Reviews

The Scarlet Plague by Jack London

nnihann's review against another edition

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4.0

3,5⭐️ En son öğrencilik yıllarımda Jack London okumuştum. Kalemini özlemişim. Özellikle yaşadığımız pandemi sonrası yazarın ileri görüşlülüğüne hayran olmamak elde değil. Kısa ve akıcı bir post-apokaliptik kurgu okumak isteyen herkese öneririm.

valkyriethecozy's review against another edition

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5.0

"İnsanlık uygarlık yolundaki kanlı ilerleyişine başlamadan önce, ilkelliğin karanlığına giderek daha çok batmaya mahkumdur."

"Aynı eski hikaye, yeniden yaşanacak. Sayısı artan insanlar savaşmaya başlayacaklar. Barut sayesinde insanlar milyonlarca insan öldürecek ve çok ileride bir gün yeni bir uygarlık, sadece bu yoldan, ateş ve kan üzerinden evrilecek."

"Ne fark ederdi ki zaten? Herkes ölüyordu nasıl olsa; iyisi de kötüsü de, güçlüsü de zayıfı da, hayata dört elle sarılanı da yaşamı aşağılayanı da... Herkes göçüp gidiyordu. Her şey göçüp gidiyordu."

"İnsan eskiden beri metafizik bir kavram olarak mutlak adalete inanır ama anlaşılan o ki evrende adalet diye bir şey yoktur."

bmg20's review against another edition

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3.0

Probably more like 2.5. It wasn't great but wasn't too terrible either.

lbcaterson's review against another edition

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5.0

We're all going to die.

makragic's review against another edition

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4.0

The Scarlet Plague tells a story of a post apocalyptic world.

What a weird book to read in post COVID era.
Overall nice read, I could totally see everything from it happening.

rocketbv's review against another edition

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4.0

It was a bit disconcerting that this was written a hundred years ago, it was all too 'real'.
Stylistically I like dystopia-esque stories. 1984, Fahrenheit 491 and now the Scarlet Plague. Written mostly as the oral story from the last survivor of a world noone remembers anymore, it was short, but certainly punchy enough

irreverentreader's review against another edition

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3.0

Jack London is difficult to review because there isn't much to pinpoint in both the positive and negative. His stories just are. I'm not better or worse for having read them, and they are often short enough that my indifference doesn't feel like wasted time.

If you want an apocalyptic story that is heavy in detail and character, then this isn't the story for you, and in that way it was disappointing to me. This story glosses over any fine details, as the telling is done in one long narration by the main character, recounting how he got to where he is now. In this way, it feels unfulfilling. So too are the minor characters surrounding him; they are simple and undeveloped.

However, it is quite fascinating that someone imagined this back in 1912 given the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 hadn't occurred yet. It's also fascinating to see how someone then imagined the world in 2013 and in 2073, and for those insights alone, I think it is worth reading.

Not sure if I'll try any other Jack London in the future--perhaps I'll try one of his more known works to better form my opinion of him.

nearfutures's review against another edition

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2.0

me: oh cool, i didn’t realize jack london wrote sci-fi!
me, many underwhelming pages later: jack london should have stayed in the wolf book genre where he belongs

emfo5777's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? Yes

3.0

frannieman's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5