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White Fang
This book tells of the adventures in the northern wilderness of a dog who is part wolf and how he comes to make his peace with man.
48 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2003
22 people are currently reading
1826 people want to read
About the author
Pauline Francis
76 books24 followersI love books. I translated them when I lived in Africa – and I worked with them when I was a teacher and a librarian, but I never thought about writing them.
One day, about ten years ago, I decided to become a full-time writer.
My first books were for younger readers. In Drake’s Drummer Boy (1998), Will sails around the world with Sir Francis Drake; in Sam Stars at Shakespeare’s Globe (2006), Sam works with William Shakespeare.
As you can see, the sixteenth century fascinates me. A few years ago, I started to write for older readers, about people who faced very tough decisions in a world that was changing quickly: Lady Jane Grey, in Raven Queen; the lost colonists in A World Away; and the young Elizabeth in Traitor’s Kiss.
What is a typical writing day? I write very early in the morning in a coffee shop. Then I use my computer to re-write and to do my research at home in my study.
I am married with two grown-up children, and I live in Hertfordshire close to London and to Cambridge. I enjoy going to the cinema and the theatre – and anywhere where I can watch other people.
One day, about ten years ago, I decided to become a full-time writer.
My first books were for younger readers. In Drake’s Drummer Boy (1998), Will sails around the world with Sir Francis Drake; in Sam Stars at Shakespeare’s Globe (2006), Sam works with William Shakespeare.
As you can see, the sixteenth century fascinates me. A few years ago, I started to write for older readers, about people who faced very tough decisions in a world that was changing quickly: Lady Jane Grey, in Raven Queen; the lost colonists in A World Away; and the young Elizabeth in Traitor’s Kiss.
What is a typical writing day? I write very early in the morning in a coffee shop. Then I use my computer to re-write and to do my research at home in my study.
I am married with two grown-up children, and I live in Hertfordshire close to London and to Cambridge. I enjoy going to the cinema and the theatre – and anywhere where I can watch other people.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 19, 2009
Geez. This book was beautiful.
The way Jack London plots out the story itself is captivating, I hugely moved by this book. When I was done reading and whether I pick up my own copy or the library's I have to smile.
The way Jack London plots out the story itself is captivating, I hugely moved by this book. When I was done reading and whether I pick up my own copy or the library's I have to smile.
November 12, 2019
White Fang improved my relationship with my dog. Seriously, though. Not only did I find myself constantly wanting to pet him as I read it, but it gave me a greater sense of how the canine "mind" works.
White Fang is an exposition-heavy novel, which I tend to find laborious. However, it is quality exposition. Most of the time, the author is acting as a kind of translator between dog and man--taking the experiences of the wolf-dog White Fang and expressing them in human terms. This means limited dialogue between characters and a lot of "telling." However, even if you are like me and prefer action and dialogue to heavy doses of exposition, I think you'll still find White Fang's journey compelling and beautiful to read. And if nothing else, it might just bring you and your dog a bit closer.
White Fang is an exposition-heavy novel, which I tend to find laborious. However, it is quality exposition. Most of the time, the author is acting as a kind of translator between dog and man--taking the experiences of the wolf-dog White Fang and expressing them in human terms. This means limited dialogue between characters and a lot of "telling." However, even if you are like me and prefer action and dialogue to heavy doses of exposition, I think you'll still find White Fang's journey compelling and beautiful to read. And if nothing else, it might just bring you and your dog a bit closer.
December 1, 2008
Again this is a book I read to my now 7 year old, and although this is a classic tale, I was taken aback with the violence in the story and yes it was necessary for the story of how the wolf eventually overcame that, but WOW, even Zacky kept saying; "Why are they so mean". But we read it, and as always it is about the time I get to spend with him each night with a book in hand.
June 13, 2017
This book taught me the wonders and harsh reality of living in the wild. White Fang goes through an incredible journey taking him through dark paths and bright futures. But most importantly it focuses on the one thing we all strive for-and which I personally loved about the book the most: survival.
November 1, 2025
Happy to have read again at an older age. This is a darker story I don't think I was ready for in middle school. I understood the nuances better now, as well as the purpose for certain scenes.
(My MS teacher clearly didn't read or know what the hell this book was about before assigning it to a bunch of kids.)
(My MS teacher clearly didn't read or know what the hell this book was about before assigning it to a bunch of kids.)
October 25, 2009
I just finished reading White Fang and it was an awesome book that you should read it and never stop. I would recommend this book to people who like adventure and animal books because that's what it is really about. So if you like books about animals this book is for you to read, What i really liked about this book is that it was exciting and you never know what is going to happen next, this book is just so great that you have to read it!!!!! So why not give it a try!
October 16, 2012
DATE: October 16 TIME: 80 minutes
LEVEL 2
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1 What kind of animals dou you want to have?
