Adventure Fiction Genre
Websites | Readers' Advisory Books | Definition | Keywords for Searching
Websites
ARRT Adventure Genre Study - The Adult Reading Round Table (ARRT) studied the Adventure genre from 1998-1999. Their study discusses the characteristics of Adventure genre, 19th and 20th century military stories and differences between American and British writing styles, exotic adventure, technothrillers, westerns, medical thrillers, and political and financial thrillers. Authors are suggested for each sub-genre, along with lots of readers' advisory tips. -- Review from http://www.arrtreads.org
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Readers' Advisory Books
Blood, Bedlam, Bullets, and Badgays
Gannon, Michael B. (2004). Blood, bedlam, bullets, and badguys: a reader's guide to adventure/suspense fiction. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.
Gannon defines the adventure/suspense genre as one in which "the protagonists are often thrown into a dangerous situation and must rely on their physical and mental abilities to survive." There is always a villain, and "the entire read is a roller-coaster ride of chills and thrills." This definition allows for multiple variations, some of which overlap with historical fiction, horror, and romance.
Fifteen chapters cover subgenres such as espionage, legal and medical thrillers, sea adventures, and novels with elements of the paranormal. Each chapter begins with a definition of the subgenre and brief discussions of its history and appeal.
Introductory material is followed by a selected listing of authors and titles that are briefly annotated. Icons indicate whether a book is a page-turner, is also a movie, or has a multicultural main character. Following the examination of subgenres are a chapter on original paperback male adventure series and another on secondary resources. Appendixes detail film versions and core adventure/suspense authors. A glossary, an author and title index, and a subject index round out the book. -- Review from http://www.amazon.com
Definition
Action-adventure fiction appeals mainly to male readers. It features physical action and violence, often around a quest or military-style mission set in exotic or forbidding locales such as jungles, deserts, or mountains. The conflict typically involves commandos, mercenaries, terrorists, smugglers, pirates, and the like. Stories include elements of courage, male bonding, and betrayal, as well as lore on technology, weapons, and other hardware.
A thriller is a story intended to evoke strong feelings of suspense and danger, usually involving a high-stakes hunt, chase, or a race against time. Thrillers often involve espionage, crime, medicine, or technology. -- Review from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
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Keywords for Searching
Adventure stories
Adventure and adventurers fiction
Adventure fiction
Swashbucklers
Thrillers
-- From http://authorities.loc.gov