John Griffith London was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. A pioneer in the world of commercial magazine fiction, he was one of the first writers to become a worldwide celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen", and of the San Francisco Bay area in The Sea Wolf. His tale The Heathen was first published in 1909. The narrator recounts how he first met Otoo, a native of Bora Bora, the only non-Christian on that island, on a heavily overladen tramp ship that sank when hit by a horrific hurricane and of which he and Otoo – who mutually saved each other’s lives that day – were the only survivors. They became blood brothers, a sacred bond in those parts involving notably the exchange of names, and were inseparable from there on. This very moving tale details the workings of that unbreakable bond for the rest of their existences. Reader beware: once you have read this story, you will never be able to forget Otoo, the most wonderful blood brother any man ever had. You can listen online to free English audiobook “The Heathen” by Jack London on our website. Enjoy it!
