I was feeling in the mood for a blog meme of some sort, so I dropped by The Broke and the Bookish to see what was on the menu for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday. Turns out that this week is a “freebie,” where everyone picks their own theme. So I decided to shine the spotlight on an old favorite genre of mine—classic novels of adventure! The big, thick, swashbuckling sort, with colorful historical settings, a large cast of characters and plenty of battles and excitement. So without further ado, here’s my top ten in the order of favorites:
The very definition of the classic adventure story! This was a family read-aloud of ours years ago, and everyone’s attention was riveted from start to finish.
This one follows a young English squire and his companions as they travel to France and Spain with a company of archers to fight in the Hundred Years’ War—with battles at sea, jousting, the siege of a castle, and other adventures along the way. The author of Sherlock Holmes knew how to write a good historical adventure too.
Set during the Wars of the Roses, a tale involving a villainous guardian, a mysterious outlaw band bent on avenging wrongs, and changing of sides between York and Lancaster.
A small group of characters traveling through forests thick with hostile Indians during the French and Indian War, the search for the colonel’s kidnapped daughters…and incidentally, I guess the presence of David Gamut proves that comic relief is an essential ingredient in an adventure story.
Priya -Tabula Rasa says
Wow, this list is very interesting. I've only read Robin Hood and Treasure Island and I really liked them, but I also read them a long while ago. These are some great recommendations I am definitely going to try!! Thanks 🙂
April (BooksandWine) says
I've always liked the adaptations of Robin Hood, but never read the original.
I do have all intentions of reading Treasure Island and A Tale of Two Cities though.
I like these recommendations!
My TTT
Margo Berendsen says
Ah love the covers! So interesting to learn that Jules Verne and Doyle both wrote outside the genre they were most famous for!
exlibrisheather says
I really need to read Treasure Island! Funny, The Last of the Mochians made my list too…but for a completely different reason. 🙂
Angela says
What a terrific list of adventure!