Are you looking for inspiration for your next adventure? Start with one of the best adventure books of all time from our list of classic adventure stories.

What do a trip to outer space, a journey into the jungle and a boat ride down the Mississippi all have in common? If you’re like many book characters, these scenarios are recipes for adventure. An epic adventure involves a great setting and just a bit of perilous danger. Of course, most people don’t want to experience real danger, so how can they experience adventure? The answer is through captivating books.

The best adventure books will transport you to far-away lands, give you a sense of danger and even leave you wondering if the main character will “make it.” That sounds like the ideal way to get the adrenaline pumping. Some of the best Karl May books are a great place to start. Check out our list of classic adventure books if you’re ready for an epic adventure.

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Take the journey to Middle Earth with everyone’s favorite hobbit and wizard team. With The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, you can follow along on one epic adventure that has been the stuff of legend. Since its original publication in 1954, this has become one of the best-selling books ever. The Lord of the Rings first hit bookshelves as three separate works: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. 

Interestingly, the work wasn’t well-received by critics when it was first published, but its complex themes, parallels to World War I and epic world-building have made it into one of the best and most well-known fantasy books of all time, and its one massive adventure. If you like reading more adventure books, you might want to explore our round-up of the best authors like William Kent Krueger.

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

2. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Another Tolkien book, The Hobbit, is considered the prequel to the author’s later and greater work. Tolkien published it in 1937 under the title There and Back Again. It tells of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who joins Gandalf, the wizard and a team of dwarves to reclaim land and treasure from a dragon named Smaug. With over 100 million copies sold and multiple radio and movie productions made of the story, not to mention board games and video games, it’s been wildly successful. While literary critics love to dig into the potential themes of war and religious metaphors, at the heart of the tale, it’s simply a really good adventure story.

“May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

3. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia tells of a magical world accessed through a wardrobe where four children become kings and queens as they battle the forces of evil in a world where it’s always winter but never Christmas. Aided by the magical lion Aslan, the children face their fears and character flaws to find success. Author C.S. Lewis wrote the seven-book series starting with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1950 and ending with The Last Battle in 1956. Lewis was a contemporary and friend of Tolkien, and his books are considered classic children’s literature and some of the best adventure books in print.

“Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia.”

C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

4. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Published in 1882 by 19th-century author Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island has become one of the most classic adventure books in print. It is a delightful story of Jim Hawkins and his encounters with peg-legged pirates, x-marks-the-spot treasure maps and an adventurous trip to a tropical island. It also weaves in romance, mutiny, and swashbuckling action, making it an excellent example of adventure fiction. Many aspects of this story, including the one-legged Long John Silver with his parrot on his shoulder, have become part of modern adventure lore, and they all came from this well-known book.

“Then it was that there came into my head the first of the mad notions that contributed so much to saving our lives.”

Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

5. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

The first English translation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea cut about 25% of the original text out of the book, but the 1962 translation remains true to the work. Verne, who also wrote Around the World in 80 Days and Journey to the Center of the Earth, is known for his fanciful adventures slightly outside reality. In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, he follows the journey of the crew of the Nautilus, a submarine on a mission to find and destroy a gigantic sea monster; at its helm is the exiled Captain Nemo.

“The sea is only a receptacle for all the prodigious, supernatural things that exist inside it; it is only movement and love; it is the living infinite, as one of your poets has said.”

Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

6. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has the word “adventure” in the title. While this isn’t a swashbuckling pirate’s tale or an adventure into a fantasy world, it still deserves a spot on this list. Published in 1976, the book tells the story of the adventures of a fun-loving and mischievous boy who would rather trick people into doing his chores than do them himself.

It includes a romance spurned, a chance encounter with grave robbers, a runaway along the Mississippi River, getting lost in a cave, and searching for lost gold. Mark Twain packed many adventures into the book, including satire and social criticism. The book is also somewhat autobiographical, touching on some of Twain’s childhood experiences.

“They said they would rather be outlaws a year in Sherwood Forest than President of the United States forever.”

Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Another Mark Twain book on the list, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was published in 1884. Its portrayal of boyhood and colorful descriptions of the people who lived along the Mississippi River during Twain’s time made it an instantly popular work. The book picks up after the adventures of Tom Sawyer, as Huckleberry takes some of the money he found with his friend Tom and heads out on adventures of his own. 

However, this classic adventure novel has faced criticism for its use of racial slurs used throughout the story. Some argue this point to the fact that the main characters do not portray racist ideology, and the language is merely a portrayal of the time period. Despite its controversy, the novel was named one of the Great American Novels. 

“Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and a body ain’t got no business doing wrong when he ain’t ignorant and knows better.”

Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

8. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

One of the oldest books on this list, Robinson Crusoe, was published in 1719. The book is written from the main character’s point of view, telling the tale of how he lived for 28 years on a remote tropical island where he met cannibals, captives and mutineers. Throughout the story, Crusoe wrestles with fate, culture and questions about his religious beliefs. The simple way the story was written made it one of the first examples of an English novel and one of history’s most widely published books. The Castaway novel also inspired many later works by other authors, including Treasure Island and The Swiss Family Robinson.

