Well, hello there, you clever clue-hunter! 🕵️♂️ Dust off your fedora and grab your decoder ring, because I’ve got a hunch you’ve just raced through National Treasure—you know, that movie where Nic Cage turns history into a heart-pounding scavenger hunt? Oh man, I’m still buzzing from the first time I watched it, sprawled on my buddy’s couch with a bowl of popcorn, yelling “No way!” at every twist.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably craving more of that treasure-chasing, riddle-solving, history-twisting goodness—except, uh, in book form this time! I’ve been on a mission (cue dramatic music) to unearth some reads that’ll give you that same rush—like secret maps tucked between pages. So, let’s crack this vault wide open and dig into some literary loot together—yahoo, it’s gonna be a blast!
Why Books Like National Treasure?
National Treasure is an American historical adventure movie based on a book series. The series comprises two movies: National Treasure (2004) and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007).
The first movie is pretty formulaic. Nicolas Cage is trying to clear the name of his great-grandfather, who is like the court and is potentially caught up in the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. He has to kidnap the president to access the secret presidential book to find this ancient lost city of gold. Somehow, that will prove his father’s or his grandfather’s innocence.
Books like National Treasure cover historical events, facts, and myths, providing readers with a rich history of the past. This can educate and pique interest in various historical periods and figures. These stories’ puzzles, riddles, and codes require us to think and deduce alongside the protagonists. The central theme of treasure hunting can be metaphorical, inspiring us to pursue our quests, whether seeking knowledge, personal growth, or real-world adventures.
7 Books Like National Treasure (Historical Adventure)
Beyond the adventure and mystery, National Treasure touches on universal themes like trust, betrayal, love, sacrifice, and the quest for truth, making them relatable on multiple levels. National Treasure follows the main character, and the plot involves Nicolas Cage playing Benjamin Gates Benjamin Franklin Gayton. Since he was a boy, he was always interested in the history of America. One day, he’s out looking for a key and finds it.
Also, it turns out that the guy who becomes the villain tries to steal the Declaration of Independence. It is because there’s a treasure map on the back of it revealing treasure. If you enjoy treasure-hunting stories, you will love these seven books like National Treasure. These books are typically filled with action, suspense, and thrilling sequences. They transport you to various locales, from ancient temples to modern-day cities, offering an adventurous escape from daily life. Let’s go!
| Name | Tropes | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|
| The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown | Ancient Conspiracy, Secret Society, Symbology, Hidden in Plain Sight, Race Against the Clock, Mentor-Mentee Relationship, Red Herring, Twist Ending, Academic Adventure, Damsel in Distress, Secret History, Unexpected Villain, Arcane Mysteries, Intellectual Action Hero, Code Breaking, Rituals, Moral Dilemma, Sacred Geometry, Enlightened Antagonist, Betrayal. | Unraveling Masonic secrets in Washington D.C.’s architectural landmarks. |
| Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne | Lost World, Subterranean Adventure, Science Fiction, Professor-Student Dynamic, Mysterious Manuscript, Determined Explorer, Scientific Expedition, Hidden Civilizations, Prehistoric Creatures, Natural Wonders, Perilous Journey, Underground Oceans, Volcanic Escape, Language Barrier, Uncharted Territories, Intrepid Crew, Sense of Wonder, Stranded, Resourceful Survival. | A perilous expedition into Earth’s depths through an Icelandic volcano. |
| Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston | Supernatural Elements, Occult Practices, Detective Duo, Unexplained Murder, Voodoo, Secret Societies, Dark Rituals, Skepticism vs. Belief, Urban Legends, Mysterious Cult, Conspiracy, Unexpected Allies, Chasing Clues, Investigative Adventure, Dark Underworld, Revenge Motive, Prodigal Friend, Ethical Dilemmas, Unearthly Phenomena, Macabre Setting. | Investigating a murder entwined with New York’s voodoo underworld. |
