In a recent newsletter, I talked about how Dead Rich was inspired by classic adventure fiction – adventure stories that take the readers on a journey to faraway places. I asked readers what their favourite adventure fiction books were and received an absolute deluge of brilliant replies. I decided to do a digest of some of the replies:
Many votes for Geoffrey Household’s Rogue Male – thanks Chris and a dozen others. Several too for John Buchan’s 39 Steps, which I almost included in my mini-library. Jack London‘s The Call of the Wild got a few thumbs up. Annabel gave me Colin Forbes, Jack Higgins and Trudy joined her voting for Frederick Forsyth, as did many others. The Day of the Jackal, said Celia; The Odessa File, said Paul, who was one of those who who thought we should include Le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Gwynith, Wanja and Debra remember feeling the same way as I did about A Town Like Alice: “I absolutely could not put it down’ said Debra, I starting reading it one night and finished it early the next morning, happily a Saturday.”
Barry added Ken Follet’s Eye of the Needle. Mary remembered Clive Cussler, while Dugal said, “I did devour lots of Craig Thomas thrillers as a kid. Not sure if All The Grey Cats would stand up today…” Ruth included Tom Clancy’s classic The Hunt for Red October in her list. Margaret seconded Mary Stewart and said her favourite is Airs Above The Ground. 
Peter put a vote in for Alistair Maclean’s Puppet on a Chain. Alongside Alistair MacLean, Barry tipped his hat towards Jack Higgins’ The Eagle Has Landed and, more recently, Terry Hayes I Am Pilgrim, the book everyone’s still waiting for the sequel to. Sian reminded us that the great Lee Child is certainly adventure fiction. Michael Crichton‘s Timeline, said Victoria.
Anna-Marié suggested True Grit by Charles Portis. Great pick. J reminded me the Agatha Christie’s The Man in the Brown Suit was classic adventure fiction. Steve made a pitch for T. C. Boyle’s Water Music which does indeed have plenty of adventure in it. Modesty Blaise by Peter O’Donnell, suggested Kerrywho keeps going back to it “despite the inherent racism, sexism, etc.”.
Showing my ignorance, there were loads I had never come across before:
Gordon suggested Anthony Price who looks superb. Susan suggested The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White, who I had vaguely heard of, but was one of those people whose biography was so worth looking up: this from Wikipedia:
“Her will read: “I give and bequeath unto [sister] Annis Dora White all that I possess on condition she pays a qualified surgeon to plunge a knife into my heart after death” thought to reflect her lifelong fear of being buried alive, a theme which featured in her novel The First Time He Died, published in 1935.”
Lis suggested The Beachy Head Murder by Arthur Gask. Scott mentioned an overlooked book by Alan Stillitoe of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner fame, The Lost Flying Boat.
Nor to my shame had I come across The John Madden series by Rennie Airth but I’ve been looking at them and they look fantastic. Thanks Barb.
Judith like the exotic travel aspect of books like The Kontiki Expedition by Thor Heyerdahl.
From Canada, Sharon opted for historical adventures by Frances Parkinson Keyes and Thomas B. Coastain
Three were a few real old classics. Don Quixote certainly ticks the boxes of adventure and exotic locations as did. Kidnapped, King Solomon’s Mines got a few ticks, plus The Swiss Family Robinson by J.D. Wyss, Treasure Island (many votes!) and The Count of Monte Christo. Ian came up with the classic pulp adventure of the Irish-American writer Maurice 
Walsh – who I’ve never read but who wrote The Quiet Man, in which John Wayne starred when as made into a movie.
On the more contemporary side, Jude opted for the John Tyler series by Danny Marshall and Sandra was really keen on Scott Mariani’s Ben Hope series: “They are an exciting mix of action and history, with a very capable main character.” Joyce picked James Rollins. Several people name checked Dan Brown and on the more fantastical level, Margaret picked The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper
Many votes for Patricia Highsmith. A couple rooted for John Connolly and his Charlie Parker series.
Jo came up with a brilliant list – not classic action adventure, but “they are certainly adventures”:
- Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
- The Exiles by Christina Baker Cline
- The Voyage of the Morning Light by Marina Endicott
- Follow the River by James Alexander Thom
- The Outlander by Gil Adamson
And the question brought up this lovely reminiscence from Paul:
“Your adventure classics question has set me thinking. Undoubtedly the Alistair MacLean series featured in my early reading days…
“It did cause me to wonder how I got into this area, and I think I have a teacher to thank. Pretty sure his name was Jack Firth, and when I must have been 14 or 15, in his English literature lessons he had us read aloud Nicholas Monsarrat’s The Cruel Sea, one paragraph each in turn. Inevitably it allowed some planning ahead to see what you’d be reading, and I have a vivid memory of there being a paragraph consisting of the single word ‘Bollocks!’. And of course it fell to one of the girls who failed to do it the justice which some of us might have achieved. But way better for a teenage boy than parsing a Shakespeare play…”
There were far more than I could list here. Thanks so much for everyone who took part. It was brilliant getting your messages.