A I want a horse because I want to go somewhere by riding on my own horse.
2 If you look at the scene that animals are kicked by person, what will you do?
A I felt so badly about the scene, so I will stop the person who kick the animals.
7-word summary
snarl, wolf, fight, dogs, gods, family, bite
December 4, 2008
I read this book from the Complete Works of Jack London. I loved the movie growing up, and loved finally actually reading the story. Beautiful story, beautiful writing. Jack London gives the sense of adventure, and the deep down feelings and instincts of both animal and man. I would recommend to those both young and old and in between!
January 29, 2010
I liked this book because its about about wildlife and nature and i like books about the outdoors and survival in the outdoors. I also liked this book because its about a wolf's life and how he learns t cope with situations in his life, and i love wolves which also helped me to carry through with it.
August 23, 2018
Best book
September 30, 2020
This edition is Not the real thing.
April 1, 2025
White Fang (1906) by Jack London is only marginally a horror novel, but it can be read as an extended exercise in the uncanny and the sublime.
The book follows the life of the eponymous wolf/dog, from his birth in the wild to eventual domestication on a Californian ranch. The first half of the novel deals extensively with the harsh brutality of nature. This “cosmic horror” is vividly portrayed in scenes such as the starvation of White Fang’s siblings and sisters, and the graphic depiction of animals being killed and eaten. The dog’s point of view effectively conveys a world in which only the strong survive.
The second half of the novel shifts the focus from the horror of nature to the potential horror of man.
White Fang is captured and brutally mistreated by a man named “Beauty” Smith. Smith derives pleasure from tormenting White Fang, and also uses him in dog fights for profit. The dog becomes a vicious and effective killer, but is finally rescued by a kind man, Weedon Scott.
The remainder of the novel recounts White Fang’s gradual adjustment to domesticity, and his growing affection for Scott. In the final section of the book, White Fang displays courage and loyalty in protecting Scott’s family from a murderous escaped convict.
* * *
Is White Fang a horror novel?
The harshness of the natural world is portrayed as horrific.
The dog’s battles for survival are graphic and brutal.
The character of “Beauty” Smith is a study in human cruelty.
The depiction of White Fang’s fighting prowess is frequently terrifying.
The episodes are interspersed with imagery that is both uncanny and sublime. For example: “A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness—a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility.”
* * *
Five excerpts as examples of uncanny and sublime horror in White Fang.
"A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness—a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild."
"They travelled on without speech, saving their breath for the work of their bodies. On every side was the silence, pressing upon them with a tangible presence. It affected their minds as the many atmospheres of deep water affect the body of the diver. It crushed them with the weight of unending vastness and unalterable decree. It crushed them into the remotest recesses of their own minds, pressing out of them, like juices from the grape all the false ardours and exaltations and undue self-values of the human soul, until they perceived themselves finite and small, specks and motes, moving with weak cunning and little wisdom amidst the play and interplay of the great blind elements and forces."
"An hour went by, and a second hour. The pale light of the short sunless day was beginning to fade, when a faint far cry arose on the still air. It soared upward with a swift rush, till it reached its topmost note, where it persisted, palpitant and tense, and then slowly died away. It might have been a lost soul wailing, had it not been invested with a certain sad fierceness and hungry eagerness."
"It was the she-wolf who had first caught the sound of men's voices and the whining of the sled-dogs; and it was the she-wolf who was the first to spring away from the cornered man in his circle of dying flame."
"With the bursting open of the door, the noise of their howling had increased tremendously. This howling now bothered him. His dream was merging into something else—he knew not what; but through it all, following him, persisted the howling.”
The book follows the life of the eponymous wolf/dog, from his birth in the wild to eventual domestication on a Californian ranch. The first half of the novel deals extensively with the harsh brutality of nature. This “cosmic horror” is vividly portrayed in scenes such as the starvation of White Fang’s siblings and sisters, and the graphic depiction of animals being killed and eaten. The dog’s point of view effectively conveys a world in which only the strong survive.
The second half of the novel shifts the focus from the horror of nature to the potential horror of man.
White Fang is captured and brutally mistreated by a man named “Beauty” Smith. Smith derives pleasure from tormenting White Fang, and also uses him in dog fights for profit. The dog becomes a vicious and effective killer, but is finally rescued by a kind man, Weedon Scott.
The remainder of the novel recounts White Fang’s gradual adjustment to domesticity, and his growing affection for Scott. In the final section of the book, White Fang displays courage and loyalty in protecting Scott’s family from a murderous escaped convict.
* * *
Is White Fang a horror novel?
The harshness of the natural world is portrayed as horrific.
The dog’s battles for survival are graphic and brutal.
The character of “Beauty” Smith is a study in human cruelty.
The depiction of White Fang’s fighting prowess is frequently terrifying.
