techno-thriller
High-stakes hacking fiction
A techno-thriller is a thriller novel or film emphasizing technology—military hardware, espionage systems, cyberwarfare, or scientific developments—as central to the plot.
The genre features detailed technical descriptions alongside action and suspense: Tom Clancy's techno-thrillers made submarine warfare fascinating.
The technology often drives both the threat and its resolution.
Covert information gatherer
- CIAU.S. foreign intelligence service
- MossadIsraeli espionage service
- MI6UK espionage agency
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
undercover · intelligence · operative · covert · infiltration · counterintelligence · mole · handler
Infiltrating protected digital systems
- cyberattackMalicious digital intrusion
- malwareHarmful computer programs
- encryptionConverting data into code
- firewallNetwork access control system
virus · nuclear · satellite · submarine · stealth · drone · bioweapon · EMP
Storyline or land parcel
- protagonistStory's central figure
- antagonistOne who opposes another
- conspiracyClandestine coordinated scheming
- countdownBackward enumeration to zero
stakes · cover-up · whistleblower · betrayal · double-cross · extraction · manhunt · assassination
Irish surname, often male
- FlynnIrish family name
- ThorGermanic thunder deity
- bestsellerHigh-volume publication
- page-turnerCompulsively readable book
Crichton · Baldacci · action · suspense · franchise · sequel · blockbuster · paperback
spy
Covert information gatherer
surveillance · undercover · intelligence · operative · covert · infiltration · counterintelligence · mole · handler · dead-drop
hacking
Infiltrating protected digital systems
- cyberattackMalicious digital intrusion
- malwareHarmful computer programs
- encryptionConverting data into code
firewall · virus · nuclear · satellite · submarine · stealth · drone · bioweapon · EMP · missile
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- protagonistStory's central figure
- antagonistOne who opposes another
- conspiracyClandestine coordinated scheming
countdown · stakes · cover-up · whistleblower · betrayal · double-cross · extraction · manhunt · assassination · terrorist
Clancy
Irish surname, often male
- FlynnIrish family name
- ThorGermanic thunder deity
- bestsellerHigh-volume publication
Crichton · Baldacci · page-turner · action · suspense · franchise · sequel · blockbuster · paperback · series
- booksnovel, textbooks, study guides, book, paperback
- genresaction, comedy, detective fiction, fantasy, horror
- mystery fictionwhodunit, whodunnit, sleuth, murder mystery, detective novel
- fiction genresfiction, fantasy, novel, horror, thrillers
- thrillerssuspense, nail-biter, page-turner, cliffhanger, plot twist
- genre fictionhigh fantasy, detective fiction, low fantasy, spy fiction, dark fantasy
techno-thrillercozy mystery
Low-violence amateur sleuth genre
slice-of-life · literary fiction · beach read · domestic drama · women's fiction
techno-thrillerhistorical romance
Love story set historically
medieval fantasy · folk tale · fairy tale · myth · Western
techno-thrillerliterary fiction
Prose emphasizing craft and depth
character study · lyrical prose · stream of consciousness · experimental fiction · prose poetry