Spy fiction

The spy fiction genre (sometimes called political thriller) arose before the World War I, at about the same time that the first modern intelligence agencies were being formed. Since its inception, the spy genre has usually enjoyed great popular success, although in the years following the end of the Cold War (the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989) readership waned. The 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States reversed that trend, reigniting readers' interest in the world at large. Seldom has this literary genre met with much critical acclaim, although there have been remarkably literate and politically insightful books published in it.

See also

• Espionage
• Secret agent
• SpyFi
• Spy film
• Thriller fiction