The Iron Heel

Jack London's 1908 dystopian novel presents a manuscript from the future describing a ruthless oligarchy and the socialist revolt against it.

Author

Jack London

First published

1908

Setting

Early 20th-century United States

Genre

Dystopian novel

Read it if you like

Political dystopia written in 1908.

Overview

The book is framed as the manuscript of Avis Everhard, discovered centuries later, about her husband Ernest Everhard, a socialist organiser, and their fight against “the Oligarchy”, a capitalist ruling class that crushes labour movements.

Themes

• Class conflict
• Political power
• Propaganda and revolution

Background

London was a committed socialist when he wrote it in 1906–07 and published it in 1908. Many later critics read it as an early dystopia.

Why it endures

It is an early example of political dystopian fiction and shows a different side of London from his adventure stories.