"Adventure" - A Tribute to a Genre

Steamy jungles, arid deserts and vast oceans, adventure novels are rare these days. As a matter of fact, they are almost gone. They have been replaced by the action genre with urban settings, suspenseful plots, big explosions and political messages. Horses and swords have been set aside in favour of cars and guns. The dangers of nature and explorations of human character eschewed for terrorrist threats and serial killers.

Now dont get me wrong, I like a good thriller or police procedural as much as the next guy. But as I sit here and think of the books that I have enjoyed the most, it is undeniable that there is a specific kind of story that captures my interest, with a specific kind of setting and plot. We call it a 'genre'. There are several genres which are well known, including horror, suspense, romance, comedy and so on. Sometimes it is just the tone that sets the story apart from the rest (like horror) or the key elements of the plot (like science fiction) or the setting of the tale itself (like the western).

As general readers, most of us just like a good story regardless of what genre it belongs to. We want a tale that enthralls us, either by capturing our interest or by making us think. But more often than not, we have to admit that there is always one specific genre that attracts us just a little more than the others, a type of story that enchants our imagination. It could be the spine-tingling of the macabre, the rousing intensity of swashbucklers or the overwhelming paranoia of espionage.

So what makes exactly makes 'adventure' a great genre? How does one differentiate between adventure and other types of fiction? The simple answer to this is "I have no idea". The genre interacts with so many settings and so many tones that it is probably impossible to ever create a definition for it. But I shall try to identify three key themes that I have seen prevalent in the books that I have read. Dont make the mistake of assuming that anything falling outside this cannot be classed as 'adventure', this is just a general look at it.

1. The Environment - We often find adventure fiction set in harsh and possibly exotic settings, like jungles, deserts, mountains and so on. They are usually far away from civilisation and the protoganists have to defeat the harsh obstacles of nature if they wish to survive or fulfill their goals. The main characters are usually explorers or hunters or travellers. The plot can be a mountaineer trying to climb a dangerous mountain, a hunter in pursuit of his quarry, someone embarking on a journey across the desert and so on. The main theme is generally man trying to survive, and in some cases, conquer nature. A classic among this type is Robinson Crusoe.

2. The Age - Historical novels tend to have many apects of adventure fiction, though they can vary to a great extent. Stories of crusaders and pirates, kings and queens, dungeons and prisons, are all an indispensable part of adventure lore. They usually involve epic quests or a multitude of plots and are filled with sword fights, chases on horseback, duels to the death and rescuing damsels in distress. Some can also be startlingly informative on past customs and politics, revealing themselves to be suprisingly philosophical (anyone who has read the works of Joseph Conrad will understand). A classic among this type is The Count of Monte Cristo.

3. The Journey - The last of the common kinds of adventure fiction is the most contemporary one, tales which fall within 'adventure' because the story involves a journey from point A to point B. Though this often falls under the first two categories, I class it as a seperate branch of adventure fiction because I notice an increasing amount of stories that have none of the elements of the first two (they often have urban settings and involve a road trip) while still retaining that same sense of adventure and exploration. These books are usually not as adrenaline pumping as the others, but reach a far more mature level of poigancy. They are interested more in the changes the characters undergo through the journey, than on the obstacles they come across. A classic among this type is On The Road.

I have loved adventure fiction since I can remember . My first short story at the age of 8 or 9 was called "The Ultimate Chaser", thinking back about it I just realised that it was remarkably similar to the recent 'Apocalypto' (the bulk of the story was just one man relentlessly running from his pursuers). The realisation though, that adventure was "my" genre came less than a decade ago. I was lucky to have been in a school with a lot of intelligent people who valued reading (I still keep in touch with them and most are very well read) and this prompted me to move on from Famous Five and Hardy Boys books to more 'serious' fiction. I started reading the spy thrillers of authors like Frederick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy. Once in a while I would go into crime novels and even comedies.

But something was missing. I didnt feel the same excitement I once felt while reading fairy tales and comic strips. The fiction I was reading was far more intelligent and informative, but the spark that once made me turn the pages with glee was diminishing. I still enjoyed them and read whenever I got the oppurtunity, but it was more because of my love for reading itself than my love for the books I was reading. The chases, the complex plots, the unique characters, the imaginative settings, everything was there and they were all good. But for some reason, they were not great. I thought it was maybe because I was dumb, that my intellect was too limited for me to appreciate anything more than books for children. This only made me read even more, almost to the point of exhaustion. But all that was about to change.

I picked up a copy of Wilbur Smith's 'Warlock' in my local library and I remember that at an imposing 800 pages, it was the longest novel I had attempted to read at the time. I finished it in slightly more than a day, which given my lifestyle at the time was an extrodinary feat. The book had me burning the pages and my pulse was pounding throughout the story, making me not want it to end. Come to think of it, it was a lot like having sex for the first time, though I was too young to realise it then. I have read several books that I liked better than 'Warlock' since then (like it's predecessor River God) but the experience of reading it is a memory that still remains with me.

I gouged down any Wilbur Smith book I could find after that, started reading books by several other adventure writers. I travelled colonial India with Rudyard Kipling, explored African jungles while spouting philosophy with Joseph Conrad, was introduced to the swashbuckling political intrigue of Victorian age Europe with Alexander Dumas and even explored the unknown regions of the planet with Jules Verne. I loved the clash of steel, the excitement of the hunt and the sly observations made on the journey. Adventure was back in my blood.

Whatever the environment, the age or the journey, the one thing that always remains constant is the spirit. This is what I beleive makes it a great genre and what attracts me to it. The spirit of adventure. It was this spirit that made me want to write all this, and it is this spirit that continues to ensure that my days of enjoying fiction are far from over.