One of the first novelists in English language, Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe is an inspirational adventure fiction for young adults. The protagonist Robinson Crusoe, rejecting the peace of a quiet middle-class life, decides to answer the call of the sea by becoming a sailor. However, fate had other plans for him as his ship wrecks and he ends up in an island, appropriately named island of despair. Crusoe had to survive for two decades in a harsh environment. How his inner strength, resourcefulness, religious and moral viewpoint allowed him to live through the unbearable solitude in that island is the subject of this novel. Another major character of this novel is Friday, Crusoe’s faithful servant, whom Crusoe rescued from man-eaters of the island. Robinson Crusoe builds a life based on agriculture and animal husbandry, educates Friday and finally escapes the island and returns to mainland. A story of survival, persistence and virtue -Robinson Crusoe will inspire any reader.
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe, London : Vintage, 2008.
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Robert Louis Stevenson’s quintessential pirate lore Treasure Island is a thrilling coming-of-age story, seen through the eyes of young Jim Hawkins. Jim’s normal life turns upside-down when he meets Billy Jones, a strange man with a secret map. The map marks the location of the fabled Treasure Island, which many people want to find out to get the riches. After a chain of unexpected events, Jim finds himself in the middle of a roller-coaster sea voyage - full of adventure, treachery, treasure hunt, suspense, spirit, superstition, murder, mutiny and battle for the island. Long John Silver - an archetypal pirate, Machiavellian in nature is the main character of the novel. Robert Louis Stevenson’s masterful storytelling made Treasure Island fast paced, engaging page turner - which will suit anyone who enjoys a good story.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Treasure Island, London : Penguin, 2009.
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Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby Dick is one of the greatest novels ever written. The novel is a tale of adventure and anticipation. The narrator Ishmael is an wandering sailor onboard a whaling ship Pequod. The ship is commanded by Captain Ahab, who is forever obsessed to hunt down and kill Moby Dick, a rare white sperm whale which is responsible for crippling Ahab in a previous adventure. The novel is slow-paced, requires some patience from readers part - but it is immensely rewarding at the end. Ahab damages his ships, loses a number of crews and loses his own life in pursuit of Moby Dick. Narrator Ishmael survives to tell the tale, which still remains one of the greatest stories ever written.
Melville, Herman. Moby Dick, London : Everyman’s Library, 1991
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