Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
Adventure is a gripping genre that features a fast-paced, unpredictable storyline that contains notes of romanticism and adventure. Without further ado, we propose to plunge into the world of 20 best adventure books by world authors of past years and our contemporaries.
- Rating of the best adventure books
- Mysterious Island, Jules Verne
- Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
- Hearts of Three, Jack London
- Treasure Island, Robert Stevenson
- Around the World in 80 Days, Jules Verne
- North and South, John Jakes
- The Diamond Thieves, Louis Boussinard
- Ivanhoe, Walter Scott
- Moth, Henri Charrière
- Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts
- Odyssey of Captain Blood, Raphael Sabatini
- Another Boleyn, Philip Gregory
- Shogun, James Clavell
- Road, Jack London
- White Chief, Thomas Mine Reid
- Healer. Pupil of Avicenna. Noah Gordon
- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
- The Headless Horseman, Mine Reid
- Kamo ryadeshi, Henrik Sienkiewicz
- Two captains, Veniamin Kaverin
Rating of the best adventure books
| Nomination | a place | title of the piece | rating |
| Rating of the best adventure books | 1 | Mysterious Island, Jules Verne | 4.9 |
| 2 | Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas | 4.9 | |
| 3 | Hearts of Three, Jack London | 4.8 | |
| 4 | Treasure Island, Robert Stevenson | 4.8 | |
| 5 | Around the World in 80 Days, Jules Verne | 4.8 | |
| 6 | North and South, John Jakes | 4.7 | |
| 7 | The Diamond Thieves, Louis Boussinard | 4.7 | |
| 8 | Ivanhoe, Walter Scott | 4.7 | |
| 9 | Moth, Henri Charrière | 4.7 | |
| 10 | Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts | 4.7 | |
| 11 | Odyssey of Captain Blood, Raphael Sabatini | 4.6 | |
| 12 | Another Boleyn, Philip Gregory | 4.6 | |
| 13 | Shogun, James Clavell | 4.5 | |
| 14 | Road, Jack London | 4.5 | |
| 15 | White Chief, Thomas Mine Reid | 4.5 | |
| 16 | Healer. Pupil of Avicenna. Noah Gordon | 4.5 | |
| 17 | Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell | 4.4 | |
| 18 | The Headless Horseman, Mine Reed | 4.4 | |
| 19 | Kamo ryadeshi, Henrik Sienkiewicz | 4.4 | |
| 20 | Two captains, Veniamin Kaverin | 4.4 |
Mysterious Island, Jules Verne
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.9
The world famous novel by science fiction writer Jules Verne partially repeats the plot of the famous work about Robinson Crusoe, only we are talking about five comrades who ended up on a desert island. They decide to colonize the land and equip a familiar world on it – they make a palace out of rock, develop and sow the land, tame animals, conduct agriculture, completely providing themselves with food. The chance helped them to find a chest with weapons, clothes, kitchen utensils – items necessary in the life of a man of the 19th century. Here the plot is intertwined with the novel 'Children of Captain Grant' – the owner of the things turned out to be Tom Ayrton.
The quiet life of men ends when a pirate ship moors to the shore. Passions boil: the heroes decide to attract guests to a peaceful life, but everything does not go according to plan … The book contains adventures, murders, miraculous healings, a meeting with Captain Nemo and many other interesting events.
Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.9
More than once filmed work of the classic of world literature Alexander Dumas about the graph Monte Cristo occupies the second line of the rating. The life story of Edmond Dantes is presented by a talented writer in the best traditions of the adventure genre. After being imprisoned in the castle of If due to a large conspiracy, the main character finds a way to free himself and flees to the uninhabited island of Monte Cristo, where he finds a treasure, and becomes fabulously rich. However, in the meantime, he does not forget about his offenders, who hid him in prison. He takes on his own investigation of the fateful event that happened years ago.
The book by Alexander Dumas 'The Count of Monte Cristo' is voluminous, but very captivatingly written, will not let the reader go to the last pages – checked by literature lovers around the world.
Hearts of Three, Jack London
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.8
Jack London's novel 'Hearts of Three' combines both amazing adventures in search of treasure and tender love. The book is the story of Francis and Henry Morgan, the distant heirs of the famous pirate captain. As happens in life, the heroes fall in love with one girl – the beautiful Leonessia.
The uniqueness of the novel 'Hearts of Three' is a new and atypical style of presentation for the author, nevertheless, he fell in love with readers around the world. The work has been filmed more than once.
Treasure Island, Robert Stevenson
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.8
Who has not heard of the treasures hidden on a desert island by Captain Flint? Robert Stevenson takes the reader to the middle of the 18th century, the action takes place in southwestern England. Young Jim Hawkins finds in a pirate's chest the very card that has already begun the hunt. Now the hero's task is not only to save the relic, but also to be the first to be in the place of 'X'. With the support of Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney, Jim travels to Treasure Island in the schooner Hispaniola. As it turns out later, the team assembled for the expedition included people who had once worked with Flint.
Who will be the first to reach the cherished goal – the pirates, who decided to deceive the 'honest people' and appropriate the treasure, or Jim? Treasure Island is an incredibly entertaining novel full of adventure, unexpected plot twists, and diverse characters.
Around the World in 80 Days, Jules Verne
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.8
The eighty day trip around the world is Phileas Fogg's wager. His path begins in England, followed by France, Italy, he will visit Egypt, then go to India, neighboring China, from there to Japan, and then across the ocean to America. Of course, there were some adventures along the way – in India Fogg and Passepartout, his faithful servant, save Audu, who must be burned in a terrible ritual, who later becomes the wife of the protagonist. All is well, but the journey is clouded by the suspicions of detective Fix about the possible involvement of Phileas in the robbery of the Bank of England. Does Fogg win the bet if he comes home just one day late?
The novel is interesting for its detailed descriptions of the vehicles that the heroes used to travel in the middle of the 19th century. In different countries, these were elephants, sleighs, a sail, a schooner, steam locomotives and much more.
North and South, John Jakes
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.7
The next in the ranking novel by John Jakes 'North and South'. It is a world bestseller, taking the reader back to the 1840s, when tensions loomed in the United States of America from an impending North-South civil war. It was in these polar parts of the same state that Maines and Khazards lived. Orrie and George became friends during their studies at West Point, but when it came time to return home, they faced difficulties due to the political situation in the country. Why is 'North and South' related to the genre of adventure? The book does have a lot of unexpected plot twists about an outfit with a love line, passion and jealousy.
It is not completely clear to the reader whether the main characters will be able to overcome obstacles, whether they will retain friendship, honor and love?
The Diamond Thieves, Louis Boussinard
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.7
French writer Louis Boussinard wrote a book about the eternal desire of people to find treasure. This time we will talk about three comrades, Albert, Alexander and Joseph, who went to find hidden diamonds in South Africa, a country full of dangers at every turn – it is full of poisonous plants, insects, predatory animals and robbers led by Sam Smith, who also know about the treasure and do not want to share the upcoming prey. However, even in such conditions, friends manage to find friends in the tribe of local residents, who will help the heroes to safely end their journey.
The work will be of interest to lovers of natural landscapes – Boussinard described the wild nature of the African continent in paints, and colorful descriptions of the life of the natives are also impressive.
Ivanhoe, Walter Scott
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.7
One of the oldest adventure novels in our ranking 'Ivanhoe' by Walter Scott was published back in 1819. At the same time, it is easy to read it today.
The plot of the book is set in England, when the Anglo-Saxons and Normans were at enmity under Richard I. Prince John sows discord among the tribes while the ruler is held captive in Austria, seeking to gain his place on the throne. At this time, the young knight Ivanhoe returns home from the crusade in the hope of marrying his beloved, the beautiful Rowena, the heiress of Alfred the Great, whom one of the criminals of the royal conspiracy, Cedric, is already counting on to marry Athelstan.
In the plot there are many heroes of different ranks, knightly flavor, conspiracies and intrigues in the traditions of the early 19th century. Defending honor, fulfilling duty, love and other eternal values - all of them are collected in the great novel Ivanhoe by the outstanding Walter Scott.
Moth, Henri Charrière
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.7
The novel Moth is the autobiography of Henri Charrière and a best-selling adventure genre. She saw the light in the middle of the 20th century.
The protagonist, nicknamed Papillon, at the age of 15, was charged with murdering a man and sent to serve a sentence – life imprisonment. Miraculously, he manages to escape from prison, passing various tests. This is the main adventure of the book, based on the real life of the author, though with a time shift – Charrier was indeed sentenced to life in prison, but at an older age.
Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.7
Once a robber and at the same time a writer who escaped from prison in Australia, after a while, with a fake passport, leaves for Bombay, where he makes friends. The mother of one of the new friends names the hero Shantaram (translated as 'peaceful man'), now he makes a living by small illegal deals, acting as an intermediary in the sale of jewelry and weapons. At the same time, he does not lose his “kind” face – he treats local residents in the slums.
