"Cri-Fi"

I think I'll invent a new literary genre for an upcoming book review. It is based on the premise that there is a lot more in common between, say, Michael Crichton and Dan Brown novels, than, say, Crichton and Tom Clancy novels. We'll call this genre "Cri-Fi" in honor of Crichton who, although he probably didn't invent it, certainly made it a best-selling motif. We'll define Cri-Fi as being a Thriller at heart, but with equal attention paid to a Technical Twist. The Tech Twist might be rooted in Science (such as Jurassic Park), Religion (such as The Da Vinci Code), History (Elvis didn't really die, you know), Prophecy (The Anti-Christ is here among us), etc. What distinguishes Cri-Fi from Sci-Fi is the amount of detailed research done by the author on the Tech Twist. A successful Cri-Fi novel will bring out the so-called "Technical Experts" who will go to great lengths to tell you why the Technical Twist couldn't/didn't really happen. Witness the great pains which were taken to tell you why dinosaur DNA couldn't be extracted from mosquitos in amber. Or the Church Apologetics who wrote at length why Brown's Da Vinci Code "alternative theology" just isn't true. Hey fellas, these are novels! If you feel compelled to disprove fiction, you're actually complimenting the authors for developing a very plausible Tech Twist. Finally, the Tech Twist portion of the Cri-Fi story, will usually take precedence over the Thriller component. Let's face it, we were far more interested in solving the Da Vinci Code, then in finding out who killed the dude in the Louvre. Oh yeah, it goes without saying that I'm a fan of Cri-Fi.