The Call of the Wild (Version 3)
Jack London
Read by Mark F. Smith
Buck is living a happy life in California until he is sold to pay a gambling debt. Taken to the Klondike to become a sled dog, Buck must toughen up and learn the harsher rules of survival in the North. One of the first of these is how to deal with being harnessed in the same team as a dog that wants to kill him.
Large, strong and smart, Buck toughens to his new life. But even the toughest dog can be worn down by constant work, and after 3,000 miles of pulling sleds, Buck nears the end of his rope.
Cast away as no longer useful, Buck is acquired by greenhorns whose inexperience nearly kills him, but after being saved by John Thornton, he at last finds a man he can love.
Then on a remote gold-hunting expedition, Buck hears a call emanating from the woods and speaking to the wild heart of his distant ancestors. The lure of it almost balances the great love he bears for Thornton, but events take him away from his old life... and into legend. (summary by Mark F. Smith) (3 hr 24 min)
Chapters
| 01 - Into the Primitive | 23:59 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
| 02 - The Law of Club and Fang | 21:11 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
| 03 - The Dominant Primordial Beast | 33:10 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
| 04 - Who Has Won to Mastership | 20:29 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
| 05 - The Toil of Trace and Trail | 35:05 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
| 06 - For the Love of a Man | 30:37 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
| 07 - The Sounding of the Call | 39:46 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
Reviews
Highly recommended.
Big Ron C
Top-Notch reading job by Mark F. Smith. It's no surprise he was offered and accepted a chance to do a book professionally. (Which I learned from his blog page. Way to go Mark!!) His reading just flows beautifully with nice inflexions at all the right moments and it's all done so naturally with nothing forced. What a great book it is too, seeing the world through the dog's mind as he toils in the wilds during the gold rush. It doesn't get any better than this, folks!!!
A LibriVox Listener
I first read this when I was a boy in 1970's. Mark F Smith brought this wonderful tale to life with his brilliant and perfectly paced narration. Listening to this book being read so well brought all the same enjoyment garnered from my first reading. This and White Fang are a must for dog lovers of all ages.
Amazing reader, great story
consisting
Mark F. Smith is the best reader I have heard so far. He isn't overly emotional, he is clear with a good pace, and he has very good emphasis and tone. He has a very slight southern accent which is pleasing. The audio quality is very good too. I am listening to his recording of White Fang now and his reading is even better! The Call of the Wild is the story of Buck, a dog who was living quite a comfortable domestic life before ending up on a very long journey in the harsh North. Buck struggles to adapt and survive in this new world, but what will become of him? Master after master, Buck is thrust into situations both good and bad. As he grows and matures, learning about his own true inner nature and identity, there comes a time when he has outgrown what man can offer to him. He hears it, the call of the wild.
fantastic reader - a dogs life
jaded_grl
the reader did a fantastic job! clear voice & great volume. voicing characters as well. the book is a classic and required reading for most middle/high school age children in the united states. the book is about the life of a dog and told from his viewpoint, so children may enjoy the book more than adults, but there is plenty for adults to enjoy as well. the book has a lot of animal attack violence described and animal cruelty and death of animals at the hands of humans - so it may be a little to much for some readers to handle.
Well done for such a tedious book
Krstndiane
I listened to the audiobook simply to be able to discuss with my high schooler who is doing online public school. Last time I read this was 20 years ago when I was in public school. Jack London's use of prepositional phrases and lofty words that are no longer used in day to day speach made this excruciating. The speaker was the only thing that made this tolerable. Good delivery and cadence and he spoke clearly enough that I could speed up the playback speed to get done with it.
Wonderful!
Paul Busman
A trailer for an upcoming film version of this book led me to seek an audiobook recording of it. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this.. The story is well written, with vivid descriptions of the Yukon. The characters are all interesting, both good and bad and this excellent reader really brings them to life, with different voices for each. I don't hesitate to recommend this recording for anyone from young teens on up.
Mark Smith is Excellent
A LibriVox Listener
I've listened to several of Mark Smith's readings and have loved every single one. He differentiates between character's voices and has good intonation. The book itself was interesting. I liked that the main character was Buck and that his perspective was expressed so well by London.
Paula
wonderful narration of an absolute favourite tale. despite there being some horrible passages the narrator's calm, steady delivery keeps your attention and ensures you HAVE to find out what happens to Buck next. thoroughly enjoyed this in one long sitting