# Recommend me: Adventure book. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 27, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467 "2011-05-27T19:07:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/1 "2011-05-27T19:07:33Z")
I’m in the mood for a well written adventure. What is the first rollicking good yarn that pops into your mind, any genre. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/2 "2011-05-27T19:17:10Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > I’m in the mood for a well written adventure. > > What is the first rollicking good yarn that pops into your mind, any genre. If you’ve never read **Treasure Island** , I recommend the heck out of that. It earns every inch of its reputation. For that matter, so do a lot of the other classics, including The Three Musketeers, Kidnapped!, and The Count of Monte Cristo. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/3 "2011-05-27T21:23:58Z")
Also **King Solomon’s Mines** and **The Lost World**. (Conan Doyle’s version, not Michael Crichton’s). For more modern authors you could try Desmond Bagley (\*\*High Citadel \*\* particularly and \*\*The Vivero Letter \*\*, Hammond Innes and Wilbur Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/4 "2011-05-27T21:34:10Z")
I’ll add some of my favs. **Lies of Locke Lamorra** by Scott Lynch Fantasyish. **Here, be dragons** 1st book in series. (teen) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/5 "2011-05-27T22:11:11Z")
> [@Damfino](#): > > Also **King Solomon’s Mines** and **The Lost World**. (Conan Doyle’s version, not Michael Crichton’s). For more modern authors you could try Desmond Bagley (\*\*High Citadel \*\* particularly and \*\*The Vivero Letter \*\*, Hammond Innes and Wilbur Smith. In addition to **King Solomon’s Mines** , there is also **Alan Quatermain** and **She** , all written by H. Ryder Haggard. Quatermain was the long-ago precursor to (and probably the inspiration for) Indiana Jones. Also, try some of the old **Tarzan** books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. If you want real-life adventure, I can recommend some of those, also. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/6 "2011-05-28T00:07:38Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > **Lies of Locke Lamorra** by Scott Lynch Fantasyish. This is a favorite of mine, too! I don’t know of any other con-artist novel that works this well (and yes, I’ve read Dortmunder). But there’s another idea. Donald Westlake’s Dortmunder books are about a nebbishy thief, the idiots he works with, and the deliciously evil assholes he robs. They’re pretty fun. **What’s the Worst That Could Happen?** is probably my favorite; it’s set in Las Vegas to very good effect. It bears tangential resemblance to Lies of Locke Lamora. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/7 "2011-05-28T00:23:08Z")
**The Talisman** by Stephen King and Peter Straub. A young boy goes on an adventure (though _two_ dimensions) in a desperate attempt to find a cure for his single mom’s soon-to-be fatal illness. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/8 "2011-05-28T02:03:08Z")
If you’re in the mood for a non-fiction adventure, I highly recommend Laura Hillenbrand’s recent _ **Unbroken** _, the tale of an Olympic runner-turned-American soldier who is shot down over the Pacific and taken prisoner by the Japanese during World War II. It’s very brutal at times, but the story contains more jaw-dropping twists and turns than any fiction tale I’ve ever read. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/9 "2011-05-28T02:12:54Z")
Endurance- Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage > **[Endurance: Alfred Lansing, Nathaniel Philbrick: 9780465062881: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Alfred-Lansing/dp/0465062881)** > > Endurance \[Alfred Lansing, Nathaniel Philbrick\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Endurance ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/10 "2011-05-28T02:13:36Z")
[The Ice Limit](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/136642.Ice_Limit), by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child was lots of fun. It’s about a huge meteorite that lands on a remote island. Scientists of course want to study it but quickly discover that messing with it, …well no spoilers. It’s a page turner, though. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/11 "2011-05-28T03:11:03Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > Endurance- Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage > > [Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage: Lansing, Alfred: 9780786706211: Amazon.com: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Alfred-Lansing/dp/078670621X) Beat me to it. Real Life is always more engaging than made up stuff. You won’t believe that it’s not made up. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/12 "2011-05-28T09:45:25Z")
**The Thirty Nine Steps** , or any of it’s sequels. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/13 "2011-05-28T13:34:55Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > If you’re in the mood for a non-fiction adventure, I highly recommend Laura Hillenbrand’s recent _ **Unbroken** _, the tale of an Olympic runner-turned-American soldier who is shot down over the Pacific and taken prisoner by the Japanese during World War II. It’s very brutal at times, but the story contains more jaw-dropping twists and turns than any fiction tale I’ve ever read. Agree. It’s an incredible story of survival and endurance. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/14 "2011-05-28T15:24:17Z")
_Titan_ by John Varley (science fiction) and _Dragonsbane_ by Barbara Hambly (fantasy). ---
**Author:** ![desert29rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@desert29rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desert29rat)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/15 "2011-05-29T02:51:46Z")
The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye. ---
**Author:** ![Omi\_no\_Kami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Omi\_no\_Kami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omi_no_Kami)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/16 "2011-05-29T03:48:55Z")
The Dragonstone, by Dennis L. McKiernan . ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/17 "2011-05-29T03:50:05Z")
Picked up an audiobook at the library by [Hammond Innes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammond_Innes). A couple minutes into it I said out loud “Wow, it’s a good ol’ fashioned Adventure Book!” I’d recommend [The Doomed Oasis](http://www.amazon.com/Doomed-Oasis-Novel-Arabia/dp/B000NXJFD2/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1306640802&sr=1-16) or [The Strode Venturer](http://www.amazon.com/Strode-Venturer-Hammond-Innes/dp/0786214848/ref=sr_1_21?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306640802&sr=1-21), and a dozen others. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/18 "2011-05-29T04:50:02Z")
It ends up in science fiction territory, but TimeFall by James Kahn starts out as a rollicking jungle expedition tale. ---
**Author:** ![Chilon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Chilon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chilon)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/19 "2011-05-29T10:28:47Z")
Aside from a few personal favorites that have already been mentioned (Dumas, Doyle, Stephenson, etc), I’d recommend: **The Lymond Chronicles** by Dorothy Dunnett: Historical fiction at it’s finest. Admittedly, it’s easy to get lost in the byzantine plots and all the myriads of characters, but it’s well worth it. The fourth book in the series features one of my favorite duels between the hero and the villain I’ve ever seen in any work of fiction. **Aubrey-Maturin Series** by Patrick O’Brian: Another awesome historical fiction series. I’m only on the third book so far, but this one has already become one of my personal favorites. **Bridge of Birds** by Barry Hughart: Excellent fantasy set in _an Ancient China that never was_, it tells the tale of Number Ten Ox and Master Li and their quest to find a magical root that can save the children of the former’s village. The book is filled with adventure and a sense-of-wonder and is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read. Oh, and pretty much everything I’ve read by **Rafael Sabatini** is well worth a look as well. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467/20 "2011-05-29T11:05:13Z")
The _Captain Alatriste_ series by [Arturo Pérez-Reverte](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_P%C3%A9rez-Reverte) is said to be very good. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-adventure-book/583467.md?page=2)