“Thus fear of danger is ten thousand times more terrifying than danger itself.”

Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

9. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

The Three Musketeers is an 1844 French novel by author Alexandre Dumas. It features a team of chivalrous swordsmen on a quest to find justice. The book fits in both the historical fiction and adventure novel categories. The story tells of D’Artagnan, a young man who wants to join the elite corps of the Musketeers of the Guard. He meets up with and is befriended by the three most formidable Musketeers. The four fighters stumble on a plot to discredit the virtuous Queen Anne, giving the evil Cardinal Richelieu more power than he already has. The book has been the subject of multiple plays and movies and remains a top choice for adventure novelists.

“Conceal your wounds when you have any; silence is the last joy of the unhappy. Beware of giving anyone the clue to your griefs; the curious suck our tears as flies suck the blood of a wounded hart.”

Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers

10. Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Another book from a French author, Around the World in 80 Days, tells the tale of Phileas Fogg, who his gentleman’s club challenges to take a trip around the globe in just 80 days to earn half of his fortune in return. Along the way, he travels by rail, steamer, elephant and even hot air balloon and has many adventures. These include kidnapping by Native Americans, running into a hurricane, getting arrested and even a romance. Like many books in the 1800s, it was originally published as a serial story before it was officially published in 1873.

“It may be taken for granted that, rash as the Americans are, when they are prudent there is good reason for it.”

Jules Verne, Around the World in 80 Days

11. The Call of the Wild by Jack London

The Call of the Wild takes place in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. At the story’s start, Buck was living in California as a pet, but he was stolen and sold to an abusive master. Through a series of sales, he ends up in the Klondike region of Canada, where he is trained to be a sled dog. He eventually ends up with a kind owner named Thornton, only to have his human killed by Native American Yeehats. This tragedy allows Buck to hear and embrace the call of the wild, becoming the Ghost Dog of Northland legend.

Looking for more reading material talking adventure? Check out our guide to the best books for adventurers!

“He had been suddenly jerked from the heart of civilization and flung into the heart of things primordial.”

Jack London, The Call of the Wild

12. White Fang by Jack London

White Fang was published in 1906 and Is a companion book to The Call of the Wild. The plot mirrors the first book, as it follows a wild wolfdog on the journey from living wild to being domesticated. Some literary critics have viewed the book as an allegorical work that shows humanity’s progression from the natural to the civilized world. The simple writing and short storyline make this an ideal work for young readers who want to read a classic adventure book. As of 2018, there have been 13 films made from the story of White Fang, as well as two television series.

“But the Wild is the Wild, and motherhood is motherhood, at all times fiercely protective whether in the Wild or out of it.”

Jack London, White Fang

13. The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

Johann David Wyss published The Swiss Family Robinson in 1812. It tells the adventure of a family of Swiss immigrants who are shipwrecked while on their way to Port Jackson in Australia. They end up alone on an island in the East Indies, where they must learn how to survive. This was one of many works written in the wake of Robinson Crusoe, and the word “Robinson” in the title may allude to the fact that this was a shipwreck tale, not that the family name was Robinson. Wyss initially wrote the book as a series of shorter stories designed to teach his children about farming, the natural world, self-reliance, and embracing family values.

“A noble mind finds its purest joy in the accomplishment of its duty, and to that willingly sacrifices its inclination.”

Johann David Wyss, The Swiss Family Robinson

14. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

Kidnapped was first published as a series in the magazine Young Folks. The work, published in 1886, tells of David Balfour, a 17-year-old orphan who decides to make his way in the world. Sadly, he ends up kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Carolinas. The ship he sets sale on crashes into a small boat, and most of the crew dies. This lands young David in the company of some rebels in the Scottish highlands, and the book tells the many adventures he experiences as he finds his way back home.

“I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both; and I believe they both get paid in the end; but the fools first.”

Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped

15. The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

The Island of Dr. Moreau is both a science fiction and an adventure novel. Published in 1896, it tells of Edward Prednick, an English scientist shipwrecked in the South Pacific. After being rescued by a passing ship, he ends up on an exotic island in a compound owned by Dr. Moreau. Through a series of events, Prednick finds that Moreau is experimenting on animals to transform them into humans, creating a race of human-animal hybrids. What follows is a series of adventures as Prednick tries to find the nature of Moreau’s work while avoiding confrontation with the animal-like humans on the island.

“The crying sounded even louder out of doors. It was as if all the pain in the world had found a voice”

H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau

16. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

The War of the Worlds is one of the first adventure stories to bring an extraterrestrial race to Earth. In this book, the protagonist and narrator live in England when the Martians invade. The aliens do not come in peace and start annihilating all the humans around them. Eventually, human viruses take a toll, and the Martians are killed off, but not before killing many of the people in the area around the narrator’s home. Interestingly, this book has never been out of print since it was first printed in 1898.

“I was a battleground of fear and curiosity.”

H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds

17. The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Best known for his Sherlock Holmes books, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also wrote The Lost World, an adventure book that explores what happens if modern man stumbles on a world where dinosaurs still roam the earth. In the book, an expedition takes on the Amazon basin and discovers a land where prehistoric animals are still alive. In the story, Edward Malone, a reporter, asks his editor to send him somewhere dangerous to impress the woman he is in love with. This sparks the journey that sends Malone and a team into the South American jungles, discovering savage tribes and once-thought-extinct animals. After their adventures, they bring back a pterodactyl chick as evidence of what they have seen.

“So tomorrow we disappear into the unknown. This account I am transmitting down the river by canoe, and it may be our last word to those who are interested in our fate.”

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World

18. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Not all adventure books take readers to far-off worlds. Some keep them close to home to chase adventure through who done it questions. That’s what The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes does. Perhaps the most famous collection of works from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, is a collection of 12 short stories from the famous author. Each story has its own cast of characters, except for Holmes and Dr. Watson, the narrator and the detective’s trusty sidekick.

“I may be on the side of the Angels, but don’t think for one second that I am one of them.”

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

19. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

The Jungle Book is a collection of stories about the Indian jungles written by English author Rudyard Kipling. The main character is Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves in the jungle, and features characters like the tiger Shere Khan and the bear Baloo. In addition to Mowgli’s story, this book has several other short works, including Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and Toomai of the Elephants. Many stories from this book, especially Mowlgli’s, have movie adaptations, keeping the book popular since its publication in 1894. The book is often seen as an allegory against Britain’s imperialism.

“One of the beauties of Jungle Law is that punishment settles all scores. There is no nagging afterward.”

Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book

20. King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard

In the 1885 novel King Solomon’s Mines, adventurer Allan Quatermain heads out to follow a mysterious map that supposedly leads to the mines of King Solomon’s time. Though Quatermain doesn’t believe the map is legitimate, he decides to lead an expedition if he is given a share of the treasure if it succeeds. Along the way, the adventurers pick up a mysterious companion, who ends up revealing himself as the king of the native people they meet.

Eventually, the travelers find the mines, only to get locked inside. They escape their pending deaths and return home with enough diamonds to make them quite rich. King Solomon’s Mines was unique in that it used everyday language, not elevated speech, which was unusual for books of its time.

“Wealth is good, and if it comes our way we will take it; but a gentleman does not sell himself for wealth.”

H. Rider Haggard, King Solomon’s Mines

21. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Published in 1726, Gulliver’s Travels is an adventure tale and classic English literary work that pokes fun at both human nature and the popular literary genre of traveler’s tales through satire. It’s a series of four parts, each a voyage of Lemuel Gulliver, the narrator and main character. One of the most famous stops along the way is Lilliput, a land of tiny people less than 6 inches tall. Gulliver journeys from there to Brobdingnag, a land of giants, which is quite the contrast. Along the way, he meets an immortal society, a floating island and a land of talking horses.

“The tiny Lilliputians surmise that Gulliver’s watch may be his god, because it is that which, he admits, he seldom does anything without consulting.”

Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels

22. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

The Time Machine earns a spot on this list as it is one of the top bestsellers ever. H.G. Wells brings back his science fiction and adventure story style to write a story about time travel. When the narrator enters the future, he finds what appears to be an innocent and idyllic society of young-looking humans, but things are not as they seem. When some of his new friends disappear after dark, he discovers that society isn’t quite as perfect as he once thought. The book has been widely popular since its publication in 1895, but later in life, Wells called it a “youthful effort” and not one of his best works.

“Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no need of change.”

H.G. Wells, The Time Machine

23. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

What young child hasn’t thought about what life would be like if they were invisible? Yet the reality of being invisible is far less dramatic, and that’s the idea of The Invisible Man, the 1897 novel by H.G. Wells. In this book, the main character is Griffin, a scientist who changes the human body’s refractive index so it vanishes into thin air. Sadly, though the experiment is successful, he can’t reverse the effect, leaving him invisible. His experiments’ results made Griffin mad, and he used his invisibility cloak to terrorize the town. The novel ends ambiguously, which has led to several sequels since its publication.

“Ambition—what is the good of pride of place when you cannot appear there? What is the good of the love of woman when her name must needs be Delilah?”

H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man

24. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Published in 1826, The Last of the Mohicans is an adventure and historical romance novel by James Fenimore Cooper. The book takes place in Lake George, an area of New York, and revolves around a caravan carrying two young women to Fort William Henry. Natty Bumppo, a frontiersman, leads the team charged with their safe delivery. Two Mohicans, Chingachgook and Uncas, accompany him.

Along the way, their charges are abducted by savages, and they end up in a confrontation between rival warring parties. This book has plenty of adventure and beautiful depictions of the frontier. It also touches on themes of racism and Native American rights.

“The gifts of our colors may be different, but God has so placed us as to journey in the same path.”

James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans

25. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville is an adventure novel about the open sea. The book’s narrator, Ishmael, tells the story of an epic battle between a whale named Moby Dick and Ahab, the captain of a whaling ship, the Pequod. As the ship heads out searching for the mythical whale, it experiences several adventures. When they catch up with Moby Dick, the massive creature destroys the ship and most people with it. Only the narrator, Ishmael, can escape and retell the story later.

“There is no folly of the beast of the earth which is not infinitely outdone by the madness of man.”

Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

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