Jack London Books

This is a powerful tale that presents the psychology of a dog's mind, as transparent to the reader. The influence of London's writing style is seen in countless modern novels, and has the ability to transport you emotionally to the cold desolate artic. It's a dog lovers story, without the sappiness of such tales told in the more contemporary voice. His conclusions, are rational, and any one who loves animals should hear them...dogs are dogs...and that's OK.

Gold was found in Alaska, the rush to obtain it required a strong constitution and many dogs to do the work that horses usually did in the states. The environment bread harsh attitudes. Also in the testing of ones mettle one finds their true potential.

Buck (a dog that is half St Bernard and half Shepherd) goes through many lives, trials, and tribulations finally realizing his potential. On the way he learns many concepts from surprise, to deceit, and cunning; he also learns loyalty, devotion, and love. As he is growing he feels the call of the wild.

This book is well written. There is not a wasted word or thought and the story while building on its self has purpose and direction. The descriptions may be a tad graphic for the squeamish and a tad sentimental for the romantic. You see the world through Buck's eyes and understand it through his perspective until you also feel the call of the wild.

The Game is a must for any Jack London aficionado or anyone not familiar with the quintessential California adventurer and turn-of-the-century American literary superstar. Penned when London was at the peak of his publishing powers, The Game is about a subject London knew well- boxing. London, who had many a scrape in his time, was a boxing sportswriter for the San Francisco Examiner, sparred with the "Bohemian set" in northern California, and saw allegorical alchemy in the "manly art."

Protagonist Jack Fleming is drawn between his love of the game and his fiancée, Genevieve. Though uncomprehending of Jack's love of boxing, Genevieve attends his fight with the savage John Ponta. The lead-up and resolution is representative of London's themes of the civilized vs. the brute, class struggle, melodramatic love, and man's violent nature. Oregon Sate Professor Literature Michael Oriard's fine historical and biographical commentary in the introduction details how London's The Game was a forerunner of later works by Ernest Hemingway, Don DeLillo, Bernard Malamud and Robert Coover. Oriard reveals how London was a man of his time who romanticized both the working class and the Nietzschean super-hero. His citations of London's newspaper articles and personal correspondence give cultural context to this story/allegory, which London himself called one of his personal favorites. American Ashcan painter George Bellow's famous painting "Club Night" from the National Gallery graces the cover of this edition. Bellow's fighters in primal struggle along with the distorted faces and blood lust of the crowd is a perfect pick for London's The Game. This book is a classic piece in boxing fiction, representative of many recurring themes in London's works and some would argue a timeless take on human nature.

Jack London had a real interest in boxing, and this work shows just how much he truly understood it. While there is not the development that there was in The Abysmal Brute, this shorter novella holds the interest and has you caring about the characters. It is of historical interest to Jack London fans in that London received negative reviews that called the story's boxing sequences unrealistic, and yet he had letters from championship boxers complimenting him on just how realistic it was.

This is not a book, but a reproduction of documents from the public Records office in London. For those that are serious about Ripper research, you need to have this. Since many of us will never get the chance to go to London, this will be as close as we get to what is left of Ripper Documents. Evans and Skinner are some of the best Ripper Researchers their are!

As a big Jack the Ripper-ologist, I was really excited about getting this but when I opened the box, I'm must admit I was a wee bit disappointed.

I got the impression from the item description that these would be "aged" like the declaration of independence and constitution replicas you get in the Washington DC souvenier shops. They are not, and rather on fancy photo type paper instead. Out of the 16 document reproductions, some of the police reports are on a high quality copy paper. Also there are little black circles the size of a hole punch with page numbers in the corners of each document (drat!). These are not display pieces. I feel this was a result of my own false hopes and mis-interpretation of the description... so I won't dock any stars for this.

My only legitimate complaint is that I wish there were more documents in it! Otherwise, this set is really nice for studying handwriting and gathering facts. I'm giving this 4 stars as the collection is an excellent "Saucy Jacky" study piece.

