Ok hear me out here… for years I have enjoyed reading what could be called the sub-genre of books entitled techno-thrillers. I have spent hours and hours reading Michael Crichton books like Andromeda Strain and Airframe, plus Tom Clancy books like the classic Hunt for Red October. But are you noticing a trend here? All these books were written 30+ years ago… and let me tell you, they are dated! When I thought about it… it must be hard to come up with material for a techno-thriller now.
Imagine it’s 1000 AD. The Chinese have just invented gun powder and it is officially weaponized in AD 904. Over the next 1000 years, the use of gunpowder is dramatically altered. It takes almost 1000 years for the first handgun to come around.
But fast forward to the 1900’s. Technological innovation is on fire. In the 60’s, a cute little show called Star Trek comes out. In addition to space travel and communication with aliens, it features a TON of cool gadgets… not the least of which is a communicator. This handheld device could change lives. And it does; about 30 years later. In the next several decades, technological innovation takes off. You walk out of the store with a new computer and it’s obsolete a week later.
So that brings me to my question: is the techno-thriller dead because we are innovating faster than we can put books out? What are your thoughts? Please be nice here: I’m just opening this up for discussion. Don’t call me dumb if you have a different opinion. I just want to learn. Thanks all!
by dznyadct91
4 Comments
Stephen King published a book about the Covid vaccine, thinly veiled as a detective story.
To your point it feels like the innovations we see publicly and the innovations happening behind closed doors are kind of expanded more than before.
I may be misinterpreting the genre but I think three body problem is kind of a techno thriller. But if you are talking more “enemy of the state” some of the audience thinks they are actively living that now so it kind of feels like an awkward time. So maybe it’s just on hiatus until something revolutionary actually comes along; Because largely the a.i. angle turns into terminator usually.
I don’t know, is the answer.
I’m not sure if this is an appropriate post, but I just finished a novel. It’s along the lines of a book you might like. First novel, so not perfect. It took me 13 yrs to finish it. Work got in the way. If you’re interested, it’s called The Light of Yahtemus, it’s on Amazon.