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There’s something wild and alluring about Western adventure novels. It’s a life not uncommon to many in the past, yet quite different from the modern life many of us lead today.
From rugged landscapes to hard-tack humans, beautiful animals and a rough way of life, cowboy adventure books offer an escape from everyday life. These books are often part of the historical adventure genre, as they are usually set in historic times, and many of them have transcended their own genre and become favourite reads for all kinds of book lovers.
Explore all our frontier adventure fiction books online with Booktopia.
Best-selling Western adventure novels
There are few Western adventure novels quite so beloved or as well known as Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. This Pulitzer Prize-winning epic is set on the frontier in the dusty Texas town of Lonesome Dove. With drama, a colourful cast of characters, and heroes to root for and outlaws to be awed by, this book is known for capturing readers’ attention and pulling you into a whole different world. For those who love this novel, you can carry on the quartet with Streets of Laredo, Dead Man’s Walk, and Comanche Moon.
True Grit lives up to its name, offering a gritty, fast-paced, adventurous novel set in the wild west. It’s the story of a murder, a 14-year-old girl searching for justice for her father, and the man she entreats to hunt down the killer. Hailed as an American classic and adapted for film in 2010, this is a must-read for anyone interested in western adventure stories.
Outlaw adventure novels
One hugely popular book amongst outlaw adventure novels is No Country for Old Men. This dark novel is brimming with violence and consequences. It follows a Vietnam veteran who stumbles across a drug transaction gone wrong, and with no witnesses in sight, he grabs the briefcase full of cash and leaves – but doesn’t yet realise who might be hunting him. Now an Academy Award-winning film, this is one book you won’t be able to put down.
For a more modern outlaw novel, try Red Rabbit. This novel follows two bounty hunters chasing down a woman wanted for witchcraft. During their hunt, their posse grows with more cowboys and other stragglers, and their quest to find a sole outlaw becomes more dangerous with every step.
