Techno-thriller

Techno-thrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from spy thrillers, war novels, and science fiction. They include a disproportionate amount (relative to other genres) of technical detail on its subject matter; only science fiction tends towards a comparable level of supporting detail on the technical side. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration. They are often criticised for overwhelming the human characters with machinery.

Significant techno-thriller authors and works

• Tom Clancy
• The Hunt for Red October — submarine technology, espionage
• Red Storm Rising — a (conventional) third world war fought in Europe between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces, military technology
• Rainbow Six — modern anti-terrorism operations
• Larry Bond
• Red Phoenix — the Korean war revisited from the point of view of an F-16 pilot.
• Vortex — a South African war that spreads to neighboring nations and ultimately involves Cuba and the United States.
• Patrick Robinson
• Nimitz Class — submarine technology
• Kilo Class — submarine technology, U.S. Navy SEALs
• H.M.S. Unseen
• U.S.S. Seawolf — submarine technology, espionage, U.S. Navy SEALs
• The Shark Mutiny
• Barracuda 945
• Scimitar SL-2
• Hunter Killer
• Dale Brown
• Flight of the Old Dog — a thriller based around the crew of a B-52
• Eric L. Harry
• Philip Kerr
• The Grid — architecture, smart-building technology, feng shui
• A Philosophical Investigation — speculative neuropathology, philosophy, gender and criminal investigation
• The Second Angel
• Michael Crichton
• The Andromeda Strain — plague
• Jurassic Park — cloning, dinosaurs
• Prey — nanotechnology
• Clive Cussler
• James H. Cobb
• Caleb Carr
• Killing Time (set in mid-21st century)
• Ralph Peters
• Red Army
• The War in 2020
• Dead Hand