There is something special about the old swashbuckling adventure stories of Robert Louis Stevenson, H. Rider Haggard, Jack London, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and others of the ilk. They aren't complicated stories and the themes are pretty straightforward, but there is nothing like the ride of a good adventure story. A good adventure story pulls in the reader and doesn't let them go and often features beautiful lyrical language used to describe breathtaking vistas, nerve wracking fights, and gut wrenching losses. The stories have clear goals and satisfying endings and if they suffer some from antiquated values, I find that I don't mind so much.
I'm clearly not the only one who feels this way. Plenty of authors who generally write other styles of literature are having a little fun writing 19th century style adventure. I recently finished Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon which is an excellent example of the style with beautiful use of language and vivid characters. There is also Terry Pratchett's Nation, Neil Gaiman's Stardust, and The Princess Bride by William Goldman to name just a few.
I love these books.
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