First publised in 1895, H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine is the first novel to conceptualise a vehicle that could take humans to past or future. The protagonist of this novel, The Time Traveller, travels to far future using his time machine and meets a group of peaceful people called Eloi. His time machine goes missing and in search of the vehicle he encounters Morlocks - caveman-like underground creatures who runs the machinery and other technologies to make the Eloi life possible. After a series of events,The Time Traveller manages to recover the vehicle from Morlocks and travel farther into future. He comes across perishing species in a dying earth. The Time Traveller keeps leaping forward in time and observes as the sun dies and the earth becomes a cold, hard, frozen rock. The Time Machine is a fast-paced short novel that will entertain readers of any age.
Wells, H.G. The Time Machine, London : Everyman’s Library, 2010.
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Sir Thomas Malroy’s Le Morte d'Arthur is the best example of Arthurian literature. Published in 1485, this monumental collection of tales depicts the story of one of the most iconic legends of all time - King Arthur. Among other tales, the book covers the birth and rise of Arthur, his war against the Romans, the tale of Sir Lancelot, the guest of holy grail and breaking of the knights of the round table and finally the death of King Arthur. The widely disparate Arthurian tales have been collected and compiled by Sir Thomas Malroy to make up the volume. Naturally, some of the stories are a little repetitive, however this collection offers a comprehensive narrative of the adventures and the legends of King Arthur.
Malroy, Thomas. Le Morte d’Arthur, London : Collector’s Library Editions, 2007.
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Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers is historical adventure novel. Originally published in French in 1844, this novel quickly became one of the best selling novels of English language. The novel is set in 17th century France. D’Artagnan, the protagonist, a poor boy from the provinces sets out to join the king’s bodyguard in Paris and become a Musketeer. His companions are the magnificent trio - Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Along the path of fulfilling his dreams, D’Artagnan finds that the evil Cardinal has disbanded the Musketeers to uproot the current King of France. They face conspiracy, misadventure and assassination - among other things. The Three Musketeers is a fast-paced adventure novel, with enchanting description of characters and settings, sword-fighting, French court politics and timeless love.
Dumas, Alexandre. The Three Musketeers, New York : Everyman’s Library, 2011.
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Jonathan Swift’s famous novel Gulliver’s Travels can be described as a philosophical masterpiece, a fairy story or a political comedy, but above all it is an entertaining satire-adventure. The novel tells the story of Lemuel Gulliver, who was a surgeon but decides to go out to the sea to travel. He goes to four voyages - A Voyage to Lilliput, A Voyage to Brobdingnag, Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, and Japan and A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver encounters various strange beings, cultures and customs and provides detailed account of his adventure from a comical point of view. After almost 300 years of original publication, Jonathan Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travel remains a funny and mesmerising read.
Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels, London : Everyman’s Library, 1991.
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