The episodes are interspersed with imagery that is both uncanny and sublime. For example: “A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness—a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility.”
* * *
Five excerpts as examples of uncanny and sublime horror in White Fang.
"A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness—a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild."
"They travelled on without speech, saving their breath for the work of their bodies. On every side was the silence, pressing upon them with a tangible presence. It affected their minds as the many atmospheres of deep water affect the body of the diver. It crushed them with the weight of unending vastness and unalterable decree. It crushed them into the remotest recesses of their own minds, pressing out of them, like juices from the grape all the false ardours and exaltations and undue self-values of the human soul, until they perceived themselves finite and small, specks and motes, moving with weak cunning and little wisdom amidst the play and interplay of the great blind elements and forces."
"An hour went by, and a second hour. The pale light of the short sunless day was beginning to fade, when a faint far cry arose on the still air. It soared upward with a swift rush, till it reached its topmost note, where it persisted, palpitant and tense, and then slowly died away. It might have been a lost soul wailing, had it not been invested with a certain sad fierceness and hungry eagerness."
"It was the she-wolf who had first caught the sound of men's voices and the whining of the sled-dogs; and it was the she-wolf who was the first to spring away from the cornered man in his circle of dying flame."
"With the bursting open of the door, the noise of their howling had increased tremendously. This howling now bothered him. His dream was merging into something else—he knew not what; but through it all, following him, persisted the howling.”
December 5, 2019
Reading in 2019 as an adult reader reviewing as someone looking for books for students to read.
Much like most classics this book is written for youth from a different generation. I love the classics but the youth in 2019 are not used to the violence as written in these books. Youth when these books were written did not view animals in the same light that youth today does.
This story tells of a rough life of a wolf dog pup. From much of his family dying in the first few pages due to starvation to the beatings owners gave their animals and the dog fights this book tells of much death and killing by the wolfdog. Yes, there are lessons within but... not sure I recommend it for most of the 2019 youth.
Much like most classics this book is written for youth from a different generation. I love the classics but the youth in 2019 are not used to the violence as written in these books. Youth when these books were written did not view animals in the same light that youth today does.
This story tells of a rough life of a wolf dog pup. From much of his family dying in the first few pages due to starvation to the beatings owners gave their animals and the dog fights this book tells of much death and killing by the wolfdog. Yes, there are lessons within but... not sure I recommend it for most of the 2019 youth.
October 2, 2025
«White Fang» برای من فقط یک رمان کلاسیک نبود، بلکه تجربهای عمیق و تکاندهنده بود. داستان گرگسگی که میان طبیعت خشن و انسانهای بیرحم، بارها برای بقا میجنگد، قلبم را لرزاند. بارها در حین خواندن، اشک ریختم؛ هم برای رنج و تنهایی او، هم برای زیبایی و شکوهی که در وجودش بود.
این کتاب به من نشان داد که حیوانات هم احساس، درد و امید دارند. جایی که خشونت هست، همیشه جایی برای عشق و تغییر هم وجود دارد. خواندنش هنوز هم برایم زنده و پر از حس است؛ کتابی که نه تنها نوجوانیام را شکل داد، بلکه پیوندم با طبیعت و حیوانات را عمیقتر کرد.
January 24, 2014
Although the writing style was a bit...odd, I really enjoyed this book. Some of it horrified me, but it wasn't until I realised it was set quite a while back in the past that it made a little more sense. And yes, it made me cry at the end. I would really recommend it - it only took me 45 minutes to read, so it's a fast one - and I can't wait to try the original Jack London version.
April 3, 2010
This was a great book that showed the real love and passion that you can show for one animal.Thia animal went through a lot of stuff that was mostly caused by his owner,but he still stayed loyal to him and loved him.It shows that everybody has some good in them even if we can't see it.
March 10, 2023
It’s the same story as “call of the wild” only in reverse. And the racist remarks about native americans being lesser gods than the white men were really weird. Especially because I think a wolf would have way more respect for the people who could live in the wild, more closely to the land.
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December 4, 2008this is a great book that has wolves Go Wolves
August 21, 2009
the story of a great wolf in the persuit of freedom
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December 29, 2009wow good book
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August 30, 2011Lenisha Mckinnon
in the
in the
September 26, 2012
This book was so GOOD!
July 4, 2013
Very inspiring tale. Love the book and the movie. I even encouraged my son to read it when he was in school.
December 4, 2013
this book was not interesting to me because there was only a little of action.
January 25, 2014
Absolutely love this book. The way the author described nature, animal behavior and the emotions.
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July 18, 2014I read this when i was a child. It was so much fun imagining all that.
December 23, 2014
It's amazing what love and tenderness can do for an animal considered too wild and vicious!
February 2, 2017
I really loved the ending of this book, kinda slow but give it a chance.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews