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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Frankly, I picked this story up because it was like a six-pence on Audible and because I've read Jack London before.
And I do not regret the time spent. The story's amazing. I love the concept of mankind reverting back to the primitive hunter-gatherer society after the modern society collapses, and as I'm an avid fan of Horizon Zero Dawn (the post-apocalyptic video game), this was like a side story to go with Horizon's plot. Really, the scenery in the game helps visualize this story so much, and the narrative is well written. I very much enjoyed the polar opposites of the characters that are the grandfather and his grandsons, as well as the manner of expressing themselves. I think Jack London did an excellent job and I recommend it to anyone interested in a rather short (2 or so hours) but engrossing read/listen.
And I do not regret the time spent. The story's amazing. I love the concept of mankind reverting back to the primitive hunter-gatherer society after the modern society collapses, and as I'm an avid fan of Horizon Zero Dawn (the post-apocalyptic video game), this was like a side story to go with Horizon's plot. Really, the scenery in the game helps visualize this story so much, and the narrative is well written. I very much enjoyed the polar opposites of the characters that are the grandfather and his grandsons, as well as the manner of expressing themselves. I think Jack London did an excellent job and I recommend it to anyone interested in a rather short (2 or so hours) but engrossing read/listen.
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"İnsanoğlu uygarlık yolundaki kanlı ilerleyişine başlamadan önce, ilkelliğin karanlığına giderek daha çok batmaya mahkûmdur."
Jack London'ın derin öngörüsü ve düşünce zenginliği, hayranlık uyandırıcı bir niteliğe sahip gerçekten. Günümüz dünyasını ve kapitalizmi eleştirirken, kendi sosyalist ideallerini de yansıtmaktan geri durmuyor.
"...onlar da ebediyen devam edecek, sonu gelmez bir akış içerisinde birbiriyle itişip çekişecek o ölümsüz tipleri ortaya çıkarır: rahibi, askeri, kralı. Kimisi savaşacak, kimisi yönetecek, kimisi dua edecek: uygar devletin hayranlık veren, eşi benzeri görülmemiş harikalarının, sonu gelmemecesine, tekrar tekrar kanlı iskeletleri üzerinde yükseldiği tüm diğer insanlarsa büyük ıstıraplar içinde sürekli çalışacak."
Jack London'ın derin öngörüsü ve düşünce zenginliği, hayranlık uyandırıcı bir niteliğe sahip gerçekten. Günümüz dünyasını ve kapitalizmi eleştirirken, kendi sosyalist ideallerini de yansıtmaktan geri durmuyor.
"...onlar da ebediyen devam edecek, sonu gelmez bir akış içerisinde birbiriyle itişip çekişecek o ölümsüz tipleri ortaya çıkarır: rahibi, askeri, kralı. Kimisi savaşacak, kimisi yönetecek, kimisi dua edecek: uygar devletin hayranlık veren, eşi benzeri görülmemiş harikalarının, sonu gelmemecesine, tekrar tekrar kanlı iskeletleri üzerinde yükseldiği tüm diğer insanlarsa büyük ıstıraplar içinde sürekli çalışacak."
Written in 1912, I found it fell into the trap of writing women in dystopia as ‘stuff’ to be traded. A bit heavy on the savagery of the working classes too. I was drawn in by the way London writes- it’s evocative, compelling. Maybe one to stay away from in the current situation... but i couldn’t help myself. A bleak view of things in the book world, reality perhaps is a little brighter and ultimately kinder.
The amazing aspect of the book is that it was written over 100 years ago and the author pretty much nailed what a plague in 2013 would do to the world. Told 60 years after the plague it paints a depressing but believable result.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“All the world is topsy-turvy, and it has been topsy-turvy ever since the plague.”
I read this novella free courtesy of the Gutenberg Project. It is available here:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/21970/21970-h/21970-h.htm
I have never read [b:The Call of the Wild|1852|The Call of the Wild|Jack London|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1452291694l/1852._SY75_.jpg|3252320]. I have never really felt the urge, but I stumbled upon this book while cruising the Gutenberg Project and I thought "Why not?"
Every time I read a story from this time period (Jack London wrote this story in 1910, and it was first published in 1912) was that it is easy to see why communism, socialism, and other political beliefs adherent to capitalism started to flourish. The working class was described as brutal, sloven, drunkenly, barbaric, undeserving of respect or human dignity. And this was the highest achievement of mankind, the protagonist discussed it when he meets people again, after years of hiding, thinking he was the last man on earth. In the following passage he describes meeting the Bill Chauffeur and his "wife" Vesta Van Warden.
“And so I say to you that you cannot understand the awfulness of the situation. The Chauffeur was a servant, understand, a servant. And he cringed, with bowed head, to such as she. She was a lord of life, both by birth and by marriage. The destinies of millions, such as he, she carried in the hollow of her pink-white hand. And, in the days before the plague, the slightest contact with such as he would have been pollution. Oh, I have seen it. Once, I remember, there was Mrs. Goldwin, wife of one of the great magnates. It was on a landing stage, just as she was embarking in her private dirigible, that she dropped her parasol. A servant picked it up and made the mistake of handing it to her—to her, one of the greatest royal ladies of the land! She shrank back, as though he were a leper, and indicated her secretary to receive it. Also, she ordered her secretary to ascertain the creature's name and to see that he was immediately discharged from service. And such a woman was Vesta Van Warden."
