Rating: 
Summary: Not just another sea adventure
Review: Parts of the book reminded me of Conrad and others, Milton. London creates an ugly force and sets it on a fishing boat as Captain. This Captain a sailing, fishing, toruring and ing, while defying the odds to live on and torment even after his targets thought they were in safe harbor. The captain is too smart for his own good and his men are very stupid for his own good. Within this sea of "evility" stumbles a neutral force that evolves as "good" as it fights the "evil" captain using brains rather than braun. He saves a damsel in distress along the way filling the romance narative (which seems a tad clumsy in parts). Well developed characters facing their nightmares on a ship with a Tin Angel at the helm. No, this isn't just another sea adventure like "ThePerfect Storm" with more deveolped ships than characters. Read this when you have time to ponder human nature, the battle of good and bad on seas that can be placid and flat as glass or whipped up by a whirlwind into 30 foot swells.
Rating: 
Summary: A gripping tale set on the high seas, and in a man's heart
Review: Humphrey Van Weydon is an affluent gentleman living in San Francisco during the early 1900's. Because of his inherited father's wealth, he hasn't had to work a day in his life, has gotten a first class education, and spends most of his time reading and discussing the latest novels. One foggy day as he travels across the bay to visit a friend there is a collision, and he is cast into the sea. After being rescued, he discovers that he is aboard a seal-hunting ship bound for Japan with a cold-hearted captain. This captain, known as the Sea Wolf, has no respect for Humphrey's money and decides to keep him aboard to be used for work in the galley. The Sea Wolf also has no respect for life, viewing it as fermenting yeast with the most brutal aspects of natural selection in play. He is a self-educated man and talks with Humphrey about life, philosophy, literature, et cetera. London describes their situation as "relations...between king and jester." A gripping tale set on the high seas, this book will keep your eyes locked on Humphrey's changing life, and the Sea Wolf's deadly ways.I recommend this book because many things are taken for granted in today's rich American society, not least of which being the ability to stand on your own two legs. Most of the modern population depends on others for survival, and this dependence has made us weak. When Humphrey Van Weydon begins to stand on his own he goes through a considerable change, as most people do when faced with a crisis. This change can make or break someone, but like the old adage goes, "whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." While this story is filled with suspense and amazement, the intriguing philosophical concepts arouse your mind and keep the gears turning. The Sea Wolf is an excellent novel, a classic in every sense of the word, and one that teaches much about the human struggle for survival and self-improvement.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Sea Drama.
Review: More readable and entertaining than Moby Dick, The Sea Wolf is the ultimate sea-faring fiction. When his ferry collides with another ship in the fog and sinks, bookish dandy Humphrey Van Weyden finds himself alone and adrift off the coast of San Francisco. He is saved from drowning by a passing sailing vessel, the Ghost, captained by Wolf Larsen, on its way to the seal hunting grounds in the far Pacific. To his dismay, "Hump's" request to be put ashore are ignored. Instead he is held captive, put to hard labor, and made to suffer greatly under the brutal leadership of the fearsome Wolf. Wolf Larson is one of literature's most unique characters, and the mystery of what motivates him and what atrocities he'll commit next compel the reader on. He is not the stereotypical pirate ogre, but rather a well-read, deep-thinking intellectual whose best thoughts justify--in his mind--his callous behavior. He is a firm believer in natural selection and survival of the fittest. On the Ghost, he is at the top of the food chain. As the months pass, Hump is changed by the sea and physical exertion, earning 1st mate status. After plenty of excitement and drama, the plot twists when Maud Brewster, a beautiful young writer, is rescued from a lifeboat adrift a following a storm. Hump is smitten, but so is Wolf. The story plays out well to climax, with classy prose and the best description of sailing I've ever read. A good choice for all adventurers and anyone who loves the sea. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.