Because of the criminal acts against Shantaram, they report to law enforcement officers, who detain the hero and imprison him for only 4 months, after which he falls into the mafia and starts working for it, selling precious metals and fake documents. After the death of his friends, he seeks solace in heroin, in a brothel he meets Kader Khan, who will help to cope with a harmful addiction. This was followed by a trip to the war in Afghanistan and again a return to India.
The novel is full of emotions and philosophical reflections of the protagonist, as well as vivid descriptions of Indian landscapes. However, the story, characters and locations are predominantly fictional. And yet in Bombay, you can use the services of Prabaker's excursion bureau, and end up in the slums where Shantaram lived, and see the woman who called him by his nickname.
Odyssey of Captain Blood, Raphael Sabatini
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.6
Peter Blood, Bachelor of Medicine, assists the wounded rebel Lord Gildoy, after which they are both arrested by government forces. He was sentenced to death by the court, but avoided it and ended up among the slaves, where he was later sold to Colonel Bishop. But the art of the doctor allows you to break out of the environment of the servants and get closer to the colonel's family.
Once Blood with company manages to capture a privateer with cannons 'Cinco Llagas', he goes to the pirate island of Tortugo, where he joins the coastal brotherhood. Participation in battles, robberies, the fight against warring pirates – Blood leads a criminal lifestyle, but for a relatively short time – a crisis sets in and the hero drowns his experiences in a drink. After that, he goes to the service of Admiral de Rivarol, but he still cannot get rid of piracy …
In the history of the odyssey, there is a place for love, protection of honor and dignity, the search for landmarks in life, eternal human values. At the same time, the author interestingly and vividly describes the pirate showdown, reveals many versatile personalities of the heroes.
Another Boleyn, Philip Gregory
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.6
The love story adventure 'Another Boleyn' by Philip Gregory made it into our rating. The action takes place in a palace environment: the Boleyn sisters Anne and Maria forget about family feelings and are desperately fighting for the favor of King Henry VIII. There are many betrayals, intrigues, difficulties in the novel, which obviously darken warm family relations. The rivalry of the sisters will end sooner or later, the reader will have to find out what.
Despite the general atmosphere, the novel is pleasant to read, it will make you look at your own relationships with family and loved ones from a new angle, the book is perfect for spending a warm home evening by the fireplace under the covers.
Shogun, James Clavell
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.5
The Shogun novel is the story of the reigning warlord of Japan in the early 17th century. A Dutch ship was wrecked near the islands of the state, but the local rulers declare the sailors who survived the wreck as pirates and take prisoner. Among those captured was John Blackthorn, an outstanding geographer, mathematician and captain, rumors about whom reach the very Toranaga no Minovar, a military feudal lord and local shogun, he decides to protect the hero in order to use his knowledge of an outstanding captain for criminal purposes – to seize power . To adapt and survive in Japan, John Blackthorn immerses himself in its culture, language and becomes a samurai. But his dream of returning home does not leave.
Interesting: the main character has a real prototype – the English sailor William Adams, who actually wrecked off the islands of Japan on an expedition through the Strait of Magellan.
Road, Jack London
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.5
The classic literary collection 'The Road' includes several adventure stories based on the real life of Jack London. Few people know, but in the author's biography there was a stage of vagrancy in his youth, and the stories of the book are devoted to him. The wanderings were not from hard, but from everyday life – the boy wanted adventure and change. He goes on the road. Whoever he was not lucky enough to work: a newspaper seller, a sailor on a fishing boat and an employee of a cannery. He will meet many people like him, kind and caring people.
Traveling became a beacon of the formation of the personality of a young guy, he met with romance, and with trials, and adventures, he learned various tricks. In 9 stories there is truth and a grain of fiction, but the reader will not be able to determine them – the stories are written so easily and harmoniously.
White Chief, Thomas Mine Reid
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.5
Adventurer Mine Reed tells the story of Carlos, the white buffalo hunter. His life is full of unusual wanderings in the vastness of the Wild West. Already on the first pages of the novel, the hero wins the heart of the beautiful Catalina, a rich bride, with whom Captain Roblado claims to marry. The rival fights for the girl's hand in all ways: he builds traps, ambushes, intrigues – Carlos has to face all these obstacles. Will he be able to emerge victorious in this story? From the first pages, the novel captures the reader and does not let go until the very end!
Healer. Pupil of Avicenna. Noah Gordon
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.5
An adventure book about doctors of our contemporary Noah Gordon 'The Doctor. Avicenna's student 'was released in 2013. However, the action takes place in the distant XI century in England.