I loved most of the stories in this issue. My only complaint is too much focus on classical music when the cover "promised" the Beatles. By that I mean by looking at the cover photo.

This is the first Granta book I've read but I'm definitely interested in more after this one. A collection of essays, stories, memoirs and photographs all based around the theme of London, it contains works by such well-known authors as Anthony Bailey, Ian Buruma, Amit Chaudri, Hanif Kureishi, John Lanchester, Dale Peck, Will Self and Graham Swift plus articles by two writers for the Observer. Sandwiched in between all of these works are ten 'London Views', where various authors ruminate on their favorite or most memorable views in and about the city.

Many of the essays are accounts of the author's memories of their time spent in London, as in the childhood memories of Ferdinand Dennis and Ruth Gershon or the more recent recollections by Ian Hamilton and Lucretia Stewart. My favorite part, however, was the short fiction, especially Philip Hensher's mysterious tale of real estate in the late '80s and Lanchester's quirky story about an accountant's experience of a bank robbery. I also enjoyed Helen Simpson's 'With a Bang,' an account of life in Kew in the age of Nostradamus, an appropriate addition to a volume published in 1999.

The stories taken collectively give a really in-depth view of London at the turn of the century. Yet even if you're not interested in London per se, the writing here is good enough to warrant buying this anyway.

Unique in the genre, this book takes the reader through actual news clippings surround the Jack The Ripper case. The authors are clearly well-versed and don't seem to have a bias toward the identity of the ripper. It reads as easily as watching a documentary and for anyone really interested in the curiosity of Jack the Ripper, the book is well worth the heafty cover price. If not for volume for the book is thin but for the integrity and presention of the material. Hats off to the authors!

The News from Whitechapel is an excellent treatise of the Ripper Murders and how the contemporary people of Victorian London heard and felt about the atrocities that occurred during the Autumn of 1888.
This virtual day-by-day account of the events related to the 5 Canonical Victims, not only fills the imagine about life at that time, but provides rational thought and insight into their deaths while correcting errors and mistakes reported by the contemporary press.
Many books on Jack the Ripper invariably try to name a suspect or are slanted toward a suspect - NFW authors (well known and respected in this area of study) deal only with the information at hand without grandstanding, wishfull conjectures, or ultimate disappointment.
Over 118 years ago, there were well over 100 newspapers circulating in London - some "penny pieces", some weekly periodicals, while some daily publications had large circulations - one even boasted having 1 Million Readers! Each talking about, reporting on, or relating stories pertaining to the murders - it was, after all, the OJ Simpson media sensation of their day!
The News from Whitechapel is well worth the read for the JtR novice or "expert" alike for its comprehensive and solid look at the murders, which have yet to be solved.
Highly recommended as a source companion for the experienced or as a solid foundation for the beginner.

All of The Whole Story books are fantastic. My eighth graders love to read these because they enjoy the sideline information and pictorials that help them to better grasp the story. I bought a classroom set and have already requested for our school to invest in Tom Sawyer by this same company. Great Idea!

This is not a good version for a classroom setting. The cover doesn't reveal this.

The call of the wild, by Jack London is a great book for all ages. Buck (the main character) is a tame dog in Santa Clara California living with Judge Miller, a man that everyone new and enjoyed. This changed when a rush for gold in Yukon made men need strong dogs to pull their sleds. Buck was a very strong dog and as a result, was kidnapped. He was then taken to Yukon where there was harsh snow and was very cold. He was treated poorly until he met John Thorton. John Thorton was very kind to Buck but then one day he died. Buck was left in the wild and became friends with a wild animal. I personally like it because it is always telling you what is happining in great detail. Jack London also got right to the point making it easy to understand.

