What is an Eco-Thriller?

When we write in a certain genre, we assume readers will know what we’re talking about. With so many genres and sub-genres these days, it’s an unfair assumption and one I’ve continued to make since 2020, when I wrote Unnatural Mayhem. All this time, it never occurred to me that I might be confusing readers. Then I opened an email from one of my readers who asked me to define the eco-thriller genre. Talk about a wake-up call. But y’know what? They’re right. I’ve never defined the genre. So, let’s change that.

Elements of an Eco-Thriller

The term “eco-thriller” means the protagonist is protecting and/or defending some aspect of the Natural World, environment, and the health of ecosystems for the betterment of all who live there, animals and humans alike. All eco-thrillers feature villains, often corporations, that put profit over the environment and human health, and include the following elements:

• High stakes
• Fast pace
• Action & adventure
• Driven and passionate main characters
• Twisty plotlines
• Lots of suspense and drama
• At least one central goal/cause

An eco-thriller focuses on an environmental calamity that may be worldwide in scope or will significantly change some aspect of Mother Earth. Often, the antagonists are greedy corporations. In my Mayhem Series, Killzme Corp is the largest animal trafficking ring in the country, with its members and clients engaged in despicable acts of poaching, trophy hunting, and trafficking. And I’ve had a blast killing them off one by one. I mean, um, my characters did, not me. 😉

In the past, a so-called “eco-thriller” dealt with catastrophic, worldwide, or science fiction/horror type calamities that revolved around the What if? question.

• What if animals fought back? James Patterson’s ZOO
• What if dinosaurs roamed the Earth again? Jurassic Park

That’s not at all what the genre is today.

Eco-thrillers have evolved in the last few decades.

Eco-thrillers are deeply meaningful, emotional, and insightful. With issues like climate change at the forefront and the public more aware of atrocities committed against animals and ecosystems — and how those things affect human life — the modern eco-thriller is here to stay.

Some use the category of “environmental thriller” as its own sub-genre, but many (including me) say environmental thriller and eco-thriller are the same genre. If we were to separate the two, we’d push the eco-thriller back decades, with the sci-fi, horror, or speculative What if? questions attached. It’s unfair to separate the two. Today, if an author classifies their books as environmental thrillers, you can safely assume they’re eco-thrillers. Because honestly, the old definition doesn’t fit the genre anymore. Which might be responsible for the confusion among readers.

An Eco-Thriller May Include Sub-Genres

At their core, the fast-paced action of an eco-thriller revolves around stopping an environmental or biological disaster, most often man-made and globally significant. The genre reflects important connections, dependencies, and interactions between humans and our Natural World. In my eco-thrillers, Shawnee and Mayhem set out to stop a hunt of some kind while being hunted themselves by the notorious Killzme Corporation. In Unnatural Mayhem, they found out about a crow hunt (gasp!). They discovered an enclosure of wolves and wolfdogs in Restless Mayhem. In Tracking Mayhem, they raced across the country to the Arctic to stop a polar bear hunt. And in Merciless Mayhem (more on that below) they try to prevent the capture of cetaceans (Orca, dolphins, and Beluga whales).

Sub-genres include:

• Mystery & Suspense
• Psychological Thriller
• Legal Thriller
• Vigilante Justice
• Metaphysical Thriller
• Sci-fi or Speculative Thriller
• Romantic Suspense

Savvy authors include these sub-genres in their marketing i.e. environmental legal thriller, psychological eco-thriller, or metaphysical eco-thriller.

The fascinating part about this genre is it evolves with the times. As new scientific findings about the climate and/or the extinction of species become more prevalent, eco-thriller authors cast wider nets. Meaning, environmental obstacles allow us to make broader points about the relationship between humanity and the planet within a fictional, entertainment-driven framework.

The mystery element allows us to express environmental misdeeds through the familiar format of crime, suspect, and investigation. Readers have the opportunity to learn about ecology as the characters do, without sacrificing the pace.

What we should never do is preach.

While eco-thriller authors are passionate about the subject(s) in each book, our opinions are irrelevant. The fast-paced plot must stay at the forefront. If an author wants to stand on a soapbox, they should write a nonfiction book instead. Just sayin’.

The eco-thriller acknowledges society’s influence over and responsibility for the Natural World without relinquishing a basic caution toward destructive forces unleashed by humanity’s meddling. With real or projected ecological issues, the genre often embraces sophisticated scientific exposition wrapped up within the framework of the story. In its modern incarnation the eco-thriller is also deeply ideological, sitting atop profound concern for the welfare of the planet.

The hook is a disaster of some sort, human-inspired or natural, with which the protagonists must grapple. Complicating simple survival is the catch, a human factor which provides both the real conflict and moral culpability, be it in opportunistic greed or corporate malfeasance.

At their core, eco-thrillers set out to change readers’ perception of the world around them, to change our accepted Standard Operating Procedures, to make us hunger to strive toward an improved world, with plenty of wild spaces for animals and ecosystems to thrive, which in turn will also help humanity.

New Eco-Thriller Alert!

Shawnee and Mayhem continue to wreak havoc on the Killzme Corporation — the largest animal trafficking ring in the country — by killing one poacher at a time. The stakes grow increasingly higher when the nefarious group retaliates by putting a bounty on their heads.

Meanwhile, the traffickers set their sights on capturing Orca for profit and pleasure.

With a ticking clock and no place left to hide, Shawnee and Mayhem alternate between undercover surveillance and clandestine battles to save their loved ones and the Innocent Ones from Killzme’s evil plans. Skills are tested. Tenuous alliances are formed. Not everyone will make it out alive.

Set in a world of cultural wonder, environmental threats, and looming danger, this heart-stopping eco-thriller will have you glued to the page from the first sentence to the last.

Now available for preorder! Steal it for the special preorder price of 99c. Though this is book 8 in the Mayhem Series, you can read it as a standalone and not feel lost. Shawnee does a good job of filling in the gaps.

Merciless Mayhem releases on October 17, 2023, in paperback and digital formats.

Did you know the definition of eco-thriller?