The call of the wild

About the book

Buck's comfortable life in California ends when he is taken north into the world of sled dogs and the gold rush. The new environment demands attention to cold, hunger, discipline, and competition, forcing him to discover abilities his earlier life had never required. London follows the animal's changing relationships with people and other dogs while giving the landscape an active role in the struggle to adapt. Violence and affection both shape Buck's experience, making the bond between human and animal neither simple nor secure. The short novel combines adventure with a speculative account of instinct and memory. Its momentum comes from the tension between learned dependence and capacities that emerge when survival requires a different kind of strength and awareness.

• Survival
• Instinct and adaptation
• Human and animal

Why read it

For vigorous storytelling that makes environment and bodily experience central to the adventure.

English text