What do you think?
Rate this book
The Collected Science Fiction and Fantasy of Jack London #2
The Iron Heel & Other Stories
Renowned as a writer of classic adventure stories such as The Call of the Wild and White Fang, Jack London also had a parallel career as a writer of science fiction and fantasy. In Leonaur's three volume, The Collected Science Fiction & Fantasy of Jack London, his SF and fantasy novels and shorter works are brought together for the first time. In the early twentieth century the USA diverged from the path of the history we know. Viewed from 800 years in the future, through the pages of an ancient manuscript, we learn that huge business conglomerates became all powerful, and ordinary people little more than slaves - the property of a despotic regime that controlled their lives. Those savage and inhuman times are vividly depicted in The Iron Heel, one of Jack London's finest novels. Also in this volume are five shorter works that demonstrate both the scope of London's imagination and his concern for the future of our world.
340 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
262 people want to read
About the author
Jack London
7,684 books7,698 followersJohn 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".
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".
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 25, 2018
Jack London's world of sci-fi is quite bleak, from a man's obsessive torture of the last mammoth for accidentally stepping on his dog, to two scientists willing to murder over the secret of invisibility, to the gruesome delivery of a severed arm as a gift to a corrupt 25th century cotton magnate, to the gleeful genocide of the Chinese population through biological warfare.
"The Iron Heel" falls right in line with this cynical view of humans and their inheritance, and is a stark contrast to other sci-fi works of the era that depict brawny and brainy inventors building spaceships and ray guns to blast both earthly and otherworldly baddies. In fact, this novel is far too real.
Do not be misled or put off by other reviews that "The Iron Heel" is all about the evils of capitalism. London's main focus is the concentration of power within a very small class of elites. Few can successfully argue that we are not seeing the results of Oligarchy in our own country over the past 40 years, and this novel brilliantly outlines how such a thing happens and the consequences. The destruction of the Middle Class, the economic drive for a ruling class to push world trade on its nation, the manipulation of the press to keep the mass population asleep, the political use of "Antifa"-style groups and tactics, all eerily comes together in a work that is over a century old but is shockingly current to the modern reader.
Some reviews complain about the amount of footnotes, but I see them as critical. Many of the notes in the first part are about real historical events, and are very educational, in addition to strengthening London's intellectual arguments for his socialist-leaning economics and futurist predictions.
This work may not leave you singing Socialist anthems, but will certainly keep you much more aware of the politics around you. A must read.
"The Iron Heel" falls right in line with this cynical view of humans and their inheritance, and is a stark contrast to other sci-fi works of the era that depict brawny and brainy inventors building spaceships and ray guns to blast both earthly and otherworldly baddies. In fact, this novel is far too real.
Do not be misled or put off by other reviews that "The Iron Heel" is all about the evils of capitalism. London's main focus is the concentration of power within a very small class of elites. Few can successfully argue that we are not seeing the results of Oligarchy in our own country over the past 40 years, and this novel brilliantly outlines how such a thing happens and the consequences. The destruction of the Middle Class, the economic drive for a ruling class to push world trade on its nation, the manipulation of the press to keep the mass population asleep, the political use of "Antifa"-style groups and tactics, all eerily comes together in a work that is over a century old but is shockingly current to the modern reader.
Some reviews complain about the amount of footnotes, but I see them as critical. Many of the notes in the first part are about real historical events, and are very educational, in addition to strengthening London's intellectual arguments for his socialist-leaning economics and futurist predictions.
This work may not leave you singing Socialist anthems, but will certainly keep you much more aware of the politics around you. A must read.
Read
October 14, 2025Works more as a socialist tract than a novel, which is to be expected given the constraints of presenting this as a manuscript found.
I suppose I must give all the old socialist revolutionaries much allowance, not having the benefit of hindsight which we enjoy. But I just can't fathom how so many people so uncritically embraced such utopian ideologies. I guess the desperate and oppressed need those sorts of hope. But if I can give their idealism the allowance of blindness, I have a much harder time giving it to America's left-wing revolutionists of today. I'm no friend of capitalism, but revolution is an extremely tricky and unlikely thing to pull off, especially in today's world. And if it's done under the banner of zealous ideology, its only outcome will be tyranny, be ye left, right, or what have you.
