Star Rover: Amazon.ca: Jack London: Books

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Review

A magnificent literary accomplishment. -- Irving Stone --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Book Description

Novelist and short story writer Jack London (1876-1916) contemplated the strange theory of astral travel, penning "The Star Rover" in 1914. The last of London's fifty books, which include "White Fang" and "The Call of the Wild", "The Star Rover" centres on San Quentin prison inmate Darrell Standing, a former university professor who is serving a life sentence for murdering a colleague. To escape the tortures of his confinement, he withdraws into dreams of past lives in which he experiences what he calls his "eternal recurrence on earth." Thus the fantastic becomes a vehicle for exposing the social injustices of the U.S. prison system.One of America's great turn-of-the-century writers, London lived as a sailor, waterfront loafer, and hobo, embarking on a successful literary career based on his travels, observations of nature, and his outspoken position in the Socialist Party. Internationally recognised literary critic and essayist Leslie Fiedler, the former Samuel Clemens Professor at SUNY Buffalo, provides an insightful introduction to this lost classic.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

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1.0 out of 5 stars Star Rover Review, Jan 20 2004

By

Tyler - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Rover (Paperback)

Well I think that this book was not the book I was looking for, it starts out well and very descriptive, but as you go on into the book it gets worse and worse, chapter by chapter. I personaly will probably never read another Jack London book because this one was so borring.

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1.0 out of 5 stars Star Rover Review, Jan 20 2004

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Tyler Ryska (Boise, ID USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Rover (Paperback)

Well I think that this book was not the book I was looking for, it starts out well and very descriptive, but as you go on into the book it gets worse and worse, chapter by chapter. I personaly will probably never read another Jack London book because this one was so borring.

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5.0 out of 5 stars It's Indiana Jones meets HBO's Oz...., Dec 22 2003

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JunkyardMessiah "jonkadane" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Rover (Paperback)

Jack London's Star Rover surprised me on every page. It's a riveting, action-packed adventure tale filled with gritty heroes and villains, and fascinating settings, both grim and glorious. The protagonist is a fabulous anti hero, a cross between Indiana Jones and a character straight out of HBO's prison drama Oz.

The characters are so well defined, from the sadistic warden to prisoners Ed and Jack, whom we never really see, and only know through intricate, faceless conversations. The lead character, Darrell Standing, is wily, handsome, intrincsically good, but hardened and made cruel by the warden's treatment. Charming and dangerous, he's just the sort of bad-boy we love to root for. Ed and Jack, his two fellow prisoners, are perfect foils, one believing and encouranging, the other skeptical but reluctanly fascinated nonetheless. The warden makes a formidable, multi-faceted villain, at turns weak and cruel, and inventive in his tortures. What a wonderful read!

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars good first half
the first part is really great. the events of a convict's life is presented in an interesting way. the convict finds a means to escape, sort of a meditative way, that makes him... Read more

Published on April 24 2003 by jan erik storeb�

5.0 out of 5 stars Height of human triumph .... not for the faint of heart.
I started to write a review over two years ago after I read this piece, then stopped, deciding to wait, wanting to know whether such poignant effect on my thinking and outlook... Read more

Published on July 5 2002