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Silver Chief: Dog of the North
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250 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1933
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
June 29, 2021
My recent foray into Robert Service's poetry inspired a desire to read more of the frozen north. This was one of my favorite book series as a kid, and since I had read some Jack London in the not-too-distant-past, I decided it was Jack O'Brien's turn. And, to my great pleasure, I found that Silver Chief holds up remarkably well upon rereading as an adult. It is a book of its time, and there are certainly issues the author raises that I would want to talk to my kids about rather than just setting them loose on the story, but the book is worth having those conversations. It's a well-written story of a Mountie and his dog, of danger and hardship, loyalty and friendship, and one I think I may add to our Morning Time reads for next year.
November 2, 2016
Loyalty, justice, danger, heroes, villains, chases...This book has everything a child could want in an adventure. A half wolf and a Mounty team up to become the North's most tenacious crime fighters.
I loved the balance between animal and human hero. The animal is important, but not the more than his human.
It's well written.
I loved the balance between animal and human hero. The animal is important, but not the more than his human.
It's well written.
March 27, 2018
Some years ago, I managed to get hold of a free copy of Royal Red: Colt of the Canadian Mounted, the last book in the Silver Chief series. This made me curious about the previous books in the series, especially since Royal Red was written by "friends" after O'Brien's death from notes he left. My county library system managed to have a copy of Silver Chief (the first in the series) from 1933. 1933!!! I think Hitler just came to power then.
This was a very well-loved copy, too, with many torn pages held together by sepia-toned Scotch tape and adorned with stains of rather dubious character. The cover looked something like this:
Kids' books back in the 1930s were very different from kids' books today. For starters, there's tons and tons of violence. I lost count of how many people, dogs, wolves or whatever got killed. The climactic battle between the Mounty and Silver Chief with the Evil Doer Who Needs Bringing to Justice is done with an excruciating marathon in deep winter with an exhausted dog team. There are many descriptions of different kinds of pain one can go through when living in the Canadian North -- especially if you have a festering bullet wound in your leg.
And say hello to racism. Since its the 1930s, of course you've got to expect a little racism. Here it's not for the Jews or the blacks or the Americans -- it's for "Breeds" -- half French and half Indian. I guess if you're going to slag off a specific group of people, do it for the smallest group possible. I wonder what a Breed would think of this book?
The books also shows the most anyone knew about wolves at the time -- which was practically nothing. Wolves DO like to play, for example, while this book states that wolves do not play. Wolves do not attack and eat people. I could go on, but you get the point.
Wrong facts aside, the text is way over the top. Everything is in superlatives. Nothing is mediocre here. "The magnificent beast died gallantly" and so on. So Jack O'Brien's friends got his style of writing just right -- unfortunately.
This was a very well-loved copy, too, with many torn pages held together by sepia-toned Scotch tape and adorned with stains of rather dubious character. The cover looked something like this:
Kids' books back in the 1930s were very different from kids' books today. For starters, there's tons and tons of violence. I lost count of how many people, dogs, wolves or whatever got killed. The climactic battle between the Mounty and Silver Chief with the Evil Doer Who Needs Bringing to Justice is done with an excruciating marathon in deep winter with an exhausted dog team. There are many descriptions of different kinds of pain one can go through when living in the Canadian North -- especially if you have a festering bullet wound in your leg.
And say hello to racism. Since its the 1930s, of course you've got to expect a little racism. Here it's not for the Jews or the blacks or the Americans -- it's for "Breeds" -- half French and half Indian. I guess if you're going to slag off a specific group of people, do it for the smallest group possible. I wonder what a Breed would think of this book?
The books also shows the most anyone knew about wolves at the time -- which was practically nothing. Wolves DO like to play, for example, while this book states that wolves do not play. Wolves do not attack and eat people. I could go on, but you get the point.
Wrong facts aside, the text is way over the top. Everything is in superlatives. Nothing is mediocre here. "The magnificent beast died gallantly" and so on. So Jack O'Brien's friends got his style of writing just right -- unfortunately.
March 4, 2015
As a child, I found this in my grandmother's house and spirited it away, along with a stack of Terhune and a small pile of horse novels. I loved it and read it more than once, I'm sure.
Recently, I dug it out and reread it.
It's still very good, although shorter than I remember. (I remember the perilous journey being longer but not particularly more perilous.) I didn't remember the end at all.
Unfortunately, the book suffers from a casual racism for which it can be forgiven because of its age. (Unlike an older relative, a book has no chance to learn and grow.) I would not throw this in the refuse bin of history, but neither would I give it unexplained to an innocent young person without some followup discussion. (Basically, like in L M Montgomery, there's a dismissal of the French as shifty and lazy, compounded by a similar view of the Native Canadian, in this case culminating in a "half breed" who magnifies the "worst traits of both races.")
