When God Laughs: and other stories

by Jack London

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Literature, Ebooks, American, Adventure

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1911

About the author

John Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.

London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.

His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".

Reviews

[Sergio · Rating 4 out of 5]

E’ davvero riduttivo e impietoso nei confronti di Jack London [1876-1916] ricordarlo solo come lo scrittore di “Il Richiamo della Foresta” e “Zanna Bianca”, peraltro due suoi capolavori apprezzati non solo dal pubblico ma anche dalla critica internazionale; in realtà London ha anche scritto altri appassionanti romanzi e moltissimi racconti qualitativamente non inferiori alle opere di più ampio respiro e davvero belli da leggere per le qualità letterarie oltre che per gli entusiasmanti contenuti. Questo “Quando Dio Ride” è una delle numerose raccolte di racconti che lo scrittore ha pubblicato e la sua lettura ha suscitato in me entusiasmo e passione: undici racconti perfetti sui quali rifulgono due gemme di rara bellezza quali “Una Bistecca” e “Il Messicano” nei quali l’introspezione psicologica dei personaggi e le loro qualità umane prevalgono sull’intreccio del racconto.

[Дмитрий · Rating 3 out of 5]

Прочитал только заглавную историю.
We never win. Sometimes we think we win. That is a little pleasantry of the gods.

[Gu Kun · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF -God may laugh, I didn't.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack London was an observant and cynical writer with considerable skill. I think the art of short story writing has been much forgotten.
I enjoyed all of these but my favourite was the Apostate, about a boy forced to work in the mills for his family's survival from age 7, a broken man by age 14.

The titular tale was my least favourite.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't even find the hardcover edition I borrowed from the City Library. Very old and I feel when reading it that I am back to the time frame of these stories and just rather sad. Didn't actually read most of the stories; too much of a downer. Maybe at some other time in my life but now, don't feel like going back to this time in the world.

[Dhananjay Hegde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I especially liked two stories in this collection- The Apostate and Just a Steak.

[karoline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome
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[Francisco Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good!

I truly enjoyed reading most of these good stories. Most were surprising while others were sad or even like insane...

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

With any collection of short stories, you have some 5s and you have some 2.5s. If given the opportunity, I'd likely give this a 3.5.

[Yavor Kovachev · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is an electrifying intensity in London's prose and a suspenseful sense of predestination or ineffable formlessness out which meaning and introspection crystalizes.

The first story is the weakest and is not reflective of the overall quality of the text.

[Alla Nalbandyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

tweaking

[Անահիտ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Մենք երբեք չենք շահում։ Երբեմն մեզ թվում է, թե շահում ենք, բայց դա փոքրիկ սիրալիրություն է, որին մեզ արժանացնում են աստվածները։

[Sam Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short stories. Found it in a little bookshop in michigan. "a curious fragment" and "make westing" were probably my favorites.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this collection of short stories. A reminder of what a master London was.

[Donald Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. I did not know that Jack London wrote sci-fi. One of the stories was set in the 2300. Telling about how workers were not allowed to be literate. Another story was set with a Captain not willing to turn about to save a fallen seamen even if he could make the move with no risk to the ship,

[عبد الإله · Rating 5 out of 5]

From tragedy to tragedy and swiftly moving, one short story at a time, from one wretchedness to another, London demonstrated an immense sense of creativity and comes out as a genuine connoisseur of details carefully selected to give the reader the impression that he is reading the hundredth page of a manuscript of ancient wisdom.

I loved every single story and every bit of it.

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A disturbing, though informative tale. It seems that materialists and their political analogs, socialists, are unable to feel love, but only satiable desire, and that they are unable to distinguish one from the other.

[Mikroanalogo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Αναπάντεχη απόλαυση!

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Lost Face - his Alaska stuff is really his best work. But definitely some real gems in here. Sobering if a bit preachy from time to time. Good stuff.