Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Fantastic novel depicting the duality of mankind’s nature.
This was my favorite book as a child, and although I remember whole passages almost word by word, I appreciated as an adventure story about men on the sea. Reading it again today, I'm realizing that it has much more depth to it. It's a development novel covering existential philosophical questions about life when the humanist protagonist encounters the nihilist sea wolf.
The Sea Wolf is an excellent, flawed novel. It has given us one of the greatest fictional creations in the form of Wolf Larson, but has such a contradictory plot that fails to deliver what it promises in the first half of the book. In saying that, I did enjoy the second half as well., however, I felt immensely cheated because it de-evolved from this brutal, philosophy treatise into a Robinson Crusoe love story.
A lot of the plot points failed to deliver – Death Larson and a showdown between Weyden and Wolf. I found the wreck of the ghost on the same island they ended up on absurd and London was cruel to rob us of Wolf in such an insipid way.
It sounds as though I found this novel abhorrent. I didn’t. I actually loved it. The writing from London, as In his other works, is charismatic and delicious and the intelligent, ruthless philosophy of Wolf Larson was extraordinary.
It is an unpolished gem of a novel. Somewhere inside it is perfect, but from the exterior, it appears to be as dull as a rock.
A lot of the plot points failed to deliver – Death Larson and a showdown between Weyden and Wolf. I found the wreck of the ghost on the same island they ended up on absurd and London was cruel to rob us of Wolf in such an insipid way.
It sounds as though I found this novel abhorrent. I didn’t. I actually loved it. The writing from London, as In his other works, is charismatic and delicious and the intelligent, ruthless philosophy of Wolf Larson was extraordinary.
It is an unpolished gem of a novel. Somewhere inside it is perfect, but from the exterior, it appears to be as dull as a rock.
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First half to 2/3s is way better than the end imo. During this time there is a lot of philosophical discussion and debate between the idealist literary critic and the materialist, practically barbaric but self education, sea captain. The last third these discussions are nonexistent and is simply a long winded way of wrapping up the story.
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Decades lingering on my To Read list, it was well worth the wait. It is a more sophisticated novel than Call of the Wild and White Fang which I loved as an adolescent and is best appreciated by a more mature reader. Although it is certainly an adventure story and, to a lesser extent, a romance as well, it is primarily an examination of the psychology of power, mercy and brutality and the philosophies of hedonism and altruism. Jack London's characters come alive through his marvelous language which the audiobook's narrator, Frank Muller, showcases in the best possible light.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
I read this in English class my junior year. I wouldn't have caught a lot of the messages if I wouldn't have been in class while reading it. I would like to reread it. I feel like I did not fully appreciate it because I read it in 40 page increments on Sunday nights so I could attempt to pass a quiz the following Monday.
This was a pretty solid read and as a matter of fact as I was reading through it I kept thinking to myself "I've yet to meet a bad book by Jack London." I absolutely loved the antagonist Wolf Larsen. He is the living embodiment of "Might is Right", a philosophy Jack London may have held in high regard himself.
That's actually the one issue I have with this otherwise amazing book. The end of Wolf Larsen is a bit of a letdown. I was hoping Humphrey van Weyden would overcome the primordial primitive titan in a showdown of some kind and not only defeat the man but his whole shallow ideology. But then again, you can never expect much from a guy named Humphrey van Weyden. Oh yeah, the protagonist is a bit of a pansy. This is one of those other things that grates on my nerves when reading some of these older writers and that's love, romance and women. Only a Humphrey would rescue a woman from rape, escape a ship of horrors, sail with her across half the Pacific, spend weeks on a deserted island, killing seals and surviving storms and starvation and a bunch of other bonding life changing things and in the end -- act like a 6th grader when it comes to getting his first kiss from her. Straight up Humphrey shit. To make it worse, dude is 35 acting like he never made out with a girl. Still, I recommend the book. It's solid.
That's actually the one issue I have with this otherwise amazing book. The end of Wolf Larsen is a bit of a letdown. I was hoping Humphrey van Weyden would overcome the primordial primitive titan in a showdown of some kind and not only defeat the man but his whole shallow ideology. But then again, you can never expect much from a guy named Humphrey van Weyden. Oh yeah, the protagonist is a bit of a pansy. This is one of those other things that grates on my nerves when reading some of these older writers and that's love, romance and women. Only a Humphrey would rescue a woman from rape, escape a ship of horrors, sail with her across half the Pacific, spend weeks on a deserted island, killing seals and surviving storms and starvation and a bunch of other bonding life changing things and in the end -- act like a 6th grader when it comes to getting his first kiss from her. Straight up Humphrey shit. To make it worse, dude is 35 acting like he never made out with a girl. Still, I recommend the book. It's solid.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes