Adventure stories are dominated by action.
They involve danger, risk, and excitement.
The action is fast-paced.
Adventure stories are sometimes set in exotic or distant places as in Kipling’s Kim (India), Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines (Africa), or Ballantyne’s Coral Island (the south Pacific).
Events in an adventure story are more remarkable and extraordinary than in everyday life.
The protagonist in adventure stories has traditionally been male, but that is changing.
The protagonist can be of extraordinary stature.
Empire-building is frequently associated with earlier adventure stories.