The call of the wild by Jack London is a great book for all ages. Buck (the main character) is a tame dog in Santa Clara California living with Judge Miller a man that evryone new and enjoyed. All this changed when a rush for gold in Yukon. These men needed strong dogs and because of the fact Buck was strong he was kidnapped. He was then tuck to Yukon where there was harsh snow and was very cold. he was treated poorly intill he met John Thorton. John Thorton was very kind to Buck but then one day he died. Buck was left in the wild and became friends with a wild animal and learned to live in the wild.

After reading "The Call of the Wild" or more precisely, after being transferred to another place and time, or even more to the point after being totally submerged into the being of this animal, I'm left completely awe-struck by London's work.

To see what Buck saw, to feel the forces and the instincts that he felt... that is the power of this book. Here's a passage from the third chaper to illustrate what I mean:

"At the mouth of the Tahkeena, one night after super, Dub (a member of the sled-dog team) turned up a snowshoe rabbit, blundered it, and missed. A hundred yards away was a camp of the Northwest Police, with fifty dogs, huskies all, who joined the chase. The rabbit sped down the river, turned off into a small creek, up the frozen bed of which it held steadily. It ran lightly on the surface of the snow, while the dogs plowed through by main strength. Buck led the pack, sixty strong, around bend after bend, but he could not gain. He lay down low to the race, whining eagerly, his splendid body flashing forward, leap by leap, in the wan white moonlight. And leap by leap, like some pale frost wraith, the snowshoe rabbit flashed on ahead.

All the stirring of old instincts which at stated periods drives men out from the sounding cities to forest and plain to kill things by chemically propelled leaden pellets, the blood lust, the joy to kill--all this was Buck's, only it was infinitely more intimate. He was ranging at the head of the pack, running the wild thing down, the living meat, to kill with his own teeth and wash his muzzle to the eyes in warm blood.

There is an ecstasy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstasy comes when one is most alive, and it comes as a complete forgetfulness that one is alive. This ecstasy, this forgetfulness of living, comes to the artist, caught up and out of himself in a sheet of flame; it comes to the soldier, war-mad on a stricken field and refusing quarter; it came to Buck, leading the pack, sounding the old wolf-cry, straining after the food that was alive and that fled swiftly before him through the moonlight. He was sounding the deeps of his nature, and of the parts of his nature that were deeper than he, going back into the womb of Time. He as mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew in that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars and over the face of dead matter that did not move."

This a great book to read because I remember reading it as a kid. I liked the book so much that I read it twice. There was also a dog that I used to have that kind of looked like the main character, but he was a huskey. Also, I would recommend this book to anyone.

I picked up this book in the 6th grade for an English class assignment. I didn't even finish it the first time I tried to go through it. I was bored with it as I usually am with books I am made to read. However, a year or two later I was back at the challenge. I feel guilty about leaving books unfinished, and since wolves are by far my favorite animal I needed to give this book another shot. Since then I've read this book about 6 times and can tell you all about the events and characters, the struggles, and the ending. It's become my favorite book with no close rivals, as Jack London has become my favorite author. It's excellently written, descriptive, with a wonderful story of the hardships and trials of one wolf-dog's life in the far North.

White Fang is a pup born a hybrid, part wolf and part dog. The other dogs, therefore, are not big fans of his. He ends up a tough super-dog as a result, and as such, attracts the attention of dog fighters, and keeps winning until he is rescused from a fight.

He ends up helping out his new owners, and getting to relax and enjoy his golden years.

I read about half this book put it down and didn't want to finish it so I didn't. It is the most boring book in the world.

what a great story..............it has held up for 100 years.............it is as fresh as today!

