The God of His Fathers: Tales of the Klondyke

by Jack London

Short stories collection.
As a young man in the summer of 1897, Jack London joined the Klondike gold rush. From that seminal experience emerged these gripping, inimitable wilderness tales, which have endured as some of London’s best and most defining work. With remarkable insight and unflinching realism, London describes the punishing adversity that awaited men in the brutal, frozen expanses of the Yukon, and the extreme tactics these adventurers and travelers adopted to survive.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Adventure, Classics, American, Canada, Westerns

133 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1901

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

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tough tales of macho men in savage settings.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing selection of London's Klondyke tales, surprisingly varied in terms of plot and character.

[Robbie Forkish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klondike short stories, London is much more mature at this stage than when he wrote south seas stories. This is more literary, a deeper examination of the human condition, and a homage to the beauty, purity and ease with which one can lose one's life to nature, the elements or other fellow travelers.

[Ramil Kazımov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bu kitapla London'un Alaska maceralarını okuyup bitirmiş bulunuyorum.
Birbirinden güzel hikayelerin olduğu harika bir Jack London derlemesi. London'un ilk dönem hikayelerinden oluşan bu kitabı tüm London severlere tavsiye ederim. Kar, kış, Yukon, Klondike, Dawson, Alaska gibi sozcüklerin eksik olmadığı ve bizleri soğuk ülkelere götüren hikayeler 😎

[Yusuf · Rating 4 out of 5]

London okuru alıp altına hücumun en cafcaflı günlerine götürüyor. Soğuk, kızaklar, patlamaya hazır silahlar, altın ve ölüm var çokça etrafta. Bambaşka diyarlara, insanlara, zamanlara, gündemlere gitmek için isabetli bir tercih.

[Ariel Seraphino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kisah-kisah dari Klondike adalah salah satu buku terbaik dari Jack London. Masih seputar dunia tambang emas di Klondike, masihs seputar manusia-manusia yang berjibaku dalam kerasnya kehidupan tambang emas, perang antar suku native di sana, kisah cinta yang bisa hadir dalam kerasnya petualangan hidup dan tentu saja kematiann tak terperi yang kerap mengintai. Bukunya diterjemahkan dengan baik oleh penerjemah dan disunting pula dengan baik. Salah satu karya yang perlu dikoleksi untuk penggemar Jack London di Indonesia.

[Olga · Rating 5 out of 5]

не можу зрозуміти чому в школі твори Джека Лондона здавалися мені дуже нудними та безкінечними, вирішила спробувати заново познайомитися з автором і почала з короткої прози. сказати що час пролетів непомітно - це нічого не сказати.

тут зібрані оповідання про золотошукачів та їх пригоди, стосунки з корінним наслеленням околиць Клондайку та жінками. так, це даже поверхневий опис, але до кожного оповідання треба підходити окремо, бо кольори та враження їм надають саме характери героїв. моє улюблене оповідання - "Донька північної зорі" має неочікуваний доволі неочікуваний плот твіст і тримає в напрузі до кінця, хоча головна героїня з'являється буквально на кілька хвилин, але цього достатньо щоб закохатися в цю персоналіті.

як вияволся, Лондон сам провів деякий час, захоплений золотою лихоманкою, тому у всьому описаному відчувається прожитий досвід та частинка його власного життя. аж захотілося тепер перечитати й інші твори, просто щоб порівняти враження.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories on the brutality of the Yukon and the lawlessness of the frontier. Shows what people are capable of, both the positive of what they can endure and create, and the negative of the depths of immorality people can sink to when the opportunity or temptation arises.

Found this book in a take-one-leave-one library on a boat in Indonesia :)

[Nazarii Zanoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Чомусь книжки Лондона, особливо про Ельдорадо, видаються радше підлітковими. Такими, що оперують пригодами, повчальністю й вихованням цінностей. Оця теж з таких.

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Priest's frauds and God confuted one again.

[Mike Little · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was not his best work, yet still enjoyed some of the simple stories, especially the one with the horses.

[Kelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical Jack London story — full of adventure and life’s hard-won wisdom.

[Olivia Case · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Setting: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Theme: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Danae · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are a few more stories from women's perspectives in this one if I recall correctly. Still not a fan of London's short stories.

[Santanu Dutta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Altogether a nice and smooth reading experience. I started reading Jack London as a young boy. starting with the masterpiece, "The Call of the Wild." The short stories however attracted me most as Love of Life, An Odyssey of the North, To the Man on Trail, The White Silence, To Build a Fire to name a few.

In this book I came across stories not so popular or famous except for The Grit of Woman. The book as a result was lying idle for quite a long. I picked up after a long period of tiring schedule and got into it. The unknown uncommon stories just took me in some other world and needed to repeat read a couple of stories.

In the end I again find couple of more stories are getting added in my all time favourite list. The great interrogation, The Grit of Woman, At the Rainbows End, The Daughter of the Aurora, The Scorn of Woman are another sets of masterpieces.

It is the far north in the Arctic circle. Endless winter nights with the lights of the Aurora Borealis. Amongst the cold, the ice, the struggle for survival, love and hatred passion to live and let live the beloved under attacks by nature as famine and cruel forces of nature themes the book.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of my Jack London reviews say this, but this was average Jack London fare. He has a few high points (none in this book) which I read first (The Call of the Wild, White Fang, To Build A Fire, etc), and with which I set up false expectations about the rest of his work. Oh well.

[Raymond Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do enjoy short stories but I rarely choose to read a book of them all by the same author. This is a book that I bought after reading all the jack London classics like white fang(though to be honest this was the only one of his books that I have read that disappointed me)Martin Eden, Call of the wild and the sea wolf. Since it was short stories it lay on my book shelf for quite a long time until with little else to read I started reading it. There is not a bad story in this compendium, each is as good as the one prior and each are wonderful. They portray the harshness of life in a way few others can, the mysteries of evolution and nature explained. as well as oungrained genetic need to survive and prosper. The very nature of man and beast are in these tales. Very highly recommended.

[Tinquerbelle]

London, Jack
The Unabridged Jack London

In compilation only.

1) The God of His Fathers
2) The Great Interrogation
3) Which Make Men Remember
4) Siwash
5) The Man with the Gash
6) Jan the Unrepentant
7) Grit of Women
8) Where the Trail Forks
9) A Daughter of the Aurora
10) At the Rainbow's End
11) The Scorn of Women

[Zane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read:
1) The God of His Fathers
2) The Great Interrogation
3) Which Make Men Remember
4) Siwash
5) The Man With the Gash
6) Jan the Unrepentant
7) Grit of Women
8) Where the Trail Forks
9) A Daughter of the Aurora
10) At the Rainbow's End
11) The Scorn of Women

[Nickolay Moshkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of straightforward. Not clear whether based on experience or not. 2.5 stars.