| The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith | Historical Mystery, Dual Timelines, Archaeological Adventure, Treasure Hunt, Ancient Egypt, Modern-Day Pursuit, Deadly Rivals, Hieroglyphic Clues, Romance Amid Danger, Buried Pharaoh, Merciless Antagonist, Daring Escapades, Vengeful Pursuit, Cultural Legacy, Moral Ambiguity, Loyalty and Betrayal, Exotic Locations, Timeless Love, Quest for Power, Race Against Time. | Modern-day treasure hunt for an ancient Egyptian tomb guided by a mysterious scroll. |
| 1491 by Charles C. Mann | Pre-Columbian Societies, Historical Revisionism, Untold History, Advanced Civilizations, Ecological Manipulation, Native American Cultures, Lost Cities, Agricultural Innovations, Population Estimates, Indigenous Empires, Epidemic Aftermath, Cultural Exchange, Debunked Theories, Uncharted Territories, Ancient Traditions, Advanced Technologies, Misunderstood Cultures, Genetic Legacy, Linguistic Diversity, Environmental Impact. | Revealing the sophisticated pre-Columbian Americas before European contact. |
| The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown | Secret Society, Historical Conspiracy, Code Breaking, Symbology, Religious Intrigue, Artistic Clues, Chase Across Europe, Unexpected Ally, Twist Ending, Academic Adventure, Sacred Feminine, Murder Mystery, Ancient Bloodline, Church Controversy, Mentor’s Secret, Symbolic Landmarks, Puzzling Artifacts, Intellectual Action Hero, Dangerous Pursuit, Revealed Truths. | Deciphering art and history to uncover Christianity’s hidden secrets. |
| The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury | Templar Knights, Historical Mystery, Dual Timelines, Religious Conspiracy, Archaeological Quest, Modern-Day Adventure, Ancient Secrets, Vatican Intrigue, Lost Treasure, Cryptic Clues, Templar Legacy, Dangerous Pursuit, Betrayal and Loyalty, Church Secrets, Templar Disappearance, Moral Dilemmas, Secret History, Unlikely Allies, Urban Legend, Hidden Agenda. | A quest to unravel Templar mysteries bridging medieval history and modern intrigue. |
1. The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown is a Young Adult mystery thriller novelist, and this is the third book in the Robert Langdon series. However, you do not have to read this series continually. It’s mostly a companion series with the same main character in each one. This novel opens with Robert Langdon, a Harvard art history and symbology professor. Moreover, he is summoned by his good friend and colleague, Peter Solomon, to the United States capital to lecture.
When he gets there, all things go down. He realizes that he was manipulated into coming to the capital and that his friend is missing. So he is in the capital when all of this crazy stuff happens. He gets involved with the CIA with this organization called the Freemasons and a lot of other cool historical stuff going down. The plot was twisty and a lot of fun. Dan Brown incorporates a lot of historical accuracy into his fictional works. So, all of these secret societies, places, and organizations are real, even though the events in this book are fictional.
Like National Treasure, there’s a character that knows nothing about symbols. She wanted to know everything, which seemed convenient to explain to the reader to have Robert Langdon go on for paragraphs and paragraphs about intricate symbols and how they were used throughout history. Some of that was interesting but long and brought me out of the reading experience.
Author: Dan Brown
Average Rating: 4.3/5
Category: Historical Thrillers
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Mass Market Paperback
2. Journey to the Center of the Earth
It is an old science fiction that was written back in the 60s. Further, it is about a young man who is a meteorologist and his uncle, a meteorologist. They come across this old Icelandic book. Inside the book is this message from an old Icelandic philosopher-scientist guy. It tells them that once they decode it, it is possible to travel to the center of the Earth. So, the uncle is a super enthusiastic scientist who wants to try all these crazy things.
It’s about realizing they need to go on this journey and then making it. A few things about the journey were a little bit unbelievable. For example, the professor, the main character’s uncle, is brilliant and confident. But he makes this decision when they first go on their expedition that he’s not going to bring much water like they bring tons of food and gin. So, it is inspiring to see how they survive in unhealthy and dangerous environments. Like National Treasure, this middle-grade book is a must-read for adventure lovers.
