| There are a myriad of subgenres of thriller, with new ones being invented all the time. Here are a few of the subgenres, with sample books. Most of the subgenres will cross over into other subgenres. | |
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Action-Adventure ThrillerTreasure hunt, search for a lost archeological site, the world's lost meteorite, a mystery lost to time--action-adventure brings back our childhood fantasies of being the adventurer. This is also one of the hardest subgenres of thriller to write because of the amount of action required. |
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Disaster ThrillerAny kind of disaster that can affect lots of people--a dam bursting, a tornado sweeping through Los Angeles, a luxury cruise liner sinking ... |
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Historical ThrillerThrillers set in the past, usually combined with other subgenres. This particular subgenre is rather uncommon. |
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Medical ThrillerRobin Cook introduced us to the medical thriller, where modern medical technology that is supposed to help people is morphed into something deadly. |
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Religious ThrillerPopularized by the blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, this subgenre uses the rich and long history of religion to build stories with high stakes and deadly politics. |
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Serial Killer ThrillerThis is an extremely popular subgenre of thriller. In this subgenre, a serial killer is terrorizing a group of people with horrific violence. The detective's goal is to stop the killer before he takes his next victim. |
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Techno ThrillerWhen people talk about thriller, the first thing they usually think of is a techno thriller like Tom Clancy's books. In techno-thrillers, the technology drives the plot, whether it's new military technology for a submarine or forensics. |