100 Must-Read Quests

Transformations begin with a moment. A clue uncovered; a task charged; a revelation. Unexpected elements prompt moves into the as-yet unknown, from where one never returns exactly as they left. These books are replete with tales of such epic quests, and include both fiction and non-fiction offerings. Some are family searches, plumbing genealogies, faded pictures, and myths for a fuller sense of self through the past; some are searches for artifacts so coveted they’d make Indiana Jones faint. From Mordor to Mumbai, from unmapped space and unknown planets to once-fled from hometowns; between dimensions and into the grey areas of our memories; out of the South toward hoped-for opportunities, and back to a South where equality is still denied; down staircases that unwind into seeming infinity, and on the slow climb toward the American presidency; into future landscapes we’d be wise to avoid, and toward a clearer vision of a past we can’t undo; out of fairylands, toward the Emerald City, and back to the remnants of myths again, these books set their seekers down uncertain paths and transform everything in the course of the journey. These are exciting, revelatory, inspiring, and upending stories—and are presented, let it be known, in no particular order, so please don’t treat number assignments as a map. Instead, find what intrigues you, and forge your own path of discovery, one page at a time. FICTION

1. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead
2. Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne
3. Dreams of Maryam Tair, Mhani Alaoui