'The Red One' and Other Stories

Description

This is a collection of four stories by Jack London, most of which are very good. The collection is named after the first story, "The Red One", an excellent piece of old school science fiction along the lines of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, or Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. It tells the story of a naturalist lost on the island of Guadalcanal, searching for a mysterious red object worshipped by the island's natives. It's incredibly inventive, years ahead of its time, suspenseful, brilliantly told, and one of London's best stories. Another great adventure story is "Like Argus of the Ancient Times", about a former California `49er who, in his seventies, decides to set out for the Klondike for one more chance at striking it rich. While "The Red One" probably deserves a place in London's top ten, "Argus" just might make the top twenty. "The Princess" is about three aged hobos who cross paths and trade stories about their youthful adventures in the South Pacific.