Rating:
Summary: Not His Best but very entertaining
Review: This book differs somewhat from London's other novels. One thing that is great for a younger reader is that the book is written through the main character's perspective, which makes understanding him easier for the reader. The events that occur in the first 100 pages come fast one after the other leaving the reader wondering what could possibly come next, and then to me as well as some other reviewers the novel begins to slow down especially with the entrance of the female. Overall the story is great and the characters are easy to understand, and London's writing style makes it simple to enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: The Sea Wolf is a gripping, thrilling and stunning peice of work. Van Weyden and Larsen come to grips with eachother and with themselves in this book. The confrontation scenes between the two are amazingly written and the stark realism of the boat, it's crew and the violence that is almost an everyday occurence combine to make this a book that can not be put down. The introduction of the female slows the book considerably but in my honest opinion, the ending is fine. Larsen's final fate is surprising and heart rending. The repeated phrase "Bosh" leads to one of the books best moments. While I wish London hadn't included the female, the book is well worth the read. At least before the female comes in, the book is darkly violent and challenging. The social implications of the debates between Van Weyden and Larsen are extremely sobering. All in all, this book is one of the best I have ever read. Brilliant is the best word I can come up with.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible until the horrible, awful, vile end...
Review: I read this book in my second year of college. Jack London had been my favorite author in my youth mostly because I like animals so much, and thus enjoyed his more creature focused books and shorts. The Sea Wolf introduces us to Wolf Larsen, possibly one of the five greatest characters I have encountered in all of my reading. I can't say that London paints Wolf Larsen as a realistic man because he is superhuman. He is a God, a Ghost, a Guru, an absolute master of his universe. Then the female comes in. The book simply goes to pot. What was building as a tense study of refinement versus the laws of survival simply disappears. The book goes out horribly. The book builds a vast resevoir of intensity and drama, but the dam never bursts. The water just flows back into the ocean. The incredible power of the first two-thirds of the book is forgotten. So in summary, read this book for the character of Wolf Larsen, and for the narrator, who London does a more than admirable job with. Then forget about the ending, and imagine for yourself what should have happened.
Rating:
Summary: A good tale
Review: Other reviewers have given plenty of descriptions, so I won't bother. Suffice it to say it was a good story about a man finding himself under harsh conditions.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: Never has Eliot's famous verse "Not with a bang, but a whimper" come in so handy as when applied to the last few chapters of Jack London's "The Sea Wolf". The book is superbly written, but for a book to be included in a list such as the Easton Press collection of "The 100 greatest books ever written", it should be able to hold its own not only for style, but also for the tale itself, the "myth" behind it. The Sea Wolf does a fantastic job of building such a myth for about two-thirds of the novel. Then Ms Brewster appears, and suddenly the plot peters out. What begins as a gripping, sobering account of life at sea under a ruthless captain and a brutal crew, ends as a bland, unconvincing account of childish romance and "survival". If London had only combined this book's literary richness with the heart-rending plot of The Call of the Wild or White Fang, he would be truly immortal.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Ment For High School Students
Review: Sadly I had to take Engish twice this year, I had to retake the course because I had an accident and had to be hospitalized. But the first English course was an Honors class and the second was an Accellerated course. The first class understood the book, as did I. The second course, the class had a good idea, but for the most part found the book boring and without meaning. My main comment is that this book shouldn't be taught on an Accellerated level. But I thought the book was alright.
Rating:
Summary: Decent Book, Better for those who like Detail.
Review: This was an overall good story. The plot was okay, but I would it boring. I was one who likes to read books that have some action. This book has the action but seems to lack suspense. For those of you who do not care for a book with description, don't read this. This book has a lot of description, character and plot. Don't look for intriguing plot or simplistic description. This book has quite a bit of underlying theme. It deals with work ethic, individualism, ideals, and materialism. Jack London, as a American writer, puts many thematic characteristics of American literaure into this book. In summary, if you are interested in literature, I suggest you read this book. You will probably enjoy it much more than I did, for I am in college in a Themes in American Literature (Advanced) class.
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