Common adventure subgenres and recommendations

The adventure genre is very diverse and has many subgenres.

Classics

The classic adventure novel falls into two categories, male romance and spy/espionage.  Many of today’s classics were written at the end of the 19^th - beginning of the 20th Century, a golden age for explorers, treasure hunters and adventurers in the real world as well. 

Recommendations

·  Count of Monte Cristo (1844) – Alexandre Dumas
·  Around the World in 80 days (1873)– Jules Verne
·  The Secret Agent (1907) – Joseph Conrad

Spy/Espionage

Adventure novels from this subgenre typically involve spies or secret agents from a government department but occasionally from an independent organisation.  According to Herald & Wiegand (2006) the spy or secret agent has never been portrayed as a completely respectable character, they are usually somewhat shady, but this of course is part of the appeal. 

Recommendations

·  The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (1963) John le Carre
·  The Bourne Identity (1980) Robert Ludlum
·  Casino Royale (1953) – Ian Fleming
·  Above Suspicion (1941) Helen MacInnes

Political intrigue/terrorism

Closely aligned with spy/espionage novels this subgenre deals with government entities or politically/religiously motivated groups attempting to do something bad or illegal which could harm the public at large. 

Recommendations

·  Shall We Tell the President (1977) Jeffrey Archer
·  Night of the Apocalypse (1995) Daniel Easterman
·  The Rhythm Section (1999) Mark Burnell

Thrillers

The thriller novel can cover a range of plots and blend with most of the other adventure genres, but they are always fast paced and filled with suspense and tension. There are often intricate and surprising twists and turns throughout the plots.  Herald & Wiegand (2006), state that this is currently the most popular adventure subgenre. 

Recommendations

·   The Third Twin (1996) Ken Follet
·   The Testament (2010) – Eric Van Lustbader
·   The Billion Dollar Sure Thing (1973) Paul Erdman
·   Contest (2005) – Matthew Reilly

Survival

The survival subgenre can focus on a “lone survivor” or a group of survivors.  The slower pacing of these novels is in essence “creating a gruelling or agonizing aspect to the stories” (Herald & Wiegand 2006, p.239).  While they are slower paced there is still an urgency surrounding the need for rescue or escape. 

Recommendations

·  Vertical Run (1995) Joseph Garber
·  Prey (2002) Michael Crichton
·  Survivor (1998) Robert Gray

Disaster

 In this subgenre adventure novels typically deal with events leading up to, during and after some type of disaster, it could be natural (hurricane, earthquake, tsunami) or manmade (nuclear attack, biological attack), intentional or unintentional (Gannon  2004). 

Recommendations

·  Atlantis Found (1999) – Clive Cussler
·  Cascadia (2005) John J Nance
·  The Poseidon Adventure (1969) Paul Gallico

Male Romance

The emphasis on this subgenre is on the action or the mission.  As Gannon (2004) points out the main protagonist is usually a rugged single male who embodies the end justifying the means.  This subgenre is often set in wild or primitive locations; man choosing to go up against the elements and the odds. 

Recommendations

·  The African Queen (1935) – C.S. Forester
·  Treasure (1988) – Clive Cussler
·  The Sunbird (1973) – Wilbur Smith

Military & Naval         

Military and naval adventure stories can be set on the land, in the air or on the sea, they blend well with the thriller and spy/espionage subgenres.  They can centre on a particular military campaign (historical or contemporary) or more recently on military technology.   

Recommendations

·  Storm Warning (976) – Jack Higgins
·  Final Flight (1989) – Stephen Coonts
·  The Hunt for Red October (1984) Tom Clancy