After the death of his mother, 11-year-old boy Robert Cole is trained in medicine by the witch doctor Barber. However, this knowledge and skills are not enough for him, and he goes to distant Egypt to the talented Avicenus. This is where his adventures begin. Robert has to pass himself off as people of different nationalities, to get acquainted with their traditions, and the path is not easy. Having reached the cherished goal, Rob does not manage to get to Avicenna without stasis, but chance did its job. The master and his disciples manage to survive the plague epidemic thanks to the medicinal gift. Now Robert Cole heals people himself, and one day Rebecca, who fell in love with the hero while traveling to Egypt, falls into his hands for help. Rob and Avicenna perform the first autopsy to study the mechanism of death in illness, and perform operations to remove the appendix.
How far will the gift of the protagonist take when passions are boiling around and there is a war going on?
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.4
Time travel lovers will definitely love the six-part novel 'Cloud Atlas' by David Mitchell. The story begins in the middle of the 19th century and ends in the distant future. All parts are connected with the previous blocks by the interweaving of the fate of the main characters.
In the first part, the reader is introduced to a notary who lived during the California gold rush. He travels the world, meets the indigenous population of the Pacific Islands. A story of healing and true friendship. The second part takes the reader to the next, XX century. A talented but unrecognized musician, Frobisher sets off on the run to Belgium, gets a job as a personal secretary for an elderly composer. He becomes the lover of the composer's wife, and also reads the doctor's journal from the first part of the novel with interest.
In the third chapter, the reader is brought into the second half of the same twentieth century and becomes a witness to a detective story that took place in the fictional city of Buenas Yerbas. A young journalist meets the ideological builder of a nuclear power plant, who is soon killed. Then an attempt is made on Louise herself. The fourth part is full of irony and modern English humor, it is dedicated to the publisher, from whom the 'patrons' will demand money for the book's release. The next part of 'Orizon Sunmi 451' is a dystopian science fiction set in the future. Robotization, the discovery of a new future is the main plot line. At the end of the book, the reader is transported to a post-apocalyptic future, when the civilization that lived today has perished and humanity is trying to revive again.
The Headless Horseman, Mine Reid
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.4
The Headless Horseman novel is a dizzying story that intertwines the fates of several diverse heroes in the state of Texas. Woodley Poindexter with his family loses their way when moving, mustanger Maurice Gerald comes to their aid – Woody's daughter Louise falls in love with him, whom Captain Cassius is already claiming. Here begins a series of conspiracies to eliminate the young rival, despite the fact that he saves the life of the captain.
Once Louise's brother Henry did not come to the table for breakfast, at this time his bloodied horse was found. It was part of a conspiracy against Maurice – he was framed, passed off as a murderer. And then a strange headless horseman appears in the plot … Who is he? How will the story end? Is everything as obvious as it seems? Mine Reed's world bestseller is endlessly re-read!
Kamo ryadeshi, Henrik Sienkiewicz
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.4
'Kamo vrydeshi' is translated from Polish as 'where are you going', under this name you can also find this novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz. The history dates back to the 1st century AD in the ancient Roman Empire. The young patrician Marcus Vinicius of the Roman community was imbued with a fondness for the barbarian Lygia. This almost forbidden relationship for those times gives the hero a lot of trouble on the way to his happiness. Istria unfolds against the background of descriptions of the first Roman communities, the formation of a still illegal religion with the persecution of Christians, during the reign of Emperor Nero. The plot includes the apostles Peter and Paul, and the writer Petronius Arbit, politicians, favorites of the emperor. Tragic fates of people and eternal values are the basis of the most famous work of the Polish writer.
The author contrasts 2 worlds – the emerging spiritual and powerful political. The painting recreates the era of the beginning of our era with amazing reliability, in this Sienkiewicz was helped by the literature of chroniclers and ancient literary creators.
Two captains, Veniamin Kaverin
Genre: Adventure
Book rating: 4.4
On the twentieth line, we have placed the famous novel 'Two Captains' by Veniamin Karelin, which tells the story of the life of Alexander Grigoriev from a provincial town that grew up without parents, whose heart was won by letters about polar expeditions. The orphaned Sanya, in order not to get into the orphanage after the death of his parents, together with his friend Petka, goes to Turkestan, but in Moscow they are lost. Later, the protagonist becomes a frequent visitor to the Tatarinov family, whose father, a glorious sea captain, disappeared on an expedition along the Northern Sea Route back in 1912. Sanya undertakes to find out everything about the participants of that sea voyage and uncover the secret of the captain's death, while developing a love relationship with his daughter. During the war, the pilot Alexander Grigoriev lands in the Arctic in the place where the expedition supposedly disappeared.
Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
