorites as a youth. His short stories don’t have the same impact, but if taken in small doses—perhaps as a palate cleanser between longer reads—they are still substantial works.
The Best Short Stories of Jack London is a strong collection of some of his shorter pieces with settings that range from the frozen North to the South Pacific. Most are rather brutal, usually pitting man against a hostile natural world.
The collection explores a wide range of themes, such as futility in “To Build a Fire”; irony in “An Odyssey of the North”; loyalty and friendship in “The Heathen”; or stark brutality in “The Wit of Porportuk”. The final piece, “The Pearls of Parlay”, has an ending that might even make you laugh a little.
These stories won’t be for everyone. But if you’ve enjoyed his novels, you’ll find value in an occasional visit to the Best Short Stories of Jack London.
Sources For This Book
This book was purchased at the Red Horse Antique Mall – Cleburne, Texas
Free eBook (Project Gutenberg): Several stories are available.
Free Audiobook (LibriVox): Several stories are available
Available to Purchase: AbeBooks, Biblio, Thriftbooks