I was quite surprised by Jack London's novel, The Sea Wolf. In fact, I rather enjoyed reading this book about a man at sea, Humphrey Van Weyden, aboard the ship, The Ghost, appropriately titled and a good metaphor. Aboard the ship, Van Weyden narrates his life at sea and the battles aboard the ship amongst the other sailors and the Captain Wolf Larsen who is also known as the Sea Wolf. The arrival of Maud Brewster adds romance to lonely Humphrey's sailing career. They have quite a story to tell as they leave the ship for Endeavor Island where they learn to survive in the Alaskan landscape in the early 1900s with barely the clothes on their back and their limited knowledge. It's like survivor without television cameras and there is only two people, a man and a woman on a desert island. Remember that question about who you would like to be stuck with on a desert island? Well, this book must have inspired such a philosophical question or wish. Maud and Humphrey get their wish to be alone but it's a struggle against nature. Jack London's writing style comes across with such flair that I believe he is the one of the most under-rated of American writers. Granted, we read his books in middle or high school but the older reader would gradually benefit and understand the depth of the narrator's voice with this book. Jack London should be regarded as one of America's foremost authors even with his focus on nature that his books are still selling and classic story-telling.

Loaded with imagery. The wickedness of Captain Wolf Larsen and the affection between Humphrey Van Weyden and Maud Brewster seems exaggerated but the author is using these things for higher purposes.
Also, it's hard to believe that there could be another Wolf Larsen-type character in existence (the other being Wolf's brother, Death Larsen, captain of the ship Macedonia) but Jack London wants us to realize that animalism and death exist, are related, and ever present. Only love (the kind Hump and Maud develop) and work offer respite from this gloomy reality.
London adds emphasis through his choice of name for the ship -- The Ghost (the boat piloted by Wolf Larsen, signifying how body and animalism dominate the soul during earthly life). Traveling through the soul (or "ghost"/spirit) is the best way to combat life's travails that spring up like sudden storms upon the sea.
"The Sea Wolf" succeeds in a way that most great works of literature do -- a popular story that can be enjoyed by the masses but also containing deep parables for elevated hearts and minds. London's story falls into the great convoy of ocean adventures that include the biblical book of Jonah (check out the Vilna Gaon's superb commentary on Jonah -- Aderes Eliyahu) and Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" that teach timeless lessons.
Wolf Larsen proves the truth of F.A. Hayek's theory that the strict rationalist tends to become a barbarian. I found my pro-life convictions challenged by Wolf's superficially appealing utilitarian explanation of why people guard their lives. It's true but not the whole story. I dove deeper into pro-life principles to refute Larsen's materialism uber alles. To wit, why would life (human adults) fight to preserve other life (unborn children) that, in most cases, it doesn't even know. Wouldn't adult life be afraid of what incoming life could potentially take away? The answer there is yes and that helps sustain the pro-abortion impulse. But the fact that there are adults willing, at cost to themselves, to seek protection for lives of coming generations that they have no acquaintance with suggests to the reasonable mind that the soul exists and is at work in such rescuers.
This phenomenon doesn't exist in the animal world (animals only fight for their own kind). It shows that the soul makes humans qualitatively different from the rest of existence.

I will give my personal opinions and insights I gained from this book. You can read detailed plot summaries elsewhere.

The most exciting aspect of London's writing here is his narration of Humphrey Van Weyden's thoughts, his psychological reactions to Captain "Wolf" Larson and the conditions he finds himself in aboard the Ghost. Larson is first introduced as an ubermensch-like caricature, a feared tyrant with superhuman strength. In the early parts of the book Larson is idolized for his ideals of toughness and self-reliance which are in stark contrast to Humphrey's pampered upbringing. He is feared and admired for his great strength, even while he is simultaneously hated for his extreme cruelty and pettiness. As the book progresses, Larson's complexity is slowly revealed through his interaction with Humphrey. It turns out that Larson, despite his brutality, is a brilliant self-educated man. Humphrey is the only person with enough education to have an intellectual dialog with the Larson, but Larson's newfound favoritism for Humphrey creates tension between Humphrey and the other crew members.

Later on the more vulnerable side of Larson emerges. He is afflicted with severe headaches and bouts of depression. At the same time the social Darwinist microcosm he created on board the Ghost begins to backfire on him. Needless violent conflicts, uprisings, and acts of mutiny are common. The only thing that unites the crew is their shared fear and hatred for Larson.

