The Sea Wolves

January 15, 2012
Young Jack London continues his supernatural adventures as the authors soup up London's original The Sea Wolf to fit the current paranormal craze. In this second installment of their new series, Golden and Lebbon use the major plot points of London's 1904 adventure as a loose framework for a new story that features a teenage Jack fighting werewolves. Most of the names remain the same (but alas, they exclude Oofty-Oofty), although they switch a few--here, this ship is the Larsen and the captain is called Ghost. London and the brutal captain have philosophical arguments about the virtues of human versus animal nature. Of course, young Jack will wind up fighting the crew of werewolves and Ghost himself. Whatever one may think of the worth of the authors' concept, they produce an exciting tale that's written with considerable oomph, and Ruth's bold, charcoal drawings brilliantly capture the book's action. However, their captain doesn't linger in the mind as does London's original Wolf Larsen, and their adventure, although suspenseful, pales against London's efforts. Yet their romance passages trump London's antiquated romance subplot, with the introduction of a witch who captures young Jack's heart. Certainly the writing quality here surpasses that of most paranormal adventures today. And perhaps it might win London a new readership. An odd but well-executed idea. (Paranormal adventure. 10-16)

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February 1, 2012

Gr 6 Up-This reimagining of Jack London's The Sea Wolf replaces his main character, Humphrey van Weyden, with the 18-year-old author and adventurer himself and populates the ship on which Jack is held hostage with a captain and crew of werewolf pirates. The beasts raid ships not just for booty, but also for bodies to consume beneath the light of the full moon. As pandering and cheesy as the story might sound, it's actually a remarkably inventive, well-written, and action-packed remix, with plenty of plot points, themes, and characters that parallel the original. The ship's captain, Ghost, for example, represents an amoral, survival-of-the-fittest viewpoint-just as Wolf Larsen does in Sea Wolf-and he tries throughout the story to convince Jack that his morality is a foolish human shortcoming. London's character Maud Brewster is replaced by Sabine, a beguiling seer whose magical talents Ghost uses to guide him toward ships and whose presence lends a note of mysterious romance to the otherwise brutal story. Readers with a taste for kinetic high-seas adventures are going to love this supernatural spin on London's seafaring classic.-Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2012
Grades 7-10 Whereas the first volume in the Secret Journeys of Jack London series, The Wild (2011), skipped around into various folkloric adventures, this one stays focused upon one subject from the first page: werewolf pirates. Jack is taken prisoner and finds himself battling both physically and intellectually with the brilliant, brutal captain Ghost, while falling in love with the beautiful, mysterious sea witch who is trapped on board. Though their hero is a bit too perfect, Golden and Lebbon simply do not let up on the muscularly written action, and Ruth's sketches suggest a darker, grittier Hardy Boys. These should be plenty popular.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)