The Scarlet Plague [Classic Tales Edition]

By: Jack London

Narrated by: B.J. Harrison

Twelve billionaires rule the United States, while those called freemen are forced to serve the rich. But that was 60 years ago, before the Scarlet Plague. In this post-apocalyptic novella, a ragged and tattered old man tells his progeny of what life was like before The Scarlet Plague appeared - and wiped out civilization as they knew it.

Public Domain (P)2016 B.J. Harrison

a good story

good story well read a bit dissappointed when done.
i would like to go on with the tale.

Good story until it broke the 4th wall.

Narrator was great, story going along well until the author broke the 4th wall to make a point about language. That brought me completely out of the story. Got back in, but it took a while.

Great Short Story

I very much enjoyed this story.
The Scarlet Plague is a post-apocalyptic fiction novel and originally written around 1910.
The plague takes place in 2013! 100 years into the future from when it was written.

Felt Like a Dated & Elitist Essay

This felt to me like a dated & elitist essay. Probably made worse since I had (coincidentally) just listened to The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, a nonfiction title about how things would go on earth if humans suddenly disappeared. London's book rang false to me in how the scenario played out. The cultural assumptions seem very dated (and were probably somewhat outdated even then). The human reversion to barbarity struck me more as colonialist nonsense then anything. Also, it seemed very elitist and snobbish with an almost worshipful portrayal of a formerly rich, "cultured" woman, in contrast to the "savages" who predominated. Hadn't thought of London as elitist, especially knowing he wrote the book "People of the Abyss" about the poor of 1902 London. Strangely, his treatment of nature seems more modern and closer to the mark than his socio-cultural analysis. Also, because of the way the book was structured, I found it somewhat dull, lacking in narrative tension. It read more like an essay to me. In spite of all of these shortcomings, I'm still giving it an overall 3 (though borderline) because it is still rather original and imaginative and because London does have writing skill. The narration is somewhat better than the book.

The world must survive

This book was very different than what I was expecting. It is a story of loss and survival in a primitive world. I enjoyed it!