Short stories by Jack London

There's much more to Jack London than Call of the Wild and White Fang

Prior to coming across some of his short stories, American writer Jack London (1876-1916) was only familiar to me only as the author of the famous novels "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang". What I didn't realize is that in literary circles he's even more well-regarded for his genius as a writer of short stories, of which he wrote almost 200. Like his popular novels, many of these are set in harsh landscapes of Alaska and the Yukon during the gold rush era, but some reflect other settings, even Hawaii. More than one of his stories reflects his interest in boxing, and several fall even into the science fiction genre.

I've just finished read ing about 20 of what are regarded as his best stories, and these are my personal favourites:

"To Build a Fire" (5 stars). This is almost universally agreed as London's very best short story, a viewpoint I heartily share. It is a quintessential Jack London tale, telling the story of a man accompanied by his dog, battling for survival as he treks along the Yukon Trail in temperatures under 75 degrees below zero, struggling to make it to the safety of his friends' camp before he freezes to death. It's suspenseful, evocative, and brilliant. Many of London's stories are about the classic man versus nature narrative conflict, but none does it as well as "To Build a Fire".

"A Piece of Steak" (4.5 stars). This story reflects some of London's own experience and interest as an amateur boxer. In order to put food on the table for his family, an aging and impoverished fighter needs to draw on all his skills and experience to defeat a young up-and-coming boxer. It's a far better story than it sounds, and is commonly regarded as London's best, just edged out by "To Build a Fire".

"Lost Face" (4 stars). A Polish freedom fighter finds himself at the mercy of an Alaskan Indian tribe, and must use all his wits in order to escape the terrible torture that he will inevitably experience. The story starts slowly, but the stakes and the suspense ramp up half-way, and the ending is brilliant.

"Love of Life" (4 stars). The man versus nature motif returns, as an injured prospector is abandoned by his companion, and staggers through the cold wilderness in upper Canada/Yukon. He battles exhaustion and hunger, and also faces the threat of a desperate wolf that follows him.

"The One Thousand Dozen" (4 stars). The above four short stories are commonly regarded as London's best, and although "The One Thousand Dozen" is not as well known, I'd also rate it very highly. It also tells the story of a man facing brutally harsh conditions and trying to accomplish something that is against the odds. The protagonist is on a mission to make his fortune by undergoing the almost impossible task of transporting a thousand dozen eggs from San Francisco to Dawson.

"Confession" (3.5 stars). An impoverished and hungry hobo describes how he must make up eloquent stories on the fly about himself and his experiences in order to con people to give him food and money. Like many of London's stories, this reflects some of his own background, since prior to his success as a writer he spent several years travelling as a vagrant.

Of the dozen other Jack London short stories I read, most felt rather average, and none had the impact of the above-mentioned tales. There are some returning themes and common settings, particularly survival stories in Alaskan gold rush country. But this by no means defines his short stories, since there is considerable variety in the Jack London canon, with different types of stories appealing to different people.

Those who enjoy the gold rush or survival setting might enjoy "All Gold Canyon" and "The Unexpected". Those who enjoy dog stories might enjoy "That Spot" and "Batard". Those who like science fiction might enjoy "A Thousand Deaths" and "The Shadow and the Flash". Besides these, other Jack London stories that I read and enjoyed to some degree were "When the World was Young", "The Mexican", "The Leopard Man’s Story", "The Story of Keesh", "A Day’s Lodging", "The Minions of Midas", "War", and "The Apostate".