The iron heel
by Jack London
- First published
- 1908
- Reading level
- Plain English
- Price
- Free
About the book
"The Iron Heel" by Jack London is a dystopian novel published in 1908. It depicts a future America where a rising socialist movement threatens conservative power, prompting the establishment of a brutal oligarchic dictatorship. Told through a manuscript discovered centuries later, the story follows Avis Everhard as she witnesses her husband Ernest's failed struggle against the tyrannical "Iron Heel." This pioneering work of dystopian fiction influenced George Orwell and offered a prophetic warning about fascism's rise.
- Science fiction
- Political fiction
- Dystopias
- Oligarchy
- Socialism
- Revolutionaries
Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #1164. The iron heel on Wikipedia.