Assuming you can discuss that with a young reader, and I don't see why you couldn't, this is a fine adventure novel with an excellent canine companion any dog-lover would want to know.
Recently, I dug it out and reread it.
It's still very good, although shorter than I remember. (I remember the perilous journey being longer but not particularly more perilous.) I didn't remember the end at all.
Unfortunately, the book suffers from a casual racism for which it can be forgiven because of its age. (Unlike an older relative, a book has no chance to learn and grow.) I would not throw this in the refuse bin of history, but neither would I give it unexplained to an innocent young person without some followup discussion. (Basically, like in L M Montgomery, there's a dismissal of the French as shifty and lazy, compounded by a similar view of the Native Canadian, in this case culminating in a "half breed" who magnifies the "worst traits of both races.")
Assuming you can discuss that with a young reader, and I don't see why you couldn't, this is a fine adventure novel with an excellent canine companion any dog-lover would want to know.
September 8, 2018
This was the book that started my life-love of reading. I struggled through the 1st and 2 nd grade with my reading. (We are talking around 1957). Then my Mom took me to the library and we borrowed this book because it was one of her favorite all time books when she was a child. I read it, then I read with all the other Silver Chief books. The most influencial book of my life. Find it. Read it. Then give it to your grammar school child or grandchild.
April 10, 2009
Also The Return of Silver Chief
and
Spike of Swift River
Valiant, Dog of the Timberline
and
Spike of Swift River
Valiant, Dog of the Timberline
August 1, 2010
My first absolute favorite book...
March 29, 2020
My father used to read this book to my brothers and me at bedtime. I'm pretty sure we went through the whole book at least twice, maybe three times.
June 14, 2013
I loved it <3 :=)
August 6, 2013
A book firmly entrenched in my heart. Because of it, I was influenced to develop a registered dog kennel breeding glorious silver dogs of the north.
March 18, 2022
This book was copywrite 1933. (Call of the Wild was 1903). It follows a Canadian Mountie and a half husky half wolf dog 'Silver Chief'. I really liked the story but there are two big faults that show the prejudice of the times. For many these would be like asking, 'Other than the bullet in the head Mr. Lincoln, how did you like the play?'
The first is that the villain in the story is described with "He was the type called "breed". That is, he was a mixture of French and Indian, and such a fusing of blood had developed a strain of cunning and cruelty that submerged any good qualities of either race." Glad we all now know that it is wrong to prescribe negative qualities to a race of people, or a mixed race person. That it is flat out wrong and stupid. (And that should also include prejudice against white males that the current media is pushing.)
The second fault, more prevalent in those times, and unfortunately perhaps still with some people based on these types of stories, is that wolf packs would hunt after a human party as portrayed in the story. They are given a sinister aspect that is not borne out with actual evidence. But as portrayed in this book and stories like even Disney's Beauty and the Beast, they make for an interesting protagonist. But I am sure there are a lot of us that want to yell, BUT WOLVES AREN'T REALLY LIKE THAT!
But besides those points, I liked the story. Our hero the Mounty and his quest to tame the savage beast, bring the villain to justice, and then survive against terrible odds in a harsh landscape. It is just good fun. Sure getting shot in an appendix through the bone and having it get infected and taking days of travel while trying to stay mostly awake, let alone conscious, would be a bit far fetched, but that is the stuff of hero's.
The first is that the villain in the story is described with "He was the type called "breed". That is, he was a mixture of French and Indian, and such a fusing of blood had developed a strain of cunning and cruelty that submerged any good qualities of either race." Glad we all now know that it is wrong to prescribe negative qualities to a race of people, or a mixed race person. That it is flat out wrong and stupid. (And that should also include prejudice against white males that the current media is pushing.)
The second fault, more prevalent in those times, and unfortunately perhaps still with some people based on these types of stories, is that wolf packs would hunt after a human party as portrayed in the story. They are given a sinister aspect that is not borne out with actual evidence. But as portrayed in this book and stories like even Disney's Beauty and the Beast, they make for an interesting protagonist. But I am sure there are a lot of us that want to yell, BUT WOLVES AREN'T REALLY LIKE THAT!
But besides those points, I liked the story. Our hero the Mounty and his quest to tame the savage beast, bring the villain to justice, and then survive against terrible odds in a harsh landscape. It is just good fun. Sure getting shot in an appendix through the bone and having it get infected and taking days of travel while trying to stay mostly awake, let alone conscious, would be a bit far fetched, but that is the stuff of hero's.
April 22, 2023
I really enjoyed this story....found it much more interesting the Silver Chief's Revenge which was 3rd in a series.