Later Humphrey finds companionship with an educated writer, Maud, who happens aboard the ship. They fall in love and together decide to escape to an island. Humphrey's relationship with Maud and their struggle to survive causes Humphrey to re-evaluate his stance on individualism somewhat. It's shown that love and empathy can also be a source of strength that enhances the will to survive.

Towards the end of the book the Ghost washes up on the island. Larson's crew has abandoned him and he is seen going mad. He is afflicted with a brain tumor and dies in front of Humphrey. Though not explicitly stated, I got the impression that the brain tumor could be an explanation for Larson's sociopath tendencies. Larson's lack of empathy is a weakness, not strength as originally assumed.

Anyways, these are my insights. I can't give 5 stars because though there are a few places where the story gets slightly bogged down. The portion of the book about Humphrey's love affair with Maud on the island could have been better. Also, some might not have patience for all the nautical detail. It's easy to skim past the slow parts though.

Jack London I only discovered over the past five years, which by all relative standards is very strange, since I studied creative writing in college, and was an avid reader of the classics as a youth. I despised the classics as a youth, :), but now appreciate most of them during my formative years of understanding literature and the novel.

'Call of the Wild' certainly ingnited my senses to the prose power of London, and it was by an odd encounter and chance that a distant friend handed it to me in passing, that I discovered the magic talent of London and his epic sea story of 'The Sea Wolf.'

Arguably, "Wolf Larsen" is one of the greatest characters in literature. He is vibrant, total, fitting for the role in which he is written; belivable, enigmatic and actually quite charming in that raw sense of hostility.

However even though Wolf slowly descends into the abyss of madness, he has the mental capacity to be childlike and endearing. In this passage in particular...

{"Wolf Larsen underwent another bad attack of headache which lasted two days. He must have suffered severely, for he called me in, and obeyed my commands like a sick child...at my suggestion, however, he gave up smoking and drinking; though why such a magnificent animal as he should have headaches at all puzzles me."}

...we see an almost patent adolescence in Wolf, and London paints the potrait of the ironclad rascle, as human, with emotions and tenderness that even in the rank hollowness of declamation and ruthlessness, we can see a yearning for sympathy.

That is magical.

This is one to give to grandkids, your own kids, or to share with others. It holds a special place in my heart this book, and on my shelf next to "Master and Commander."

Thank you.

What Jack London sought to depict in many of his short stories and novels was the realistic, unforgiving brutality associated with man and nature, and, in this regard, The Sea Wolf does not disappoint. The first conflict comes when Humphrey Van Weyden is rescued by a boat after an accident, but little does the protagonist know what he is truly in for, as he will experience a figurative Hell for a good deal of time on board the Ghost. Juxtaposed by Wolf Larson, a character inspired by Milton's Lucifer in Paradise Lost, Van Weyden, a simple "bookish" literary man of thirty-five, must transform in order to sustain a barbaric and eye-opening ride.

Perhaps what separates Wolf Larson from your prototypical villain is that there are moments where Van Weyden can see the philosophical, profound, well-read side of the captain. While the two are as far apart as any two characters can be in their beliefs, backgrounds, or physical appearance, they seem to be on a parallel plane when it comes to their talks about Man's existence, despite the fact that they "agree to disagree" on these various subjects.

The book's most prevalent theme is survival--physically and psychologically. Van Weyden transforms himself somewhat in order to exist, yet he is not consumed by the savagery he witnesses aboard the Ghost. While he has a hard time acting on instincts, there is one point where there is a revolt from Larson in his conscience, which separates any notion that he will give in: "Wolf Larson it was, always Wolf Larson, enslaver and tormentor of men, a male Circe and these his swine, suffering brutes that groveled before him and revolted only in drunkenness and secrecy. And was I, too, one of his swine? ...No!...I would work my will through it all, in spite of Wolf Larson...All would be well." Yet, ironically, much of what Van Weyden learns from what he witnesses from Larson and the other men is critical in his survival later on.

