An Adventure in the Upper Sea

by Jack London

"I am a retired captain of the upper sea. That is to say, when I was a younger man (which is not so long ago) I was an aeronaut and navigated that aerial ocean which is all around about us and above us. Naturally it is a hazardous profession, and naturally I have had many thrilling experiences, the most thrilling, or at least the most nerve-racking, being the one I am about to relate."

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Adventure

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1922

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

[Cindy DeLong · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a refreshing story where someone has to take responsibility for their actions. I love that the child was punished for risking lives and no one thought it was "cute." It was sad that it caused the man to change professions, but stupid actions can adversely affect other people's lives.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspenseful and humourous, I loved it!

[Станислав · Rating 3 out of 5]

О техники безопасности воздушных судов.
Но может не стоило его пороть.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I decided to read Jack London’s “An Adventure in the Upper Sea,” I was sure it would be a boating adventure near Alaska or even further in the “upper sea.” What I didn’t the “upper sea” would be is the sky. The first sentence of this story is so beautiful and so completely Jack London only he could make this elegance of the simplicity so complex, “I was an aeronaut and navigated that aerial ocean which is all around about us and above us.” I have never thought of the sky as the “upper sea,” but it makes so much sense and it is so simple I do not know how I have lived this many years without making the connection.