July 7, 2022
Although this book has been loved by generations of my family--mother, uncles, cousins, siblings, nieces & nephews--when I began re-reading this absorbing tale (prior to passing it on to my grandson) of a wolf-husky crossbred tamed by a Mountie in the Canadian wilds, I was horrified by the racist attitudes toward Native Americans and Metis. I would love to recommend this book (I had much of it memorized by age 7), but I cannot, without reservations. It's still a wonderful adventure story, but there are 2 scenes, one where Sgt. Thorne questions an elderly Native American, the other where he receives his assignment to go after the "breed" from his commanding officer--that require "teachable moment" discussions with a young reader. My grandson and I will be having them. Still one of the 10 most influential books in my life that made me who I am today.
June 5, 2015
Deciding to return to my childhood for a few hours I selected this book off my shelf.
This novel is a fast-paced adventure that unites a wolf/dog and a Mounty. Throw in a dangerous criminal, the beauty and brutality of the wild, and old-fashioned characters with ethics and morals.
While I would classify this as family friendly, I would provide the warning for children of a sensitive nature that the story does take place in the wild where there is a daily battle between life and death.
This novel is a fast-paced adventure that unites a wolf/dog and a Mounty. Throw in a dangerous criminal, the beauty and brutality of the wild, and old-fashioned characters with ethics and morals.
While I would classify this as family friendly, I would provide the warning for children of a sensitive nature that the story does take place in the wild where there is a daily battle between life and death.
March 29, 2015
This is a fun adventure book that cribs heavily from Jack London's dog books. The reader has to suffer some period racism that I found to be stronger than most novels of this type/time. If you can get past that, this is an easy read -- satisfying but unremarkable. A step or two below Curwood or London, but the plot is quite different from those, so fans of the genre should enjoy.
July 27, 2012
First read this in second grade, and it still holds the record for the book I've read the most (at least 20 times). This is the book that made me fall in love with reading. I Still have memories of where this was on the bookshelf in the school library.
November 19, 2014
This is a very enjoyable story of a dog, half wolf, and his life with a Northwest Canadian Mountie. Through the hardships of the north, they protected each other, and it was a very simple, but intriguing story.
May 19, 2016
I liked this book a lot. My favorite part is when the indians couldn't catch Silver Chief with traps because he just slipped the bait out of the trap. It was the second best book that I have ever red. You need to read this book. DK
September 6, 2020
As always I am shocked by how amazing this book is. Nearly 100 years old and I keep coming back to it. Having first read it in Junior High, nearly ten years ago, I still find the story as interesting and exciting as it was back then. Truly timeless.
April 18, 2018
My father read this book to me when I was in the third grade. I could have read it myself but I preferred hearing it from his lap. I have reread it more than once and all of his other books as well. It has a fond place in my memory and a book I treasure.
January 30, 2012
I read this when I was a girl...I enjoyed it so much, I still remember the title.
Followed up with The Return of Silver Chief
Followed up with The Return of Silver Chief
July 29, 2012
I read this when I was in elementary school and loved it. I don't know how I'd rate it now.
April 26, 2013
this book is perfect for anyone who loves tales of sled dogs and the bitter north.
November 5, 2016
Like Call of the Wild and Julie of the Wolves this is a story that you can always go back to
December 22, 2016
Loved this book as a young girl and read it several times. So interesting to re-read it as an adult. Still love it.
August 7, 2018
One of my most memorable books as a kid
October 6, 2019
My favorite book as a child. I read all four.
March 16, 2022
Silver Chief is a pulpy volume of adventure fiction first published in 1933. The book has two protagonists. One is half dog and half wolf, a canine who grew up in the wild and who has learned to fear man. The other is a young officer in the Northwest Mounted Police with “a pleasant face and deep blue, steady eyes that smiled when he smiled or became dangerously black when he was angry.” The two become devoted allies and together accomplish the difficult feat of bringing a murderer to justice.
I picked this book up because I had recently finished Rosanne Parry’s middle grade novel A Wolf Called Wander and wanted to see whether a vintage book portrayed wolves differently. By golly, it does. Parry’s novel portrays wolves in a way that is strongly reminiscent of the “noble savage” fantasy. Her wolves are fierce but dignified, sacrificially loyal to their pack, and in-tune with their own traditions and code of conduct. Like other literary noble savages, they provide a critique of civilized man.
In contrast, O’Brien’s wolves are symbols of a wilderness that must be conquered by courageous Mounties. The wolf who leads Parry’s pack is a devoted father teaching his children to feed the family. The head wolf described by O’Brien is “more sinister looking than the rest” with “cruel, red-rimmed eyes bright with cunning and the lust to kill.” Ultimately, I think both authors push beyond the bounds of reality, although in different directions, in order to tell their stories.
This book is meant to be a portrayal of manly courage and resourcefulness. Unfortunately, it is constructed from clichés, and some of the clichés used by the author are offensively racist. The murderer who is brought to justice by the Mounty is described as “a mixture of French and Indian, and such a fusing of blood had developed a strain of cunning and cruelty that submerged any good qualities of either race.”
Some books are worth reading even if I do not share the author's values. However, in this book I felt the author's attitude about race permeated his story and made it a flop. He treats the “wanted” man as a worthless scumbag without convincing the reader to want him hanged. It is almost as if the guy's status as a "Breed" was enough to fit him firmly into the cliché of "villain-designed-specifically-to-showcase-the-hero's-blue-eyed-invincibility!" without any further authorial effort required. Because of that, there were several times in the story when I couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for the villain.
This is not a book that worked for me.
I picked this book up because I had recently finished Rosanne Parry’s middle grade novel A Wolf Called Wander and wanted to see whether a vintage book portrayed wolves differently. By golly, it does. Parry’s novel portrays wolves in a way that is strongly reminiscent of the “noble savage” fantasy. Her wolves are fierce but dignified, sacrificially loyal to their pack, and in-tune with their own traditions and code of conduct. Like other literary noble savages, they provide a critique of civilized man.
In contrast, O’Brien’s wolves are symbols of a wilderness that must be conquered by courageous Mounties. The wolf who leads Parry’s pack is a devoted father teaching his children to feed the family. The head wolf described by O’Brien is “more sinister looking than the rest” with “cruel, red-rimmed eyes bright with cunning and the lust to kill.” Ultimately, I think both authors push beyond the bounds of reality, although in different directions, in order to tell their stories.
This book is meant to be a portrayal of manly courage and resourcefulness. Unfortunately, it is constructed from clichés, and some of the clichés used by the author are offensively racist. The murderer who is brought to justice by the Mounty is described as “a mixture of French and Indian, and such a fusing of blood had developed a strain of cunning and cruelty that submerged any good qualities of either race.”
Some books are worth reading even if I do not share the author's values. However, in this book I felt the author's attitude about race permeated his story and made it a flop. He treats the “wanted” man as a worthless scumbag without convincing the reader to want him hanged. It is almost as if the guy's status as a "Breed" was enough to fit him firmly into the cliché of "villain-designed-specifically-to-showcase-the-hero's-blue-eyed-invincibility!" without any further authorial effort required. Because of that, there were several times in the story when I couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for the villain.
This is not a book that worked for me.
January 5, 2024
For reasons I don't fully understand, I suddenly felt compelled to reread this book, which was a favorite of mine when I was in about fifth grade, back when Eisenhower was President. It's a bit silly, but I still enjoyed it. I guess anything with dogs works for me.
We begin with the tale of Silver Chief's birth. He's the son of a wolf, and a friendly dog, Dee. Dee brings Silver Chief up to take care of himself, but also to be wary of humans, especially Indians (yes, the book is a bit racist, one is wary of Indians and half-breeds).
One day, Sgt. Jim Thorne of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police sees Silver Chief and decided to capture him. Painstakingly, he makes friends with "The Chief", and before you know it, Silver Chief is Jim's best bud and also the lead dog of Thorne's dog sled. They track down the notorious half breed, Joe Laval, and bring him to justice, but not until after they've faced trials and tribulations unimaginable to us normal folks.
Most likely, I'll continue with the Silver Chief saga. Oh, I should thank the marvelous librarians of the Reading Public Library for finding this book for me via interlibrary loan. What would we do without librarians?
We begin with the tale of Silver Chief's birth. He's the son of a wolf, and a friendly dog, Dee. Dee brings Silver Chief up to take care of himself, but also to be wary of humans, especially Indians (yes, the book is a bit racist, one is wary of Indians and half-breeds).
One day, Sgt. Jim Thorne of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police sees Silver Chief and decided to capture him. Painstakingly, he makes friends with "The Chief", and before you know it, Silver Chief is Jim's best bud and also the lead dog of Thorne's dog sled. They track down the notorious half breed, Joe Laval, and bring him to justice, but not until after they've faced trials and tribulations unimaginable to us normal folks.
Most likely, I'll continue with the Silver Chief saga. Oh, I should thank the marvelous librarians of the Reading Public Library for finding this book for me via interlibrary loan. What would we do without librarians?
April 7, 2022
Ah, if only I had known of this book when I was a child! I loved it as a mature adult having read it in only a few days. Boy's own adventure in this book. I always loved the Canadian Rocky mountains, fantasised about being a Mountie, (now women Mountie's back then I am sure!), and love wolves. So this was all wrapped into one neat little novel for me. Whilst published in 1933 and some of the language seems dated, it truly gives you the sense of being there. Written in such a way you can not help flipping the pages as fast as you can read them to see what will happen next!
Thoroughly enjoyable and I shall look for the others in the series.
Thoroughly enjoyable and I shall look for the others in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews