The
thriller is a
genre of
fiction in which tough, resourceful, but essentially ordinary
heroes are pitted against
villains determined to destroy them, their
country, or the stability of the
free world. The hero of a typical thriller faces danger alone or in the company of a small band of companions. The protagonist may be a law enforcement agent, a journalist, or a
soldier, but typically he or she is cut off from the resources of "their" organization. More often the hero is an ordinary citizen drawn into danger and intrigue by circumstances beyond their control. Thrillers are typically
novels or
movies, though television series such as
Alias,
24,
The Sandbaggers and
Spooks also fall into this genre, along with such non-fiction bestsellers as
Holy Blood, Holy Grail and even
Fermat's Enigma,
Simon Singhs account of the conquest of Fermats Last Theorem. While thrillers constitute a distinct genre, they often incorporate elements of other genres such as
adventure,
detective fiction, and
espionage. A thriller includes suspense as an indispensable ingredient.
Novelists closely associated with the genre include:
Eric Ambler,
Desmond Bagley, John Buchan,
Frederick Forsyth,
Jack Higgins, Christopher Hyde,
Duncan Kyle,
Alistair MacLean,
Dan Brown and
Robert Ludlum.
Notable movie thrillers include:
The Thirty-Nine Steps,
The Lady Vanishes,
North by Northwest,
The Day of the Jackal,
Duel,
The Parallax View,
In the Line of Fire, and
Marathon Man.
See also
External link
Category:Fiction
de:Thriller