“The Minions of Midas”, “Goliah”, “The Strength of the Strong” and “The Dream of Debs” explore Socialist ideas. The novel The Iron Heel is about a world where Fascism exploits the workers cruelly. Both of these unpopular viewpoints can be seen throughout his Science Fiction. London was both a racist and a Socialist. Jack London the Science Fiction writer will surprise those only familiar with the Klondike tales. Ironically the plot is about death and suicide. Then the check for his first sale “A Thousand Deaths”, arrived, saving his life. Despondent, he decided suicide was the only way out. Like most beginning writers he encountered many rejections by editors. If the legends are true Science Fiction saved Jack London’s life. These include about a dozen stories and four novels. There is another small group of stories that is special to the fans of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Tales of the Fish Patrol chronicled his adventures as a fish pirate and later working for the officers that protected the ocean from unscrupulous fishermen. “The Game” is a short novel about boxing.

In between tales of the Gold Rush London wrote other kinds of stories. And that means writing whatever editors are buying. What some readers may not be aware of is that London was a magazine writer.

London will be read for centuries for these stories. The name Jack London immediately conjures visions of the Klondike: dogsleds, gold mines and men and women trapped in the Darwinian struggle to survive against the elements and each other.

Goliah by Jack London