Action+Adventure

=Action/Adventure= Cameron Laventure, Katelind Aho and Ashley Hardison

The action/adventure genre is frequently combined with other genres of fiction, including science fiction, fantasy and historical. Largely defined by the presence of physical action, action/adventure novels may contain elements of suspense or romance, and may belong to any setting; past, present, or imaginary. Most typically, they often feature a courageous hero undertaking a physical journey from one location to another, becoming involved in dangerous situations along the way. Action/adventure stories are believed to be about as old as fiction itself, dating as far back as Greek myths like //The Odyssey//, which were passed down through oral tradition. Though works in this genre are typically targeted towards a male audience, and tend to be written by male authors, women’s voices are becoming more widely heard in action/adventure fiction.



Marion Zimmer Bradley
This fantasy adventure novel was winner of the 1984 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. Focusing on King Arthur’s traditional nemesis Morgaine, the book reinterprets classic Arthurian legend from the untold vantage point of the women involved in the king’s reign. It was widely praised at the time of its release for being a unique, interesting retelling of the King Arthur mythos. Though critically and commercially successful, the novel’s content has courted controversy for its depiction of the rift between Christianity and paganism. More information and reviews of the novel can be found at the following sites: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Mists-of-Avalon/Marion-Zimmer-Bradley/e/9780345350497/?itm=1&USRI=mists+of+avalon http://www.amazon.com/Mists-Avalon-Marion-Zimmer-Bradley/dp/0345441184/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268280626&sr=8-2



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The first installment of Palmer’s “Treasures of the Heart” series is a contemporary romantic Christian adventure novel. Set in Africa, the story concerns the exploits of a Kenyan woman named Tillie. After being kidnapped, she ends up thrust into a treasure-seeking quest with the daring adventurer Graeme McLeod. The story is continued in two sequels, “A Whisper of Danger” and “A Touch of Betrayal.” More information and reviews can be found at the following sites:======

Deborah Cannon
Elizabeth Latimer, an ordinary teenager equipped with fencing skills and the latest palm computer, finds herself transported through an oceanic vortex and back in the past amongst volatile pirates and times of settlements with swords. Through a series of events, Elizabeth finds herself trying to salvage her families existence by helping pirate Calico Jack Rackham rescue his girlfriend Anne Bonny from the Governor of the Bahamas. If they fail, Jack and Anne will never have children causing Elizabeth's family and all other descendants of the couple to never exist! Reviews on this interesting twist of future and past action filled story said that it was intriguing to see the mix of future technologies and pirates. To learn more about this novel or to read a review click on the following sites:
 * [|http://www.trafford.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?Book=162096]
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Gail Wanman Holstein
Family life is disrupted when Leah Ellis's husband, Brandon, after moving to Phoenix discovers he is the heir to a fortune back East. Driven by interest of ancient ruins of the Anasazi and his charismatic renegade archeologist of mentor, Brandon leads his family on a camping trip to the Mogollon Rim for an outrageous experiment. Leah soon finds herself needing and acquiring skills of hunting with stone age tools, living with ghosts, and using "magic" from a cave powerful enough to summon back ancients. She only has to stay alive long enough to discover this power and save her and her family. Reviews claim this book to be a "survivalist thriller" and a "crackerjack can't-put-it-down read." Read more on this at these sites:
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Charlotte Barnes
Stella Ducktropolis is a carefree fun-loving, polka-dot-dress-wearing, bubble-bath loving Crime fighter. She is an inspector at a sticker factor. At night she becomes a Crime fighter. Her favorite word is Fabulous and that is exactly what she is. She is in hot pursuit of the Blue Bandit, but will he be too much for her to handle? Throughout her adventure she comes in contact with many of her friends, but then she soon realizes that catching the Bandit might not be the best thing she should do. In fact it could end up turning her well organized Fabulous life upside down. To learn more about this novel or to read a review click on the sites below.
 * http://www.charlottebarnesonline.com/index.htm
 * http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Stella-Ducktropolis/Charlotte-Barnes/e/9781432718060

One thing we learned is that action/adventure literature remains largely dominated by men and is generally targeted at a male audience, though there are many female authors altering the trend by writing stories from women's perspectives, sometimes directly embracing feminist viewpoints in the work, while still adhering to traditional staples of the genre. We also learned that action/adventure usually crosses over with other genres; it's difficult to find an action/adventure story that could not also be classified as a science fiction, fantasy or other kind of story, because the tropes that define action/adventure have no relation to the setting.
 * What our group learned:**