"The Road" is a 2006 novel by Cormac McCarthy. A mysterious event has taken place in the world that has wiped out most life on earth. Food is scarce and many people have resorted to cannibalism. A father and his son must journey along an empty highway towards the sea, in the hope that they will find a better life.
He may be famous for his Sherlock Holmes detective books, but Arthur Conan Doyle proved with "The Lost World" that he writes a thrilling adventure novel. In the story, Professor Challenger claims there are dinosaurs still living in the Amazon and along with another professor, a scientist, a journalist and an adventurer, he travels to South America to prove it. The book was published in 1912.
"The Call of the Wild" is a novel by Jack London published in 1903. It tells the story of a domesticated dog called Buck and his journey that takes him from a comfortable life in California, to pulling sleds in dog in Alaska, to his rescue by a man named John Thornton. The adventure brings out the primal and wild side of Buck.
Jules Verne was a French author and his work was a mix of adventure, journey and science fiction. Released in 1870, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is about a ship sent out to investigate the unexplained sinking of boats. But the along the crew encounter Captain Nemo and his ship, the Nautilus. "Around the World in 80 Days" follows Philleas Fogg in his attempts to circumnavigate the planet in 80 days to win a £20,000 bet. The 1864 book "Journey to the Center of the Earth" is the story of Professor Von Hardwigg, his nephew and his guide on an expedition to travel through the volcanic tubes that run through the earth.
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote "Treasure Island" in 1883. Young Jim Hawkins is in possession of a treasure map after the death of sailor Billy Bones. Hawkins, his friends and the mysterious Long John Silver set sail to the Hispaniola in search of fortune. There were many more journey and adventure novels penned before the turn of the 20th century, such as " the "The Swiss Family Robinson" by Johann David Wyss, "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift and "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe.
The "Worst Journey in the World" was penned by Apsley Cherry-Garrard about his expedition into Antarctic with Robert Falcon Scott in 1910. John Wesley Powell wrote "Exploration of the Colorado River" in 1875 after he and nine other men sailed down the Grand Canyon's river in wooden boats. Maurice Herzog and his team climbed a 26,250 foot peak in the Himalayas without oxygen tanks. His 1952 book "Annapurna" documented this journey.