Adventure stories have captured imaginations for centuries. Full of exploration, risk and danger, epic quests, and challenges to overcome with courage and a sense of wonder or curiosity, these stories provide hope and entertainment. So, pick your own adventure with these book recommendations.

The Martian by Andy Weir is a science fiction adventure set on Mars in 2035. Astronaut Mark Watney is seriously injured, presumed dead and left on Mars after a weather-driven accident. Matt Damon played Mark in the 2015 film adaptation.

A Walk in the Park: A True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko is an “epic adventure, action-packed survival tale and deep spiritual journey,” states the book blurb. Fedarko recounts his year-long endeavor with photographer Peter McBride, to discover a 750-mile path through the length of the Grand Canyon.

Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson. Mountain climbers and friends, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates face bad weather, unimaginable obstacles and mortal danger in the Peruvian Andes. In 2003, the book was adapted into a documentary film directed by Kevin Macdonald.

West with the Night by Beryl Markham is a memoir chronicling Markham’s careers as racehorse trainer and bush pilot in the early 1900s. Markham, British born, grew up in Kenya and was the first woman to receive a commercial pilot’s license and the first woman to fly across the Atlantic from east to west—a more difficult flight against the jet stream than flying east across the ocean.

The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin pieces the shattered fragments of Olive’s life together using letters and diaries from Olive’s friends and family. Thirteen-year-old Olive emigrating west with Mormon settlers in 1851 when her family was murdered by Yavapai Indians. Taken prisoner and ultimately fully assimilated into Mohave culture, Olive now with a blue chin tattoo, was ransomed back to “her people” nearly a decade later. Her harrowing life on the frontier eventually leads her to marry a wealthy banker in Texas, but did she ever want to leave the Mohave tribe?

Journal of the Dead: A Story of Friendship and Murder in the New Mexico Desert by Jason Kersten combines elements of true crime and adventure. When two friends realize they are stranded and lost in the unforgiving New Mexico desert, they talk of drastic solutions. Kersten used the friend’s shared travel journal, interviews and profiles to tell this harrowing tale.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is a young adult fantasy tale; the first action-packed tale in the duology. A misfit group of six outcasts each bring their individual skills to pull off a perfect heist together. Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows books have collectively been adapted by Netflix in a show titled Shadow and Bone.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan introduces teenager Percy Jackson, who learns the truth of his divine parentage after his algebra teacher turns into a monster and attacks him at school. At Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods, Percy and his new friends quest across the country to prevent a devastating war between the very real Greek gods.

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne chronicles the fast-paced whirlwind world tour of Phileas Fogg and his valet Passepartout. Always racing against the clock, the pair “pass through exotic lands and dangerous locations, seizing whatever transportation is at hand—whether train or elephant,” explains the book blurb.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is the quintessential pirate story. Young Jim Hawkins finds a mysterious map left by an old sailor and decides to find the pirate treasure. Jim and company face mutiny and great danger before the end of their epic journey. First published nearly 145 years ago, Treasure Island still captivates readers.

 

By Celeste McNeil; courtesy photos