To Build a Fire and Other Stories (Bantam Classics) [マスマーケット]

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!