As September closes and we get ready for the spooky fun of October, there is still some time to get in a few quick afternoon book adventures for the sheer love of reading.

Here are three old school science fiction or fantasy tales that will take you on an adventure in less than 300 pages:

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells (1895)

It’s mind blowing how a story of less than 100 pages has been the sources of so many other things from movies to modern novels to comics, but Wells’ The Time Machine is a compelling, exciting cautionary tale of the Time Traveler’s leap into the future, for the purpose of proving his theory to other guests at a gathering. That’s the poorly explained plot, but there is much more happening in the thin volume. Humans are split into two species thousands of years into the future. His escape from that time jumps into witnessing a glimpse of the end of the Earth before returning to the other guests…briefly. It seems so simple, but the book’s brevity is what keeps it interesting. We might all know the story, but take some time to read it if you haven’t.

Solomon Kane: Skulls In the Stars by Robert E. Howard (1928)

Before The Witcher and The Winchester Brothers, there was Solomon Kane. This was one of Conan creator Robert E. Howard’s other popular characters, and one I enjoy more. I realize Howard didn’t exactly write with a romantic sexy hero for girls like me in mind, but the Puritan who wanders alone fighting evil is a bit more appealing to me than the bulky barbarian. This particular Kane tale, first written for Weird Tales, is maybe like 20 pages long, but it can be found in many paperback compilations of Kane stories. It is a good lunch hour or before bed read, and gives you solid peek at what Soloman Kane is all about. While the stoic and reclusive Kane travels to Torkertown, he is warned not to head down a creepy moor road. He does, of course, and he encounters some horrific ghostly supernatural evil. That’s the nuts and bolts of a Kane story, but he is so much fun to cheer on. I do recommend getting an anthology of Kane’s adventures if you can find one, because you will want to read more.

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne (1864)

While Wells takes us into the distant future, Verne takes us far into the past with Otto Lidenbrock and companions’ journey down and Icelandic volcano into the Earth’s center. Any tale that starts with a mysterious old paper guiding the protagonist into a new adventure is attention grabbing, but when you count prehistoric encounters and fights against strange and dangerous environments, its even better. My only big problem with this story is it set off my natural claustrophobia in a huge way. As cool as the adventure down below the surface seemed, I kept wanted to claw my way back up above ground. When a book can make you feel like that while you are sitting under a big blue desert sky, you know it’s well written. Skip any new movie adaptation. It just can’t compete.

We’ve learned from reboots, remakes and AI-written stories not everything new is better, but these classics remain eternally cool. Pick up a good book this week and escape through the magic of reading to other times and worlds for an afternoon.