Author: Jules Verne
Average Rating: 4.4/5
Category: Classic Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Mass Market Paperback
3. Cemetery Dance
This book is the ninth book in the Agent Pendergast series. William Smithback is killed in our first scene. He is a newspaper reporter who has been there from the start. The problem is the videotapes. The security camera footage from his apartment building in New York seemed to show that his neighbor murdered him, but his neighbor’s dead and in the morgue.
We start this book out with a beautiful zombie story. Will and Nora are in trouble. It is the story of a voodoo cult hidden in the middle of New York City and how they have created zombies that are now out and killing the population of New York City. The story moves along reasonably, and things are always happening as National Treasure. You get this history of this culture and the storytelling of supernatural elements and how it destroys people.
Author: Douglas Preston
Average Rating: 4.6/5
Category: Occult Fiction, Police Procedural Mysteries
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Mass Market Paperback
4. The Seventh Scroll: Ancient Egypt
This book was published in 1995, representing the second book of the Egyptian series. The main characters are Sir Nicholas Quenton-Harper and Royan Al Simma. Sir Nicholas is an adventurer of antiquities, a rich man with financial troubles. Royan is an archaeologist, lover of her homeland, and proud of her work. Her homeland is Egypt. They are attacked, and their treasure is stolen. Royan contacts an old friend of Sir Nicholas because she wants to discover the stone.
So Nicholas and Royan traveled together to Ethiopia to discover the stone. The two characters fall in love. They find the location of the town, but they are attacked. So they return to England to discover the treasure and recover as many items as possible. With the help of Nicholas’s two old friends, they found a big treasure. In National Treasure, we see the same journey and ancient vibe.
Author: Wilbur Smith
Average Rating: 4.7/5
Category: Historical Fantasy, Action & Adventure
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Mass Market Paperback
5. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
1491 sets out to correct what the author, Charles Mann, calls Holmberg’s Mistake. It is understood that Native American cultures in the Americas were limited to small groups of hunter-gatherers or nomadic tribes living in a vast, untamed wilderness. It is called Holmberg’s Mistake because this understanding of Native Americans assumes that white explorers and settlers encounter these people.
There were large, sprawling civilizations with tens of thousands of people. That had been recently decimated by disease, brought over unknowingly, mostly by Europeans. This disease outpaced the rate of exploration by the Europeans, such that they encountered new civilizations and societies. These diseases had already ravaged those societies.
It’s estimated that 90 percent of people in the Americas died from contact with Europeans. Man makes the analogy of making assumptions about Indian cultures based on their view of a massive pandemic. Also, societal collapse is like making assumptions about the survival of survivors of the Holocaust based on how they looked once concentration camps were liberated.
So, the man then talks about a large variety of the civilizations present at the time of Europeans. The book goes through three main questions that archaeologists and academics have been trying to understand about people living in the Americas. The first question is, how many people were there before Europeans came to the Americas? The second question is, how long have those people been in the Americas? The third question is how did those people work within or in their environment?
All three of these are fascinating questions, and the author goes into much detail about the academic discourse about the number of people living in the Americas. Indians consciously shaped the environment to allow for the bigger game and the types of food and plants they wanted to grow. Also, they let them practice the type of agriculture they wanted to do.
It extended across the entire North American continent through the practice of controlled burns to clear out the plants that weren’t wanted and to cultivate. Similarly, Amazonia is the other area that man focuses on heavily to answer this question of how many native societies impacted their environment.
Author: Charles C. Mann
Average Rating: 4.6/5
Category: Native American History, Ecology
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
6. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Much like “National Treasure,” this survival romance novel focuses on historical riddles, ancient societies, and conspiracy theories. Robert Langdon is a symbology professor plunged into a mysterious and perilous adventure. He’s summoned to the Louvre Museum in Paris to examine a series of cryptic symbols related to Da Vinci’s artwork. The clues unearthed lead Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu on a thrilling chase across Europe, deep into the secrets of the Priory of Sion, the Holy Grail, and the true identity of Mary Magdalene.
The pace is rapid, with a blend of intellect and action that keeps readers on their toes. While “National Treasure” primarily revolves around American history, “The Da Vinci Code” focuses on Christian and European history.