Another impressive element is London's command of description and detail. He has a way of illustrating a moment of peril, or foreshadowing, or profiling a character. One example is Van Weyden's commentary while looking out to see, while thinking about the Ghost's fate: "I, too, leaned upon the rail and gazed longingly into the sea, with the certainty that sooner or later I should be sinking down, down, through the cool green depths of its oblivion." The protagonist seems to know that something is amiss with the Ghost, and, like Melville's Pequod in Moby Dick, there is an ominous feeling on doom on board.

One criticism is the later part of the novel, where it gets a little too romanticized and lovey-dovey with Maud and Humphrey. It just seemed a little too forced. Some of the parts seemed to lag a little also towards the end, and the descriptions got a little too detailed about how to prepare a vessel for voyage off of Endeavor Island.

Still, over all, it was an impressive read. If you're looking for a book about courage and survival, then this is a great book to check out!

Around the World in 80 Days is an adventurous book. Mr. Fogg is a man that will do just about anything to win his 20,000 dollar bet, like spending as much money as he wants to get where he needs to. Throughout his journey his mood will change. O gave this book three and a half stars out of five because it had a lot of interesting parts with just the right amount of reality. I like this book and can see it being well known for many years to come. Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne is a fun, adventure book that is good for people of any age. i feel that this book is the best of the series.

Note: Some immature Mormon has been slamming my reviews because I wrote some negative reviews of books attempting to defend the Book of Mormon.

So your "helpful" votes are greatly appreciated. Thanks

In my opinion, a short review is best if you haven't read the book. I always read the longer reviews afterwards.

I read this book forty years ago in college and loved it. I also saw the movie, but as one reviewer pointed out, Phileas Fogg traveled by boat, train, car, sled, and even elephant, but never by balloon. The balloon scene was added to the movie.

Nevertheless, I loved all of Jules Verne's stories, and I highly recommend this one, whose title says it all--"Around the World in Eighty Days" on a bet that it couldn't be done.

I enjoy collecting paperback books with neat covers, and I have a couple of "Around the World in Eighty Days."

Oh, and I hope this is helpful. Read "The Other Log of Phileas Fogg," by Philip Jose Farmer. This retelling of Verne's story has Fogg going after Captain Nemo. It's great Fun. Farmer also wrote novels about Tarzan and the "Barnstormer in Oz"--very sexy.

The Other Log of Phileas Fogg
Barnstormer In Oz/a

A book based around a bet. Two adventurers, one a gentleman, and one not so nice, make a not so small wager, on Fogg's ability to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days or less.

When something like that happens, of course there will be villainous nogoodniks trying to stop you from accomplishing your task, winning the bet, getting the girl and all the good grog, etc.

Around The World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne is more true to life than
other books by Verne. The movie starring David Niven is a good movie.
By Danny Karl Fleming, author of How to Prove The Collatz Conjecture.

I had never read this classic until now, my 40th year, and I am so glad I did. I laughed, I was tense, I enjoyed it through and through.

I've been trying to read Jack Maggs for the past couple of weeks. I found myself always trying to find something else to do. This included catching up on magazines, playing Freecell on my PC, etc. Tonight I finally gave up at about the halfway point in the book. Unfortunately, I didn't really care about what happened to the characters and didn't find the story at all captivating or even interesting. I read quite a bit and it's pretty unusual for me to quit halfway through a novel. Obviously many readers loved the book, but I didn't.

Apparently this story is a reinvention of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations. The book is rich with interesting characters and a powerful moral vision. The story begins in London, 1837, with Jack Maggs returning after 20 years in the penal colony in Australia with the fortune he made there. He has a mission in London which he conceals to others and masquerades as a footman to an eccentric household of Percy Buckle. A wonderful story with a satisfying ending.

