From Publishing Perspectives:
The National Centre for Writing in Norwich and the University of East Anglia have announced eco-crime as a major component of this year’s “Noirwich” Crime Writing Festival,” which is set to run September 12 to 15 at the Norwich center’s restored, Medieval-era Dragon Hall.
Crime, thrillers, and suspense regularly are ranked as the UK readership’s favorite category of fiction, and festivals based in such genres and sub-genres are plentiful in the market. This year’s event in Norwich, however, is distinguished by a purposeful focus on “cli-fi” relative to the criminal attractions of the idiom, raising interesting prospects for attendees and speakers, as environmental concern escalate around us.
In the event’s sixth year, the lineup features BBC reporter George Alagiah, in a specially commissioned lecture on the impact of environmental change on some of the world’s poorest countries and the subsequent rise in radical activism.
Link to the rest at Publishing Perspectives
Is PG the only one who is less than tantalized by the idea of crime novels about eco-crime?
For him, this sub-genre sounds like an eat-your-spinach fiction reading experience that would be better served by well-written non-fiction.
Evil corporation illegally polluting is an old thriller trope.
So is eco-terrorism, though less common.
My favorite eco-crime story is (nominally) about smuggling of endangered species. Except they weren’t quite endangered.
S.M. Stirling’s CONQUISTADOR. Sure to annoy a broad range of people. 🙂
Before seeing this article I never knew that the UK had a “National Centre for Writing”. Having looked at their website, I suspect that the title greatly overstates their importance and that their “National” title has no more significance than that they noticed no one else was using it and thought they might as well grab it. I could be wrong of course…
I don’t really read thrillers any more – at some point I grew out of it without really noticing (not a good thing, tastes just change with time) – but I’ve seen quite a few movies using the trope: “Rich and powerful man wants even more money so he does something illegal which would result in major ecological damage” and see no reason why this is not a viable book plot.
Of course, its basically a variant on the trope where the result is “kill or maim a lot of people for profit”, just a different MacGuffin.
However, in these stories the ecological damage is not the motivation, though covering it up may be. I’m not sure how well a plot would work if the only motivation was to commit an eco-crime – habitat destruction for its own sake? – unless you make the character’s reasons very interesting.
I suspect the real danger faced by the writer may be obvious preaching. I’ve no idea how good the book Mike points us to is, but the description he linked to suggests that the author is writing to educate rather than entertain us (the question being whether they have to skill to get away with it).
I suppose the bad guy could be planning a dirty nuke in Manhattan. Or maybe the release of super ebola? Meanwhile the NYPD is chasing down plastic straws.
The author Sarah Andrews wrote a whole series of eco-crime novels featuring the geologist Em Hanse, including “Mother Nature” and “Killer Dust”. More entertaining, and less kale-smoothie-worthy, than you might think.
I’ll have to check her books out, Helena. Thanks for the tip.
If “eco-crime” is a legitimate topic for thrillers, then I’m sure this title ought to merit the festival’s consideration.
“For him, this sub-genre sounds like an eat-your-spinach fiction reading experience that would be better served by well-written non-fiction.”
Not necessarily. Like any other story, it’s all about focusing on the characters and the action: https://tinyurl.com/y5j55bue
Thanks for the suggestion, Mike.
I am regularly faced with evidence that my opinion may require revising on a variety of topics.