Cover image of "Daemon," one of the best techno-thrillers

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Here you’ll find my candidates for the nine best among the more than three dozen techno-thrillers I’ve read and reviewed. Of course, you might ask what qualifies a novel to be called a techno-thriller. Definitions seem to vary. But mine is that it’s a story in which technology is at the root of great peril threatening human life. Biotech. AI. Neuroscience. Or high tech of any sort. But I add a further criterion to the definition. For me, a techno-thriller must be grounded in known science. It might represent far-future developments. But the technology portrayed must be credibly linked to the principles of physics and biology. Hard science fiction, in other words.

I’ve grouped the titles below according to my rating. The top nine come first, followed by other books I awarded five stars but didn’t think rated inclusion in the very top category. Then come the other titles, first the four-star books, then the few I gave three stars. I haven’t included anything with a lower rating. Within each list the books appear in alphabetical order of the authors’ surnames. 

Please note that I haven’t included more than one book from any author among the top seven titles, even if a sequel or some other work might have merited inclusion. 

The best techno-thrillers

Semiosis (Semiosis Duology #1) by Sue Burke (2018) 326 pages ★★★★★—In a unique first contact story, human colonists learn that plants can think

Harvest by Tess Gerritsen (1996) 372 pages ★★★★★—A classic medical thriller about organ transplants

The Fear Index by Robert Harris (2011) 404 pages ★★★★★—A taut thriller about the world of multibillion-dollar hedge funds

Cold Storage by David Koepp (2019) 304 pages ★★★★★—A biological thriller that may keep you up at night

Going Zero by Anthony McCarten (2023) 303 pages ★★★★★—The CIA and a Facebook look-alike join forces in surveillance

Nexus (Nexus Trilogy #1) by Ramez Naam (2013) 404 pages ★★★★★—The post-human future explored in an outstanding SF novel

Cover image of "Limit of Vision," one of the best techno thrillers

Limit of Vision by Linda Nagata (2001) 368 pages ★★★★★—When nanotechnology and genetic engineering merge

Daemon (Daemon #1 of 2) by Daniel Suarez (2006) 632 pages ★★★★★—It’s not general artificial intelligence. But it’s taking over, anyway.

Children of Time (Children of Time #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2015) 513 pages ★★★★★—Accelerated evolution is the theme in a superior science fiction novel

Runners-up to the top techno-thrillers

Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam Trilogy #1) by Margaret Atwood (2003) 402 pages ★★★★★—Margaret Atwood’s brilliant dystopian fiction

Retrograde (Retrograde #1) by Peter Cawdron (2017) 259 pages ★★★★★—What life on Mars would really be like

Reentry (Retrograde #2) by Peter Cawdron (2019) 304 pages ★★★★★—A fast-paced science fiction thriller grounded in believable science

Upgrade by Blake Crouch (2022) 352 pages ★★★★★—Gene editing is a federal crime in this near-future thriller

Crux (Nexus Trilogy #2) by Ramez Naam (2015) 624 pages ★★★★★—Not a single dull page in this science-based sci-fi thriller

Autonomous by Annalee Newitz (2017) 298 pages ★★★★★—In 2144, Arctic resorts, autonomous robots, and killer drugs

Absence of Mind by H.C.H. Ritz (2015) 321 pages ★★★★★—In this original sci-fi technothriller, technology meets neuroscience

Influx by Daniel Suarez (2014) 417 pages ★★★★★—Down becomes up in this clever hard science thriller

Delta-V (Delta-V #1) by Daniel Suarez (2019) 447 pages ★★★★★—A brilliant hard science fiction novel about asteroid mining

Techno-thrillers rated four stars

Blood Music by Greg Bear (1985) 262 pages ★★★★☆—A biological technothriller about genetic engineering

Darwin’s Radio (Darwin #1 of 2) by Greg Bear (1999) 544 pages ★★★★☆—A brilliant novel about fast-tracked evolution

Darwin’s Children (Darwin #2 of 2) by Greg Bear (2002) 512 pages ★★★★☆—A novel view of the posthuman future

Reentry (Retrograde #2) by Peter Cawdron (2019) 304 pages ★★★★★—A fast-paced science fiction thriller grounded in believable science

Next by Michael Crichton (2006) 560 pages ★★★★☆—A fast-moving thriller about genetic engineering

The Andromeda Evolution by Michael Crichton and Daniel H. Wilson (2019) 383 pages ★★★★☆—Michael Crichton comes back to life in a new techno-thriller

Grandfather Anonymous (Old Code #1 of 5) by Anthony W. Eichenlaub (2020) 402 pages ★★★★☆—A dangerous old man in dystopia

Solar Storm: Moon Base Delta (Moon Base Delta #1) by Gerald M. Kilby (2022) 338 pages ★★★★☆— A solar storm imperils life on Earth, in space, and on the moon

An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King (2017) 296 pages ★★★★☆—A great science fiction novel set in a future totalitarian China

Spliced (Spliced #1 of 3) by Jon McGoran (2017) 370 pages ★★★★☆—A YA novel about biological innovation run wild

Apex (Nexus Trilogy #3) by Ramez Naam (2015) 608 pages ★★★★☆—In a brilliant sci-fi trilogy, a new post-human species emerges

Dead on Arrival by Matt Richtel (2017) 309 pages ★★★★☆—Neurology meets high-tech in this gripping science fiction novel

Darwin’s Cipher by M. A. Rothman (2019) 374 pages ★★★★☆—Genetic research goes awry in this chilling science fiction novel

Resistant by Rachel Sparks (2018) 216 pages ★★★★☆—Resistant germs threaten humanity in this doomsday thriller

Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez (2012) 514 pages ★★★★☆—Killer drones menace the USA in this military technothriller

Critical Mass (Delta-V #2) by Daniel Suarez (2023) 464 pages ★★★★☆—This is humanity’s future in space

The Genius Plague by David Walton (2017) 386 pages ★★★★☆—A suspenseful science fiction novel . . . about mushrooms?

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson (2011) 416 pages ★★★★☆—Outstanding speculative novel about one possible future

Amped by Daniel H. Wilson (2012) 288 pages ★★★★☆—Want to buy a brain implant? Think twice

The End of October by Lawrence Wright (2020) 400 pages ★★★★☆—An all-too timely thriller about a pandemic

Techno-thrillers rated three stars

Brain Wave by Poul Anderson (1954) 199 pages ★★★☆☆—How would you behave if your IQ suddenly doubles?

Interference (Semiosis Duology #2) by Sue Burke (2019) 315 pages ★★★☆☆—Humans, intelligent plants, brilliant insects, and that’s not all!

Lock In: A Novel of the Near Future by John Scalzi (2014) 337 pages ★★★☆☆—John Scalzi’s near future sci-fi novel set after a strange pandemic

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