I have watched Oscar & Lucinda (Peter Carey) about 10 times. It's one of my alltime favorites. I heard about Peter Carey when Theft: A Love Story was reviewed in my local newspaper. I got the book and then went online to see what else he had written. I read Jack Maggs first, the story is so enthralling and the cast of characters reminds you of the quirkly people out of a Dickens novel. In a book where there is no sex, a little violence it certainly kept my interest from the first chapter. I give Jack Maggs *****

I started reading this book on a recommendation, and basically had no idea what it was about when I picked it up.

The first thing that struck me is that Peter Carey had launched himself into a virtuoso exercise in Victoriana: sordid smoggy London streets, graphic descriptions of the abusive living conditions of the under-privileged, and of course...a tall, dark, brutish, brooding, mysterious anti-hero type of character lugging his broad frame and tortuous past around with him. The mystical aura of the surroundings is also compounded by a sub-plot involving hypnotism. So far, so good, very entertaining. Actually, the character of Jack Maggs reminded me right away of Marv, the main character of the first Sin City book (Mickey Rourke in the film).

Then, a plot twist, and another, and another, to the point that I kept wondering "what the hell is this book actually about?". There were a few modern angles thrown into it as well, like a small gay reference (reminiscent of "Fingersmith" without the humor), a number of pointed comments on the role/position of women, and a strong whiff of the difficulties in reconciling national and personal identities. However, these didn't detract from the book or politicise it to excess -- rather, these elements added even more texture to an already vivid read.

All of a sudden, this book had morphed from a Victorian comic-book/soap-opera (think Wuthering Heights) into something completely different, and very emotionally loaded (father-son relationships, manipulation, etc.). What was also very interesting was the story arc that emerged -- this book seemed to be about the conclusion of the characters' story arcs, rather than a description of their lifelines (which was what the first half had led me to expect). Basically it felt like I was reading Book 10 in a series and was missing the first nine.

...and, stupid me, it was only after having finished the book that I figured out (or rather, I was told) that this is a riff off of Great Expectations, at which point things started to make a bit more sense. Yes, Maggs is close to Magwitch, and Phipps sounds like Pip, and why not, this was a pretty cool twist on the story.

Still, though, I couldn't grasp what had motivated Peter Carey to write this sort of hommage to Dickens. It is very entertaining, very well-written, and definitely a recommended read, but ultimately a bit puzzling. I think you need to be intimately familiar with Victorian literature to get all the subtleties of "Jack Maggs".

A previous reviewer likened this to a jazz riff on Dickens, and I fully agree. Imagine listening to a well-loved classic song, and then listening to a fusion-jazz version of it, complete with bizarre synclavier and bongo solos. The jazz version can be really cool in its own right, but if you don't know the original, you lose something in the structure of the piece.

Verdict: recommended, but read Great Expectations first!

I often become annoyed at reading reviews where critics rave about how wonderful a novel is and how "Dickensian" it is. Peter Carey's novel may be the first example I have come across that deserves that label. "Jack Maggs" is a novel that is completely realized in its attempt to recreate Victorian (possibly circa-the Industrial Revolution, but dating it is a little difficult) England not only in setting, but in language and tone as well. I literally felt like I was becoming a 19th century reader as I read the text. What amazed me was the fact that if I hadn't known it was a Peter Carey novel, I would have attributed the novel to a contemporary of Dickens himself.

The novel centers around Jack Maggs, an exiled thief who returns to London to find his pseudo-adopted son Henry and reclaim his house. By accident, he becomes the footman to one Percy Buckle and eventual "scientific study" and novel inspiration for a writer named Tobias who has the ability to hypnotize his subjects and obtain whatever information he wants from their brains. It's a wonderful cast of characters who become embroiled in Maggs' search for his son, someone who does not want to be associated in any way, shape, or form to his benefactor. As the story continues, you wait and wait for a terrible tragedy to occur, and you can literally feel a noose getting tighter and tighter in the final few pages.

I loved reading this book as I have enjoyed much of what Carey has written. For those who love Dickens and James, this book will be a wonderful addition to your bookshelf.