The Sea-wolf

Jack London

Jan 1904 · Macmillan

Ratings and reviews

It took me awhile to savor this book. With nearly every chapter came something so thought-provoking and insightful, it was difficult for me to resist stepping away to mull it over. I'll say, as so many have said before me, that Wolf Larson is a spectacular character. I don't read as often as I'd like, but I've never felt so moved in so many directions by a character before. And while Wolf Larson remained the same terrible man he always was, Humphrey's character spans a magnificent arc. Even Maud Brewster, whose introduction didn't sit well with me at first, appealed to me on a personal level by the end. This book proved to be an instant favorite for me. My only regret is that I didn't find it sooner.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I read it a few times. It is very entertaining how a man from the upper class is thrown into a brutal environment. He starts out on a nice trip, falls over board, then gets saved by a cruel captain who doesn't return him to shore but instead makes him part of his crew. His reactions and insights about the people on the ship are funny and insightful. It is kind of how Social Darwinism plays out on a little ship of uneducated nasty brutes. They are almost like animals. There is an authenticity about the story that I like, knowing that London in real life spent time on ships like this. So, sit back, prepare to laugh and be entertained though somewhat horrified in this tale about man's inhumanity to man played out on a late 19th century ship.

London is wonderful at capturing the details of life on the sea and the opposing lifestyles that clash together aboard the Ghost. I enjoyed how he detailed the transformation and struggles of Humph while he was forcibly removed from his gentleman life. And Wolf's character really draws the reader in and creates heart pounding situations as you try and figure out where his crazy, unstable mind might pounce next. Great read!