The Sea Wolf by Jack London
The fascinating tale of a wealthy man, Humphrey Van Wheydon, who is cast into the sea when his ship collides with another in a heavy fog. The man is eventually rescued by a seal hunting expedition, the captain of which is a brutal man called the Sea Wolf who decides to keep Van Wheydon on board as a servant. An adventure story on the surface, this story provides critical insight into man’s inhumanity to man upon closer examination.
Roughing It by Mark Twain
Mark Twain offers his own perspective of the Old West as he journeys through it. Stagecoaches, gold, prospecting, and an antagonist that seems to come right out of a Spaghetti Western make for exciting reading cover to cover. Placed under fiction since though Twain claimed these stories are true, it is generally accepted that some are somewhat embellished.
The Beach by Alex Garland
The search for a fabled beach, said to be perfect in every way, leads a small group of young backpackers on the adventure of a lifetime. However, upon finding the beach, they discover that something so perfect is hard to keep secret.
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
Melville’s masterpiece concerning Captain Ahab’s insatiable quest to exact revenge on the great white whale that crippled him, as told by Ishmael, a sailor on board Ahab’s ship.
All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby-Dick. He piled upon the whale’s white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart’s shell upon it.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
The famous account of the castaway Robinson Crusoe as he makes a life for himself on a remote island off the coast of South America, structured as if it was written by Crusoe himself.
And thus I have given the first Part of a Life of Fortune and Adventure, a Life of Providence’s Checquer-Work, and of a Variety which the World will seldom be able to show the like of: Beginning foolishly, but closing much more happily than any Part of it ever gave me Leave so much as to hope for.
Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
An Irish physician is wrongly convicted of treason, but escapes execution and flees. Making his way to the Caribbean, he eventually becomes one of the most notorious pirates of the high seas. While fiction, the exploits of Captain Blood are loosely based on the life of the pirate Henry Morgan.
The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
An English tourist to fictional Ruritania is swept up into extraordinary circumstances when he is chosen to impersonate the recently kidnapped king in an attempt to evade the political upheaval that would likely occur if the king’s abduction was made public.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
A story of adventure and survival on the surface, this classic also provides an in-depth evaluation of human nature and society. A plane crash on a deserted island results in no adult survivors, forcing the youngsters who did survive to fend for themselves until rescue can arrive. Troubles ensue as the boys attempt to form a society of their own, and the power of the leaders begins to corrupt their principles.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The story of the Kurtz, an ivory trader in the Belgian Congo who has “gone native,” as told by Marlow, the man sent to retrieve him. A complex critique of human nature wrapped in an adventure story.
Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of the might within the land, bearers of a spark from the sacred fire. What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unknown earth! . . . The dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths, the germs of empires.
Inca Gold by Clive Cussler
A dashing adventurer in the vein of Indiana Jones or James Bond, Dirk Pitt finds himself as the only thing standing between smugglers and a centuries old Incan treasure horde hidden high in the Peruvian Andes.
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I have to echo all the above posters who mentioned Dune. Frank Herbert is, IMO, one of the best writers of this century.
If you liked Dune, do yourself a favor and read the following five books: Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse Dune.
Frank Herbert non-Dune books that are excellent: Soulcatcher, and The White Plague. I like most everything he’s written, but those two definately stand above, especially Soulcatcher.
You would have to include any or all of the Horatio Hornblower books. Great for teaching leadership!
Deliverance by Dickey.
The Doc Savage books, especially the ones that took place in jungles.
How about Mr. America or some of the other books written by George M. Fraser?
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