To Build A Fire

Written by Jack London

Narrated by Richard Rohan

To Build A Fire is the best known of all London's stories. It tells the story of a new arrival to the Klondike who stubbornly ignores warnings about the folly of traveling alone. He falls through the ice into a creek in seventy-below weather, and his survival depends on being able to build a fire and dry his clothes, which he is unable to do. The famous version of this story was published in 1908.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Listen & Live Audio
• Release date: Oct 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781593161187

Jack London

Jack London (1876-1916) was an American novelist and journalist. Born in San Francisco to Florence Wellman, a spiritualist, and William Chaney, an astrologer, London was raised by his mother and her husband, John London, in Oakland. An intelligent boy, Jack went on to study at the University of California, Berkeley before leaving school to join the Klondike Gold Rush. His experiences in the Klondike—hard labor, life in a hostile environment, and bouts of scurvy—both shaped his sociopolitical outlook and served as powerful material for such works as “To Build a Fire” (1902), The Call of the Wild (1903), and White Fang (1906). When he returned to Oakland, London embarked on a career as a professional writer, finding success with novels and short fiction. In 1904, London worked as a war correspondent covering the Russo-Japanese War and was arrested several times by Japanese authorities. Upon returning to California, he joined the famous Bohemian Club, befriending such members as Ambrose Bierce and John Muir. London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905, the same year he purchased the thousand-acre Beauty Ranch in Sonoma County, California. London, who suffered from numerous illnesses throughout his life, died on his ranch at the age of 40. A lifelong advocate for socialism and animal rights, London is recognized as a pioneer of science fiction and an important figure in twentieth century American literature.

Reviews for To Build A Fire

[tess_schoolmarm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Probably the best short story I have ever read.

[tess_w · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Probably the best short story I have ever read.

[polaris4_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

To Build A Fire' - arguably the greatest short story written in the English language? London at his very best.

[Alisha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think you know early on that you are listening to a tale of a man freezing to death. It's not a surprise, but it is a bit like watching a horror movie; you know there is a monster coming, that's why you bought the ticket.

I feel for the dog. Makes me less empathetic to the man. Sad though that one bad decision leads to another which ends in tragedy.

Good tale for wilderness lovers.

[forevermasterless · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

If you want to read a story that's half description of setting and half a stupid, overconfident man freezing to death in the arctic cold while his dog watches then you'll love this.

[zoes_human · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Yep. I DNFed a short story."In reality, it was not merely colder than 50 below zero; it was colder than 60 below, than 70 below. It was 75 below zero. Because the freezing point is 32 above zero, it meant that there were 107 degrees of frost."I suppose, if one has never been to Alaska or only been in the summer, that is interesting. The best aspects of this story are how it tells you, quite thoroughly, what Alaska and the Yukon are like down to the details of freezing spit and saliva. Trouble is, I've lived there. I don't need repeated descriptions of the minutiae of what it's like in the winter. I've walked to work at 60 below. I know.His descriptions of the area are excellent. His writing is not to my taste.

[cvlibrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

To Build a Fire is a bittersweet tale of a man last few hours before his death. It was a a melancholy experience to read about this callous man who begins to freeze while he walks to meet some other men. It is such a cold day that the man had been forewarned. He is so stubborn he believes the warnings are from weaker people than he. I liked this adventure even though I prefer happier endings and would only recommend it to students who can maturely reason the man’s death and see that the dog makes the ending a happy one.

[jimmaclachlan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I gave this 5 stars in paper format, but never reviewed it. It's been decades since I last read it, so I'm overwriting that edition with this one. I remember some of the stories very well.

Overall, the stories ranged from OK to fantastic, but overall, they were quite good. It was depressing as hell, though. It's a tough world where a 'happy' ending is surviving intact. I'm not surprised I let so many years go by between reads. Definitely memorable, but certainly not uplifting. Still, I recommend it.

There is an underlying morality to all the stories of perseverance & honor. No matter how bad it gets, the best keep trying to do their best. It might kill them, but it's a harsh world. Mere death is no excuse.

If you haven't read these stories or don't remember them, don't read the spoilers. They are & sometimes that's what really makes the story good.

To Build A Fire 5 stars but depressing as hell. Great point & adventure story of the Yukon, though.

The Red One 2 stars, an attempt at mixing "Heart of Darkness" with a Wells or Verne SF story. Didn't do much for me. Takes place in the Solomons, Guadalcanal.

All Gold Canyon 4 stars, another gold digging adventure that was rather manic depressive.

A Piece of Steak 4 stars, a boxing story & depressing as hell. Is he trying to get me to follow him into alcoholic depression? It's moving as hell, although a bit long winded.

The Love of Life 4 stars, survival in the arctic, although at least it is relatively warm. Tough men!!! At least one lived. About time.

Flush of Gold 3 stars, kind of a horror story, a real shame.

The Story of Keesh 3 stars. Told as a myth, it's memorable & one of the few that isn't depressing, if you look at it one way. In another, it's horrible. OK, the guy was feeding folks, but killing polar bears by feeding them bones that tore up their innards & killed them slowly & in great pain is awful.

The Wisdom of the Trail 3 stars. Not really a myth, but kind of a native voice. A short story of tough times on the northern trails.