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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Hard to believe this was written a 100 years ago. The shortness is disappointing as you can't really get to grips with characters but overall a good short story
A brief post-apocalyptic novella that is more extended parable than story, with some Naturalist pessimism as a chaser. London's pulpy imagination is the strongest thing about it, far better than his grasp of bacteriology, linguistics, or sociology. As he was a firm believer in both social darwinism and socialism, he's always going to be a problematic fave: but the influence of this story on the emergent sci-fi genre is probably incalculable. It predicts everything from Metropolis-style inequality-poetry to present-day zombie movies; a half-decent screenwriter could make a properly downbeat thriller out of it.
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read this book fairly quickly over the course of a day. Jack London is one of my faves in a cadre of widely varying authors, and the fact that he, in 1912, wrote a post-apocalyptic book set in 2013 is wild. And that I just discovered this is even wilder. It's so interesting to see how he captures the overarching theme explored even now in TV shows like Revolution and The Walking Dead: the breakdown of our moral code in the face of survival. Many of the scenes in the story, I felt, are reminiscent of scenes in these shows. Clearly, the writer was a man before his time.
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An interesting read. Probably the oldest human extinction story I've read yet. It kept my interest for the short time it takes to read it, but didn't touch me deeply or anything.
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No