Now I am nor saying Bill Chauffer was a prince, in fact he beat Vesta, and possibly killed her according to our protagonist. But if I had spent my life beaten down and fearful of retribution for the act of handing a dropped object to someone of a higher station, I might be tempted to "get a little back" given the opportunity. I found the protagonist, Professor James Howard Smith to be as unlikable character as the rest of the characters in the story for this reason.
I have to wonder if society would be so diminished in the event of catastrophic plague. In the 60 years since, Professor Smith's grandchildren barely speak in any language, are dressed in fur, and have lost the ability to read or write. I'm not really blaming these kids for being awful people, I blame their parents and grandparents. There would have been books and literature on how to rebuild basics like steam powered machines and farming and husbandry techniques. The domesticated animals were there for re-domestication. This is like the "worst case scenario" if everyone left was too stupid to try and rebuild.
At first I thought "well, you did not feel this way about the movie Threads when you saw it." but I do not think it is an accurate comparison, because everything is still just sitting around. A more apt comparison would be to Stephen King's novel [b:The Stand|149267|The Stand|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1213131305l/149267._SX50_.jpg|1742269].
Apparently this story had a resurgence in popularity in 2020 due to COVID (Of course, what else. Everything in 2020 was because of COVID.)
https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-0414-london-plague-20200413-zyfseceqkvcljl6v674uqw5dny-story.html
And as usual, I am late to the game.
The story itself was interesting because it tried to tie in the modern scientific theories according to what was known at the time it was written, and discussed the psychological and post traumatic aspect of seeing 99.99% of the population die in a pretty horrifying way. It also ends on a bit of a bummer note, because the narrator sees a future where humanity rebuilds, but will ultimately be destroyed by its own nature.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/21970/21970-h/21970-h.htm
I have never read [b:The Call of the Wild|1852|The Call of the Wild|Jack London|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1452291694l/1852._SY75_.jpg|3252320]. I have never really felt the urge, but I stumbled upon this book while cruising the Gutenberg Project and I thought "Why not?"
Every time I read a story from this time period (Jack London wrote this story in 1910, and it was first published in 1912) was that it is easy to see why communism, socialism, and other political beliefs adherent to capitalism started to flourish. The working class was described as brutal, sloven, drunkenly, barbaric, undeserving of respect or human dignity. And this was the highest achievement of mankind, the protagonist discussed it when he meets people again, after years of hiding, thinking he was the last man on earth. In the following passage he describes meeting the Bill Chauffeur and his "wife" Vesta Van Warden.
“And so I say to you that you cannot understand the awfulness of the situation. The Chauffeur was a servant, understand, a servant. And he cringed, with bowed head, to such as she. She was a lord of life, both by birth and by marriage. The destinies of millions, such as he, she carried in the hollow of her pink-white hand. And, in the days before the plague, the slightest contact with such as he would have been pollution. Oh, I have seen it. Once, I remember, there was Mrs. Goldwin, wife of one of the great magnates. It was on a landing stage, just as she was embarking in her private dirigible, that she dropped her parasol. A servant picked it up and made the mistake of handing it to her—to her, one of the greatest royal ladies of the land! She shrank back, as though he were a leper, and indicated her secretary to receive it. Also, she ordered her secretary to ascertain the creature's name and to see that he was immediately discharged from service. And such a woman was Vesta Van Warden."
Now I am nor saying Bill Chauffer was a prince, in fact he beat Vesta, and possibly killed her according to our protagonist. But if I had spent my life beaten down and fearful of retribution for the act of handing a dropped object to someone of a higher station, I might be tempted to "get a little back" given the opportunity. I found the protagonist, Professor James Howard Smith to be as unlikable character as the rest of the characters in the story for this reason.
I have to wonder if society would be so diminished in the event of catastrophic plague. In the 60 years since, Professor Smith's grandchildren barely speak in any language, are dressed in fur, and have lost the ability to read or write. I'm not really blaming these kids for being awful people, I blame their parents and grandparents. There would have been books and literature on how to rebuild basics like steam powered machines and farming and husbandry techniques. The domesticated animals were there for re-domestication. This is like the "worst case scenario" if everyone left was too stupid to try and rebuild.
At first I thought "well, you did not feel this way about the movie Threads when you saw it." but I do not think it is an accurate comparison, because everything is still just sitting around. A more apt comparison would be to Stephen King's novel [b:The Stand|149267|The Stand|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1213131305l/149267._SX50_.jpg|1742269].
Apparently this story had a resurgence in popularity in 2020 due to COVID (Of course, what else. Everything in 2020 was because of COVID.)
https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-0414-london-plague-20200413-zyfseceqkvcljl6v674uqw5dny-story.html
And as usual, I am late to the game.
The story itself was interesting because it tried to tie in the modern scientific theories according to what was known at the time it was written, and discussed the psychological and post traumatic aspect of seeing 99.99% of the population die in a pretty horrifying way. It also ends on a bit of a bummer note, because the narrator sees a future where humanity rebuilds, but will ultimately be destroyed by its own nature.