Last week I encountered a book by Frank Heller. The Secret Empress is an action-thriller set in China. It follows the story of a former CIA agent who finds himself in a complex situation involving a boy, a son of a murdered deputy minister. Joe Wilder made a promise to the boy’s mother that he would safely get the boy to America. The only problem is most drug lords, gangs, and criminals in China are after him and the boy. The Secret Empress is a high-octane read we rarely encounter these days, as far as action-thrillers are concerned. And it made me think about the state of the action-thriller genre over the past ten years. It seems that not too many books with the same theme as Heller’s are being published recently. This dangerous quest on Secret Empress book is the type of action we’ve been missing lately. Action-thrillers are some of the most exciting and entertaining reads, and I wonder what other things I have missed these past years, mostly reading high-fantasies and sci-fi.
Action Thrillers in the Last Ten Years
I did a little digging, and I observed the most action-thrillers released these past ten years mainly featured former military characters- Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, David Baldacci protagonists, as well as most of the characters from James Patterson’s books. Many action thrillers released between 2000 and 2020 carry themes of a one-man army, lone wolf persona, and leaning towards vigilante justice, except for war memoirs that featured squads or teams in combat action. Some works tackle military conspiracy or scandal, such as Jack Carr’s The Terminal List (2018) and Clive Cussler’s The Saboteurs (2020). Like Frank Heller’s The Secret Empress (set in Mainland China), many action-thrillers also feature other countries such as Panama, Eastern Europe, Japan, and Latin America. Despite these updates, the action-thriller genre is still on a steady decline these past few years. Most recently published works are romance novels, young adult literature, sci-fiction (with many subgenres), and high fantasy book series. While works from best-selling novelists such as Tom Clancy, Lee Child, Nelson DeMille, Jack Higgins, Vince Flynn, and Stephen Hunter continue to gain readership, there are not that many new and young authors of action-thrillers. This could also mean that the narratives of the past decade are limited and if so, this is a bit sad, especially for fans expecting new materials and stories to be told. Or it could be that new and upcoming writers are just out there waiting to be discovered, like Frank Heller and his refreshing narrative, The Secret Empress.
What Can We Expect This 2021?
If there is one thing that is constant in action-thrillers aside from its explosiveness and fast-paced narrative, the stories reflect the political and social realities of their times. After 9/11 and the War in Afghanistan, many works of literature were action thrillers that are directly or indirectly related to those two events. These past five or six years, a lot has happened- from the global pandemic to the recent military incidents in the Middle East and Southeast Asia and other international political crises. These could be great materials for new and seasoned authors. I can imagine new action-thriller narratives that have something to do with biochemical warfare, territorial disputes, and other geopolitical issues. We can safely expect new themes and plots from these recent collective experiences. Because that is what literature is all about, and action thrillers can tell these experiences in an exciting and enlightening way.
For more than a year, we struggled with covid, and many of us were confined in our homes, authors not exempted. I do not doubt that the months they have spent at home have been productive. That said, it is safe to assume that this year and in the coming years, readers are in for excellent and new stories, the ones that will reflect our struggle, the lessons, the values, and the victories we have achieved as a human race. Hopefully, the action-thriller genre will be at the forefront of this new era of storytelling.
Frank Heller is an author and a former hospital corpsman in the United States Navy. The Secret Empress is his debut novel. He is currently working on his next thriller story.
Oliver’s Twist 