The Call of the Wild

Jack London's classic tale of the heroic dog Buck captures a bygone era in American history. Sold as a sled dog during the Alaskan Gold Rush, Buck finds himself in an adventure that reconnects him to nature and his wild roots. Actor Jeff Daniels leads the listener through Buck's journey with a friendly and familiar voice. London's prose is not overly dramatic, and Daniels does not try to make it so. His reading style is somewhat removed, but he engages the listener through his steadiness of tone and pace. While there's little dialogue in the story, when it appears, Daniels captures the essence of the characters. Listeners of all ages will enjoy this cherished story and thoughtful narration. D.M.W. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine


Great short stories are tailor-made for audiobooks. They transport you to another time and place, and bring you back in a reasonable amount of time. Such is the case with this classic tale of Buck, the indomitable dog, during the Yukon Gold Rush of 1897-98. Narrator Michael Kramer is a perfect match for London's words in both style and intonation His voice is compact, intense, cool, and utterly absorbing, and he sets a comfortable pace. Sometimes his delivery is choppy, almost abrupt, but that's an advantage in a story that takes place in the wilderness because it keeps us slightly off balance and involved. Kramer is also adept at character accents, from a West Indies dialect to a Western snarl. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine