- The best adventure novels ever
- 1- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain
- 2- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
- 3- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas
- 4- Around the world in eighty days, Jules Verne
- 5- Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
- 6- Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
- 7- Journey to the center of the earth, Jules Verne
- 8- Twenty thousand leagues of underwater travel, Jules Verne
- 9- Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift
- 10- The three musketeers, Alexander Dumas
- 11- The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet
- 12- Don Quixote de la Mancha, Miguel de Cervantes
- 13- The Prince and the Pauper, Mark Twain
- 14- The Invisible Man, HG Wells
- 15- The Black Arrow, Robert Louis Stevenson
- 16- Moby Dick, Herman Melville
- 17- The Five and the Island Treasure, Enid Blyton
- 18- The mysterious island, Jules Verne
- 19- Miguel Strogoff, Jules Verne
- 20- In the Mountains of Madness, HP Lovecraft
- 21- The Worst Trip in the World, by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
- 22- My first summer in the Sierra, John Muir
- 23- Shadow Garden, Virginia Cleo
- 24- The Five run away, Enid Blyton
- 25- Wind, sand and stars, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- 26- Colorado River Exploration, John Wesley Powell
- 27- The Five in front of the adventure, Enid Blyton
- 28- Annapurna, Maurice Herzog
- 29- Lonely Desert, Edward Abbey
- 30- West with the night, Beryl Markham
- Themes of interest
Today I come with a list of the 100 best adventure books in history, for children, youth and adults, and the most recognized authors in literature. Among them are The Count of Monte Cristo, Around the World in Eighty Days, Robinson Crusoe and many more.
The adventure novel is characterized by being a literary genre that mixes travel, mystery and numerous dangers. Its different settings, together with a good plot, make this genre the most popular among readers.
If what you are looking for is to have a fun time and escape the world, you cannot miss authors such as the great Jules Verne, Mark Twain or Alexander Dumas.
The best adventure novels ever
1- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain
Published in 1976, The Adventures of Tom Sawye r is one of the greatest works you will ever read. With it, you can enter the world of little Tom Sawyer in Saint Petersburg, on the banks of the Mississippi River.
Youth romances, treasures, murders, secrets and different tricks accompany Tom, who also, on certain occasions, will be with his good friend Huckleberry.
2- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
Same cut as Tom Sawyer. This time you will get to know Huckleberry in a more personal way.
The events take place temporarily immediately after The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, when the protagonist is forced to go live with his father, until one day he decides to escape with Jim, a runaway slave along the Mississippi River. It is here where the adventure begins, living countless totally unlikely situations that they will have to solve.
3- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas
History framed after the French Revolution. It is told how Edmond Dantès, a young Frenchman, is accused of being a Bonapartist and arrested the day before his wedding.
His escape attempts together with an enigmatic letter from Napoleon Bonaparte will focus much of the work.
4- Around the world in eighty days, Jules Verne
Who has not ever heard of this famous work? In it, the English gentleman Phileas Fogg risks half his fortune in a dangerous bet: to go around the world in 80 days.
Taking into account that the play is set in the 19th century, the feat will become a worldwide event, where it will suffer countless adventures, always accompanied by its butler.
5- Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe will delight you with the story of Robinson Crusoe, a shipwrecked sailor from York who spends 28 years living on an island far from civilization. The book is written in the form of an autobiography, as if Robinson himself were recounting the events in his own hand.
Furthermore, it is said that Defoe was inspired by the events of Pedro Serrano and Alexander Selkirk in the English colonial era.
6- Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
History first published in Young Folks magazine during the years 1881 and 1882.
The ship The Hispaniola will witness the adventures of Jim Hawkins, a young waiter turned pirate and surrounded by swift and brave sailors in search of the famous treasure of Captain Flint.
7- Journey to the center of the earth, Jules Verne
One of the first works of Jules Verne, and one of the few that was not published in serial form.
In it, it is told how the professor of mineralogy, Otto Lindenbrock, undertakes together with his nephew, Axel, an exploration trip to the center of the earth. This occurs after discovering an ancient book that describes how to reach the ends of the planet, with a volcano in Iceland being the entrance.
8- Twenty thousand leagues of underwater travel, Jules Verne
This well-known novel is narrated in the first person by Pierre Aronnax, a biologist who is captured by Captain Nemo.
This thoughtful and reserved old man navigates the oceans aboard the Nautilus, a modern submarine from the 19th century.
Already at the time, Verne explained that Captain Nemo was a true reflection of his personality, trying to capture it as faithfully as possible.
9- Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift
Book where a doctor named Gulliver decides to go on a trip around the world.
It is as a result of this fact that their adventures full of fantasy begin. An example of this is when he is shipwrecked and captured by beings "twelve times smaller than human beings."
10- The three musketeers, Alexander Dumas
Book that has been adapted many times both in film and television.
Dumas tells how the young D'Artagnan travels to Paris with the dream of becoming a musketeer to be, finally, welcomed by Athos, Porthos and Aramis.
11- The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet
Ken Follett wrote with The Pillars of the Earth one of the greatest Best Sellers of recent years.
Its story tells how the architect Jack Jackson tries to fulfill the dream he has always had: to build a cathedral. Knowing whether or not he will succeed depends on you and your desire to read the book.
12- Don Quixote de la Mancha, Miguel de Cervantes
Without a doubt, one of the greatest works ever written, if not the most.
Miguel de Cervantes would write this novel at the beginning of the seventeenth century divided into different volumes, where he is told as Alonso Quijano, in an outbreak of delirium he seeks to meet his platonic love, Dulcinea del Toboso.
Accompanied by his faithful companion and squire Sancho Panza, they will live a series of comic adventures that will catch you from the first page.
13- The Prince and the Pauper, Mark Twain
Curious story of Mark Twain that has been covered many times.
Its plot is about the story of two young people with totally identical appearance. On the one hand, we find a beggar living in absolute poverty, and on the other, the son of Henry VIII of England.
The real story begins when their roles intercalate and their lives radically change.
14- The Invisible Man, HG Wells
In this novel, Wells creates a totally unpublished protagonist until the moment when the scientist Griffin manages, through various tests, to carry out the feat of becoming invisible. The result of this experiment will lead you to become mentally unstable and perform a series of improper acts.
His appearance will be totally disconcerting, wearing a raincoat with white gloves and bandages to cover his face.
15- The Black Arrow, Robert Louis Stevenson
Based on the Middle Ages, Stevenson tells the story of the War of the Two Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York.
In the midst of this conflict, a knight, Sir Harry, meets a group of exiles called the company of the Black Arrow and they will help him complete his mission in the middle of the war.
16- Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Published in 1851, this novel summarizes the battle between human beings and animals, specifically between Ahab and the whale Moby Dick, who snatched his leg during a fishing trip.
Ismael is the young man who will tell the story in the first person of how he ends up in a whaler and observes the fight described with his own eyes.
17- The Five and the Island Treasure, Enid Blyton
First of the works corresponding to the series The Five, a set of stories starring young people named Julián, Dick, Jorgina and Ana.
It is in this work where it is told how they came to know each other coinciding with the discovery of a map that indicates the hiding place of an ancient treasure.
18- The mysterious island, Jules Verne
Considered by many as the best work of Jules Verne. This closes the trilogy formed by The Children of Captain Grant and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
The novel is based on chemistry, as indicated by Verne himself, who talks about the balloon accident that some southern prisoners led by Cyrus Smith have on a hitherto unknown island.
19- Miguel Strogoff, Jules Verne
Again, another book by Jules Verne. On this occasion you will be able to enter the heart of Siberia together with the Tatar invasions.
The betrayal between tsars, deaths and, of course, adventures will be the themes on which this story will be based.
20- In the Mountains of Madness, HP Lovecraft
Lovecraft tells the story of a group of scientists who travel to Antarctica to find geological material.
It is there where they will discover some species of fossils of beings that they had never seen.
21- The Worst Trip in the World, by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
The book recounts the adventures of exploring a group of men at the South Pole for three years. The difficulties, the suffering and the cruelty that this part of the world can be are described.
22- My first summer in the Sierra, John Muir
23- Shadow Garden, Virginia Cleo
The fifth novel in the Dollanganger Saga, recounts the beginnings of Olivia and her arrival at the Foxworth Hall mansion. But although she arrives with hopes and dreams, the mansion will turn her into the woman described in the previous books.
24- The Five run away, Enid Blyton
The book is the third in the collection of The Five. The adventures continue for the five protagonists in Villa Kirrin during the holidays.
They will encounter secrets and many problems during their stay on the small island, we will see how they face them with boldness and courage.
25- Wind, sand and stars, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Another of the recognized works of the writer of The Little Prince. The brief describes the life of the airmen, based on their experience. It deals with topics such as friendship and the meaning of life.
The book details his accident in the Sahara desert, a fact that led him to write his most famous stories.
26- Colorado River Exploration, John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell was one of America's most famous explorers. This book describes the first campaign across the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.
27- The Five in front of the adventure, Enid Blyton
It is the ninth book in the collection. Another wonderful adventure arrives for The Five in Villa Kirrin, together with a new friend, Jo. They will meet many villains and problems on this vacation.
28- Annapurna, Maurice Herzog
Annapurna, one of the most difficult mountains to climb. In the book the author describes the difficulties they had to go through to reach the top of the mountain range.
29- Lonely Desert, Edward Abbey
Essay in which the author describes the beauty of the desert and its desecration. The adventures of Edward contrast between the beauty and the cruelty of the desert in the Arcos National Park.
30- West with the night, Beryl Markham
Beryl Markham, as an airplane pilot and horse trainer, compiled in this book her adventures in Africa and her journeys around the world. An autobiographical work that contains 30 years of life.
31- Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer
32- Further North, Fridtjof Nansen
33- The Snow Leopard, Peter Matthiessen
34- Two years before the mast, Richard Henry Dana
35- South, Ernest Shackleton
36- Scaramouche, Rafael Sabatini
37- Chosen for Glory, Tom Wolfe
38- A short walk through the Hindu Kush, Eric Newby
39- Travels through West Africa, Mary Kingsley
40- The Spirit of Saint Louis, Charles Lindbergh
41- Seven Years in Tibet, Heinrich Harrer
42- Magazines, James Cook
43- The Five on Smuggler's Hill, Enid Blyton
44- Start of Blizzard, by Douglas Mawson
45- The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence
46- Arabia Sands, Wilfred Thesiger
47- White Fang, Jack London
48- The Five in the Caravan, Enid Blyton
49- The Prisoner of Zenda, Anthony Hioe
50- The Cosmic Treasure, Lucy and Stephen Hawking
51- Travel in the inner districts of Africa, Mungo Park
52- Solo Sailing Around the World, Joshua Slocum (1900)
53- The Mountain of my fear, David Roberts
54- First Footsteps in East Africa, Richard Burton
55- The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger
56- The Oregon Trail, Francis Parkman
57- Across the Black Continent, Henry M. Stanley
58- Lady of Life One in the Rocky Mountains, Isabel L. Bird
59- In the Land of the White Death, Valeriano Albanov
60- Resistance, by FA Worsley
61- Scrambles Between the Alps, Edward Whymper
62- Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen
63- It's roughing, Mark Twain
64- Magazines, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
65- Last of Scott. The Diaries Expedition, Robert Falcon Scott
66- Everest: The Western Cordillera, Thomas Hornbein
67- Travel Without Maps, Graham Greene
68- Starlight and Storm, Gaston Rebuffat
69- The Five are in trouble, Enid Blyton
70- My life as an explorer, Sven Hedin
71- Sacred River, Wilbur Smith
72- In Trouble Again, by Redmond O'Hanlon
73- K2-The Wild Mountain, Charles Houston and Robert Bates
74- Gypsy Moth Circles of the World, Francis Chichester
75- The man-eaters of Kumaon, Jim Corbett
76- Alone, Richard Byrd
77- A Stranger in the Forest, Eric Hansen
78- The Five and the treasure of the island
79- Another Adventure of the Five, Enid Blyton
80- The Man Who Walked Through Time, Colin Fletcher
81- The Five on the Mysterious Wasteland, Enid Blyton
82- The Call of the Wild, Jack London
83- The Five again on Kirrin Island, Enid Blyton
84- The Five behind the secret passage, Enid Blyton
85- The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling
86- The Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
87- Night Flight, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
88- The Beach, Alex Grland
89- The last Cato, Matilde Asensi
90- The teacher of the Prado, Javier Sierra
91- Timpo de cenizas, Joger Molist
92- From the earth to the moon, Jules Verne
93- Five weeks in a balloon, Jules Verne
94- The children of Captain Grant, Jules Verne
95- A place called freedom, Ken Follet
96- King Solomon's Mines, H. Rider Haggard
97- The light that you cannot see, Anthony Doerr
98- Blood Vengeance, Wilbur Smith
99- The Call of the Wild, Jack London
100- Penrod, Booth Trkington
Themes of interest
Books of all genres
Self-help books
Short novels
Books based on real events
Suspense books
Science fiction books
Mystery books
Detective novels
Psychology books
Horror books