What should you read next? Check out this list of ten of my favorite adventure fiction books.
Helpful tip: click any book cover to bring up its Goodreads page.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
Shannon Chakraborty is my favorite historical fantasy author. Amina al-Sirafi is a feared female pirate, coming out of retirement for one last job. The second book in the series, The Tapestry of Fate, releases in May 2026.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Humorous, witty, and creative. Tress of the Emerald Sea is a tale of traveling through deadly spore oceans in search of a lost love.
What do you get when you cross a talking rat, a wish-granting dragon, an undead being, and a narrator who’s lost his senses? A brilliantly unique story that reads like a modern fairy tale.
Sea Adventure | modern fairy-tale
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Humorous, adventurous, and witty.
Epic sword fights, poison, rodents of unusual size, and a sinister plot for murder uncovered. What’s not to love?
Fantasy | Romance
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The original adventure before The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, was originally written as a children’s book and is more lighthearted. Follow Bilbo Baggins on an adventure as he helps the Dwarves reclaim their homeland from Smaug, the gold-hoarding dragon.
Dragons & Mythical creatures | Quest Fantasy
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Andy Weir, author of The Martian, has done it again. Ryland Grace is the sole survivor aboard the Hail Mary and humanity’s last hope. He’s lightyears away, trying to find a cure for a dying sun, alone in space—or is he?
Science fiction | Space adventure | Survival
A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke
Aubry Tourvel is both blessed and cursed. She does not get sick. She heals quickly and can walk for days without food or water. But she cannot stay in one place for more than two or three days, and she can never visit the same place twice. She will spend a lifetime walking the earth, meeting people she will never see again.
Travel Adventure | Historical Fiction
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The classic from C.S. Lewis. Four children climb through a wardrobe and stumble upon the world of Narnia. An epic battle will rage for the future of this world.
Classic | Portal Fantasy | Other-world adventure
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Follow Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns for adventure. He will leave behind everything he knows in search of treasure and find more than he expected along the journey.
Historical Fiction | Fantasy
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Brian is traveling to visit his father when his small plane crashes in the remote Canadian wilderness. The sole survivor of the crash, equipped only with the small hatchet his mother gave him, Brian must survive the elements and find a way to signal rescuers.
YA | Survival fiction
Beyond the Water’s Edge by Janine Eaby
Some paths were never meant to be discovered. When a mysterious hunter tracks her down, Alaira Hughes must team up with an otherworldly traveler with secrets of his own if she has any hope of survival. But there’s more to this new world than appearances suggest. In this place, time is a foreign concept, memories a target on your back, and the past a closely guarded secret.
A past lost to time. Dark secrets lurking beneath the surface. And a truth long forgotten. Fantasy meets mystery in this twisted tale of adventure.
Portal fantasy | Hidden identity | Chosen one | Epic adventure
Happy reading!
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