So what is to be done? I admit that my opinion - that we're probably just screwed - doesn't offer much and certainly will have maybe just a bit of a hard time rallying anybody.
I suppose I must give all the old socialist revolutionaries much allowance, not having the benefit of hindsight which we enjoy. But I just can't fathom how so many people so uncritically embraced such utopian ideologies. I guess the desperate and oppressed need those sorts of hope. But if I can give their idealism the allowance of blindness, I have a much harder time giving it to America's left-wing revolutionists of today. I'm no friend of capitalism, but revolution is an extremely tricky and unlikely thing to pull off, especially in today's world. And if it's done under the banner of zealous ideology, its only outcome will be tyranny, be ye left, right, or what have you.
So what is to be done? I admit that my opinion - that we're probably just screwed - doesn't offer much and certainly will have maybe just a bit of a hard time rallying anybody.
October 25, 2024
Dry, political and dark, but convincing and fascinating. Ahead of its time, undoubtedly.
January 11, 2026
Crush the oligarchy
May 14, 2013
I had never read any of Jack London's works before. Now that I've read this one, I'm very tempted to read some more. This is exactly the kind of thorough examination, with perfectly viable examples, of why capitalism does not work. The characters and their stories are made up, but they are mirror images of so many people in our world today. Given that this book was first published in 1908, I first thought it was amazing how accurately London portrays all parties in the capitalist game of today. As I consider it though, it seems that he is simply telling the story that has played out time and again - the inevitable corruption of power in a capitalist society.
As I read the novel, I couldn't help wishing that the average Westerner would read it as well - especially those who seem to think that capitalism "gives them the freedom to be successful if they're willing to work hard." Unfortunately, hard work has much less to do with success than does luck of being born into a family of influence. Sadly, the average Westerner is so brainwashed into thinking that capitalism is working for them, they are completely unwilling to even consider other alternatives. This book presents the true driving force of capitalism and how it suppresses the common sense of the masses in order to sustain itself. It shows, with examples, why so-called "conspiracy theories" are not implausible (as capitalists would have us believe), but inevitable and necessary to keep a capitalist system from collapsing. This is the book that inspired Orwell's 1984, and sadly most of the governments of our time.
As a side-note, this book is in the public domain and is available as an eBook (several formats) on Project Gutenberg. Therefore, there are no excuses for not reading it!
As I read the novel, I couldn't help wishing that the average Westerner would read it as well - especially those who seem to think that capitalism "gives them the freedom to be successful if they're willing to work hard." Unfortunately, hard work has much less to do with success than does luck of being born into a family of influence. Sadly, the average Westerner is so brainwashed into thinking that capitalism is working for them, they are completely unwilling to even consider other alternatives. This book presents the true driving force of capitalism and how it suppresses the common sense of the masses in order to sustain itself. It shows, with examples, why so-called "conspiracy theories" are not implausible (as capitalists would have us believe), but inevitable and necessary to keep a capitalist system from collapsing. This is the book that inspired Orwell's 1984, and sadly most of the governments of our time.
As a side-note, this book is in the public domain and is available as an eBook (several formats) on Project Gutenberg. Therefore, there are no excuses for not reading it!
April 14, 2017
The free kindle version I had contained only The Iron Heel.
The Iron Heel depicts a kind of alternate history, where the socialist movement is strong enough to pose a legitimate threat to capitalism in the early 1900s. Written in the form of a dairy, the protagonist, Avis, describes her relationship with her husband, socialist leader Ernest, and then the violent struggle of the early stages of the socialist movement. Scattered throughout the novel are footnotes from hundreds of years in the future, when socialist ideals are a given.
