Action & Adventure Stories

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If pirates, jousting and horseback chases no longer appeal to you, you're too old or too boring. Adventure stories fell out of vogue among 20th century literary types who thought serious fiction had to be boring and depressing, but to those born with fire in their bones, adventure stories are deeply serious.

Not serious like existentialism or keeping a stiff upper lip, but serious like Robin Hood—devoted to protecting the downtrodden, committed to Maid Marian, sworn to fight injustice as long as a soul is in his body, always laughing and ready for a fight or a feast.

G. K. Chesterton wrote adventure stories because they best expressed the eternal joy that supported his generous frame. For those raised on Modern Adventure Stories, joy may seem an inappropriate word for an increasingly dark genre, but the fault lies with those who think adventures are forays into evil rather than romps with Gilbert Keith.

There's nothing evil about a good adventure. There may be bad guys (there ought to be), but if the Good Guy does his job there'll be more of his exploits to talk about than theirs. Because, should he be doing his job, the Hero will be sword-fighting, being clever, wooing, chasing and laughing to the detriment of his enemies on every page.

Average people don't have the adventures Heroes in Books have—they have the adventures of Modern Men in Books. But the way through the prosaic troubles of life isn't to immerse yourself in them, it's to let the Good Guys show The Way Out of Problems, and do your best to imitate them when you meet the less dramatic, but no less real, dangers of everyday existence.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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Action & Adventure Stories

40 Items found Print

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Fantasy Fiction,

9th grade (Ages 14-15),

Hardcover

	Boy's King Arthur by Sidney Lanier (illustrated by N.C. Wyeth) from Charles Scribner's Sons for 6th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Camelot A Collection of Original Arthurian Stories by Jane Yolen First Edition from Philomel Books for 6th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Books of Wonder by Mark Twain (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman) from HarperCollins for 8th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Crying for a Vision by Walter Wangerin Jr. from Simon & Schuster Macmillan for 9th-Adult in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Endless Knot Song of Albion #3 by Stephen R. Lawhead Reprint from Thomas Nelson Publishers Celtic Fantasy for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Gulliver's Travels Macmillan Classics by Jonathan Swift, retold by Padraic Colum and illustrated by Willy Pogany from Macmillan for 7th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Gulliver's Travels / Treasure Island by Jonathan Swift, Robert Louis Stevenson from Grosset & Dunlap for 4th-10th grade in Companion Library (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Illustrated Edition Harry Potter Book 2 by J. K. Rowling Illustrated from Arthur A. Levine Books for 4th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $39.99
	High Rhulain by Brian Jacques 1^st edition from Philomel Books for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Hobbit, The by J.R.R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin for 5th-Adult in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $35.00
	Hobbit, The by J.R.R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin for 5th-Adult in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $40.00
	Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis Reprint from HarperCollins for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Horse and His Boy Chronicles of Narnia Book 5 by C. S. Lewis from Macmillan Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Inheritance Cycle - Hardcover set by Christopher Paolini from Random House for 8th-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Invaders Brotherband Chronicles Book 2 by John A. Flanagan 1^st edition from Philomel Books for 6th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.00 (3 in stock)
	Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Maurice and Edward Detmold from Dilithium Press, Ltd. for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	King Arthur by Sidney Lanier from Charles Scribner's Sons for 6th-10th grade in Scribner Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SCRIB) $29.99
	King Arthur and His Knights Junior Deluxe Editions by Henry Frith, illustrated by Henry C. Pitz from Nelson Doubleday, Inc. Fairy Tales, Fables, & Legends for 7th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	King Arthur and His Knights based on Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Mallory by Sir James Knowles, illustrated by Louis Rhead and other artists from Dilithium Press, Ltd. for 5th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Last Battle Chronicles of Narnia Book 7 by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri, illustrated by Daniel Miyares from Levine Querido for 6th-9th grade 2024 Newbery Honor Book in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $21.99
	Maps of Tolkien's Middle-Earth by Brian Sibley from Houghton Mifflin for 5th-10th grade in Lord of the Rings (Location: LIR-LOTR)
	Mattimeo by Brian Jacques from Philomel Books for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Mistmantle Chronicles Book 3 by M. I. McAllister 1^st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press for 6th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Mossflower by Brian Jacques from Philomel Books for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Out of the Silent Planet Space Trilogy Book 1 by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $24.00
	Perelandra Space Trilogy Book 2 by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $25.00
	Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins for 3rd-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Prince Caspian Read Aloud Edition Chronicles of Narnia Book 4 by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Prince Caspian Chronicles of Narnia Book 2 by C. S. Lewis from Macmillan Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Princess Bride by William Goldman from Harcourt Humorous Adult Fairy Tale for 8th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $30.00
	Redwall by Brian Jacques Later Printing from Philomel Books for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Silver Chair Chronicles of Narnia Book 4 by C. S. Lewis from Macmillan Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Silver Hand Song of Albion #2 by Stephen R. Lawhead 1^st edition from Lion Publishing Celtic Fantasy for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Stories of King Arthur's Knights Told to the Children by George MacDonald from T.C. & E.C. Jack Fantasy for 4th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Voyage of the Dawn Treader Chronicles of Narnia Book 3 by C. S. Lewis from Macmillan Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Voyage of the Dawn Treader Chronicles of Narnia Book 5 by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.00 (2 in stock)
	Voyage of the Dawn Treader Chronicles of Narnia Book 3 by C. S. Lewis from Macmillan Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Voyage of the Dawn Treader Chronicles of Narnia Book 3 by C. S. Lewis from Macmillan Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wind in the Willows Reader's Digest World's Best Reading by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Paul Cox from Reader's Digest for 8th-Adult in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)

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