7. The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury
The Last Templar is a bestselling novel that features the enduring mysteries and myths surrounding the Knights Templar. When a group of horsemen dressed as Knights Templar storm New York’s Metropolitan Museum, stealing an artifact and leaving a cryptic message, archaeologist Tess Chaykin and FBI agent Sean Reilly are drawn into a treacherous game. They go on a journey to discover the lost secret of the Templars—a treasure that has been hidden for centuries.
The blend of historical mystery, thrilling action, and a modern quest for ancient secrets is reminiscent of “National Treasure.” The Knights Templar, much like the Freemasons in the film, are at the heart of many historical conspiracy theories. The book’s narrative alternates between the Crusades and modern-day events, providing a dual timeline that adds layers to the story.
5 Romance Books That’ll Make You Feel Like a Love-Struck Indiana Jones
1. “The Lost Codex” by Heather Lyons
The Vibe: A historian and a rogue art thief team up to find a stolen manuscript that could rewrite history. Cue: secret societies, Parisian catacombs, and “oops, we have to share a bed” tension.
Why It’s a Gem: Lyons mixes academic rivals-to-lovers with Da Vinci Code-level puzzles. The chemistry? As electric as a hidden booby trap.
Personal Take: I read this in one sitting and now side-eye every library archive. What secrets are YOU hiding, Dewey Decimal System? 📜💋
2. “The Atlas Six” by Olivie Blake
The Vibe: Dark academia meets magical heist. Six geniuses are recruited to protect ancient knowledge—but betrayal, lust, and morally gray magic threaten to destroy them.
Why It’s a Gem: Imagine the Archives heist in National Treasure, but with more existential dread and enemies-to-lovers angst.
Personal Take: This book made me want to join a secret society… or at least buy a cool cloak. 🧙♂️🔮
3. “The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry” by C.M. Waggoner
The Vibe: A firecracker con artist and a stoic lady inventor hunt down a magical artifact while dodging undead assassins. Sapphic pining + Victorian heists = YES.
Why It’s a Gem: It’s National Treasure if Ben Gates were a queer, sarcastic witch with a knack for explosions.
Personal Take: I’d follow these chaotic heroines into any crypt. (But I’d bring snacks.) 💣👭
4. “The Duke Heist” by Erica Ridley
The Vibe: Historical romance where a scrappy thief family steals a priceless painting… and the straitlaced duke hunting them down falls for their rebellious daughter.
Why It’s a Gem: Banter, heists, and a romance that’s hotter than a stolen diamond. Plus, actual art history nerdery.
Personal Take: This book made me Google “how to pick a lock” at 2 AM. For research. 🔐🎨
5. “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern
The Vibe: A magical competition between two illusionists, set in a circus that appears out of nowhere. Their forbidden love is as intricate as the riddles hiding the circus’s secrets.
Why It’s a Gem: The lush, puzzle-box storytelling feels like decoding a love letter written in smoke and starlight.
Personal Take: I’m still trying to figure out how to join this circus. Do they take resumes? 🎪✨
Last Words
Finally, we’ve decoded the last clue and made it to the end, huh? 🎉 I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to kick back with a cold drink after all that mental treasure-hunting—maybe pretend I’m Ben Gates for a sec while I’m at it. Heh, yeah right, I’d probably lose the map in five minutes!
These books, though? Total gold. I hope you’ve nabbed one that’s got you itching to flip pages faster than Riley hacks a security system. Which one’s your jackpot? Drop me a line—I’m all ears for your treasure tales! ‘Til our next wild goose chase, keep your eyes peeled for adventure, you brilliant history heister. Catch ya later—stay sneaky! 🗝️📚
More Classics Adventure Books:
Adventure Books Like Indiana Jones
Survival Books Like Into Thin Air
Adventurous Survival Romance Books
Mystery Books Like The Inheritance Games
Adventurous Books About Kit Carson
Mystery Thriller Books Like Behind Closed Doors
Survival Books Like Life of Pi
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