It scared the hell out or Mr. Blair...
A dystopian future, full of fascism and corporate greed, tinged
with the total control of humanity itself...Is this 1984? It certain sounds
like it....but no, this is Jack London...
Perhaps his most serious work, it remains largely unknown. Written as if we are looking back at a dark
historical period over a thousand years ago, The Iron Heel covers the slow downfall and tyrannical takeover of
the United States between 1912 and 1932.
It predicts the corporate-government system of rule known today as
Fascism. Jack London called them
oligarchs, but we all know who they are, be they Mussolini, Hitler, Franco or
Big Brother. London published this
work in 1908, and it went on to greatly influence Eric Blair (also known as
George Orwell) and his landmark classic Nineteen
Eighty-Four.
This book is a jewel, just waiting to be found. It combines science fiction with political commentary. It's a futuristic novel that absolutely "nails" what happened in Europe in the 20th Century, what might be happening in the
United States in the 21st....and the story takes place around San Francisco in northern
California...what could be more fitting?
A first edition copy of London's book can be acquired here: