Oswego Public Library: Adventure Fiction: Adventure Fiction January 2026

We're going on an adventure!

Crux
by Gabriel Tallent

In this story of intense friendship and grit, two down-and-out teens escape the hopelessness of their lives and chase a different future through rock climbing.

Daughter of Genoa
by Kat Devereaux

The author of Escape to Florence returns with a thrilling adventure set in the war-torn 1940s and inspired by true events, about a young woman who risks everything to help Jewish Italians flee the fascists, and falls in love with the brave aviator behind a daring secret rescue operation. Daughter of Genoa is a poignant look at those who loved and lost yet continued to risk everything to create a better world.

The Happiness Collector: A Contemporary Fantasy Pitting Modern Humans Against Ancient Gods
by Crystal King

In this stunning contemporary fantasy novel for fans of V. E. Schwab and Kaliane Bradley, a historian's dream job in Italy takes a dark turn when she discovers her employers aren't exactly human. After losing her book deal and her academic position, historian Aida Reale needs a new career, and fast. So when a friend recommends her for an extremely high-paying position at a company called MODA, it feels like the perfect stroke of luck. And with a move to Italy and a breathtaking palazzo included, how could she say no? But the more research Aida conducts for this elusive company, the more things feel off. It's only after a mysterious woman approaches Aida and Luciano, her devastatingly handsome and equally concerned MODA colleague, that they learn the truth--they are just mortal pawns in a game between gods. Now Aida must find answers to the question she's been avoiding: What's really happening to all the happiness she's been collecting, and can she stop the gods' plans before it's too late?

Outlaw Planet
by M. R. Carey

This is the story of Bess. It's the story of the gun she carried, whose name was Wakeful Slim. It's the story of the dead man who carried that gun before her and left a piece of himself inside it. And it's the tale of how she turned from teacher, to renegade, and ultimately to hero. This is also the tale of the last violent engagements in an inter-dimensional war - one of the most brutal the multiverse had ever seen. This is how Bess learned the truth about her world. Came to it the hard way, through pain and loss and the reckless spilling of blood, and carried it with her like a brand on her soul. And once she knew it - knew for sure how badly she'd been used - she had no option but to do something about it.

Nine Goblins: A Tale of Low Fantasy and High Mischief
by T. Kingfisher

No one knows exactly how the Goblin War began, but folks will tell you that goblins are stinking, slinking, filthy, sheep-stealing, henhouse-raiding, obnoxious, rude, and violent. Goblins would actually agree with all this, and might throw in 'cowardly' and 'lazy,' too, for good measure. But goblins don't go around killing people for fun, no matter what the propaganda posters say. And when a confrontation with an evil wizard lands a troop of nine goblins deep behind enemy lines, goblin sergeant Nessilka must figure out how to keep her hapless band together and get them home in one piece. Unfortunately, between them and safety lies a forest full of elves, trolls, monsters, and that most terrifying of creatures -a human being.

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