One of the earliest dystopias I've read, I think The Iron Heel is fascinating in terms of how it forms a political dystopia. I certainly see links between this work and 1984. Anyone who is interested in reading early forms of dystopia or fictionalized versions of socialism would find this interesting to read. The protagonist, Avis, can be a bit vapid at first, but by the end she's kicking some ass, though still only with the help of men. And the responses from the capitalists were often unbelievable. However, still quite interesting to read.
The Iron Heel depicts a kind of alternate history, where the socialist movement is strong enough to pose a legitimate threat to capitalism in the early 1900s. Written in the form of a dairy, the protagonist, Avis, describes her relationship with her husband, socialist leader Ernest, and then the violent struggle of the early stages of the socialist movement. Scattered throughout the novel are footnotes from hundreds of years in the future, when socialist ideals are a given.
One of the earliest dystopias I've read, I think The Iron Heel is fascinating in terms of how it forms a political dystopia. I certainly see links between this work and 1984. Anyone who is interested in reading early forms of dystopia or fictionalized versions of socialism would find this interesting to read. The protagonist, Avis, can be a bit vapid at first, but by the end she's kicking some ass, though still only with the help of men. And the responses from the capitalists were often unbelievable. However, still quite interesting to read.
January 12, 2014
Stupid Communist Mills & Boon, don't bother...read it for a laugh if you are bored....Behold Ernest EVERHARD...what kind a post-modern Porn name is that? lol. You would have to be obsessed with homo-erotic communist crap to really think this is anything other than a Commie-Homosexual-fantasy!
WE laughed at the entire book from beginning to end. My gay actor friend did all the voices for the book while reading bits of it out loud in an overly serious BBC radio voice....this can only work if it is an extreme satire on communist homo-erotic repressed lit. hiding behind an equally absurd political repressive ideas!
hahaha. www.ceciliayu.com
WE laughed at the entire book from beginning to end. My gay actor friend did all the voices for the book while reading bits of it out loud in an overly serious BBC radio voice....this can only work if it is an extreme satire on communist homo-erotic repressed lit. hiding behind an equally absurd political repressive ideas!
hahaha. www.ceciliayu.com
May 11, 2016
Many reviewers have compared this to Atlas Shrugged, although it is a defense of Socialism, not Capitalism. Add me to that list.
Judging this solely as a work of literature, it isn't great. There are way too many footnotes and not much story. However, some of the footnotes serve a purpose. They remind us that the oligarchs back when this novel was written were brutal enough that the future that London predicted must have seemed plausible to his readers. The footnotes speak of actual events, like the Supreme Court deciding that child labor laws were unconstitutional, the Haymarket riots, etc.
Judging this solely as a work of literature, it isn't great. There are way too many footnotes and not much story. However, some of the footnotes serve a purpose. They remind us that the oligarchs back when this novel was written were brutal enough that the future that London predicted must have seemed plausible to his readers. The footnotes speak of actual events, like the Supreme Court deciding that child labor laws were unconstitutional, the Haymarket riots, etc.
April 3, 2013
Fantastic stuff. Dystopian novel. Very well written. Author had obviously gone to great lengths to present a view of society from a socialist perspective through his character Ernest Everhard who argues against various classes of people that society can no longer progress as it currently is, later he partakes in the revolution.
I would suggest it is a read on a par with Brave New World, We, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984. But remember it was written before all these and like Orwell Jack London was an insider, reference People of the Abyss.
I would suggest it is a read on a par with Brave New World, We, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984. But remember it was written before all these and like Orwell Jack London was an insider, reference People of the Abyss.
April 13, 2012
I've read the Iron Heel and thought it was a great work of speculative political science fiction, right up there with Orwell's 1984 (and apparently its predecessor).
I never read the other stories.
I never read the other stories.
March 24, 2011
The Iron Heel was a great story, the other stories I could've done without. I seem to remember one being shockingly racist.
August 13, 2011
I read this as a very young woman and it made a big impression on me. I want to re-read it to see if it changes my opinions that I now hold as a very conservative preson.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews