Physical action and heroic characters who rescue others from danger or inevitable doom are used in adventure stories. The adventure fiction genre is fast-paced and typically revolves around a protagonist who finds himself dangerous or risky. Romance, security thrillers, military adventures, and Westerns all fall under the umbrella of adventure fiction. Adventure is still present in science fiction novels.

In adventure novels, antagonists are usually incredibly evil, so readers are desperate for the hero or heroine to kill them. In superhero adventure stories, villains have no respect for human life and are motivated by self-serving motives such as an insatiable appetite for strength, glory, or money. Despite the fact that adventure fiction protagonists have faults and sometimes change during the novel, the genre has clearly identified good and bad guys.