The Last Monster by Dan Walker

Today on the blog, I have a very exciting post for you. As part of the blog tour for The Last Monster by Dan Walker, I have an interesting piece from the author himself, all about his favourite adventure books. Now, over to Dan...

Asking someone to pick their favourite books is like asking someone to pick a single sweet from a bag of their favourites – it’s possible, but you’d rather have them all!

Narrowing down a list of five adventure books was, therefore, very difficult. But I’m confident that if you pick up any of the below you are likely to have a good time.

The Hobbit

Still one of my favourite books. J. R. R. Tolkien’s story of the little hobbit Bilbo Baggins and his adventure with Gandalf and the dwarves to the Lonely Mountain to try and take back their home from the dragon Smaug is a classic for a reason. Full of adventure, a wonderful world and characters that you really care about. If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for?

Northern Lights

Almost the modern(ish) equivalent of The Hobbit, Northern Lights tells the story of young Lyra and her adventure to try and rescue her best friend Roger, who’s been kidnapped. Another book stuffed with memorable characters (Iorek, anyone?) delicious villains who aren’t always what they seem and fantastical places, this is a series for anyone.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

A slightly older book by one of my favourite authors, Mark Twain. It tells the story of young boy with a big heart, and his journey with the slave Jim to find freedom. Equal parts hilarious, sad and thought-provoking, it’s an exciting story with a very serious message. Well worth reading today.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

I read a lot of books as a kid and have forgotten 99% of them. But one that will always stick with me is C. S. Lewis’ classic. As modern authors, fed on a diet of movies and games as well as books, we can sometimes forget what the imaginative world of a child is like. TLtWatW always reminds me that an ice world through a wardrobe is more than exciting enough to kick a story off. The rest is just icing on the cake.

Jurassic Park

I’m going to allow myself one books for adults here, as it was the first adult book I read, and led me onto a lifetime of reading. Michael Crichton was a master of the What if…? kind of plot and I think this is probably his best. What if dinosaurs were brought back to life and put in a theme park on an island? Bad things will happen, is the answer, and it’s a hell of an adventure!

I already have my copy of Last Monster which was just released on 4th August and I can't wait to read it! You can read my review of book 1 - The Light Hunters, and read on for a bit more information about book 2...

Book Summary

The Light Hunters have fought Monsters for centuries and Squad Juno are the very best at it. From cities to villages, the young group’s abilities are on show for all to see now that their powers don’t have to be used in secret. Every victory they have prevents a Monster from taking more victims, preventing more loss. Lux Dowd, Squad Juno’s healer, has had more than enough loss ... But a more immediate loss is that of his powers. Lux can’t – or won’t – heal his teammates. Whenever he tries, a terrible energy comes from within and hurts the people around him. Lux can’t afford to lose anymore of those he cares about. Sent on a mission that could end their war against the Monsters, the Light Hunters soon find themselves making new allies in their quest to unearth an Ancient secret that may be able to stop the attacks. Could this really be the last monster they fight?