The Iron Heel

First published in 1907, “The Iron Heel” is Jack London’s dystopian novel about the rise of an oligarchic tyranny in the United States. Displaying the socialist views that were held by London himself and that were prevalent at the beginning of the 20th century, “The Iron Heel” tells the story of events far in the future when a small, wealthy class squeezes out the middle class and effectively rules with brutality for three centuries until a revolution ushers in a new era called the “Brotherhood of Man”. The novel is set primarily around the San Francisco Bay Area and is told in the form of a rediscovered long-lost manuscript written by a woman named Avis Everhard, who gives up her privileged life to join the resistance and overthrow the repressive regime. As important a commentary today as when it was first written, London’s novel was far ahead of its time and is largely credited with inspiring George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four”. “The Iron Heel” is a chilling depiction of a possible future world and an excellent exposition on the class struggle which has dominated most of human history. This edition includes a biographical afterword.