To Build a Fire
Written by Jack London
Narrated by Michael Jerod Smith
4/5
()
About this audiobook
A man treks through the frigid Yukon with his dog. When night falls, the temperature drops to negative 75°, and they struggle to keep warm. This classic tale of man vs. wild draws on classic themes of adventure, perseverance, and survival as the two try to make it through the night. First published in 1908, it became one of the most anthologized short stories of the twentieth century.
Jack London
Jack London was born in San Francisco in 1876, and was a prolific and successful writer until his death in 1916. During his lifetime he wrote novels, short stories and essays, and is best known for ‘The Call of the Wild’ and ‘White Fang’.
More audiobooks from Jack London
The Call of the Wild Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Selected Short Stories of Jack London Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to To Build a Fire
Related audiobooks
The Master of Ballantrae Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5White Fang (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFive Short Stories by John Buchan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Fear Came: A Story from the Jungle Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Road Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Build a Fire Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Diaries of Adam and Eve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mutiny of the Elsinore Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRobert Louis Stevenson - Treasure Island Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Children of the Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heart of Darkness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silver Lotus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTo Build a Fire and Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Most Dangerous Game Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Treasure Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ransom of Red Chief: An O. Henry Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Six Short Stories (Unabridged) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A short biography: 5 Minutes: Short on time - long on info! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMartin Eden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5B. J. Harrison Reads The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Sea Wolf Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5B. J. Harrison Reads The Call of the Wild Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wireless Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKidnapped Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Closing Time Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Classics For You
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Iliad: A New Translation by Caroline Alexander Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fountainhead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Old Man and the Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Sherlock Holmes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Picture of Dorian Gray: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Their Eyes Were Watching God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Series of Unfortunate Events #1 Multi-Voice, A: The Bad Beginning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5War & Peace - Volume I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Perks of Being a Wallflower Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Frankenstein Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Crucible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stone Blind: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pride and Prejudice: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/520,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Atlas Shrugged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flowers in the Attic: 40th Anniversary Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To Kill a Mockingbird Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Gatsby Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5White Noise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sense and Sensibility Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Schindler's List Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Tale of Two Cities Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Master and Margarita Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Emma: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Thousand Ships: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for To Build a Fire
248 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Yep. 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.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Probably the best short story I have ever read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Probably the best short story I have ever read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A fantastic short story, with no wasted pages, or even a wasted sentence. In it, London crafts a story about the arrogance of man, and the brutality of nature. His writing about Survival is superb, and it builds and builds to an inevitable climax that is both expected, and somehow shocking at the same time.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I haven’t previously read anything by Jack London. I didn’t like this story, about a man making a trip in the snow at a very low temperature, fifty degrees below zero, he thought. Actually, it was seventy-five below zero. The unnamed man had his dog with him, a husky, which didn’t have a name either. It was dangerous to walk this trail alone because of the extreme cold. The author tells us that the man’s problem was that he lacked imagination. The dog knew it “was no time for traveling”. It was wiser than the man. The man knew that sometimes he had to light a fire in order to warm himself, and he did at least once. A few mishaps occurred and, finally, he was unable to light the necessary fire because of his frozen, numb hands. I lost sympathy for the man when he considered killing the dog so he could put his hands inside the corpse in order to thaw them. The man had apparently undertaken this hazardous trip on his own to prove to himself that he was a real man. “Any man who was a man would travel alone.” The story did not end well. It was well told, absolutely – I just didn’t like the theme or the man himself.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5If 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I 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. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To Build A Fire' - arguably the greatest short story written in the English language? London at his very best.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5To 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.