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Detective Science Fiction

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What is Detective Science Fiction?

These stories are often set in a near-future and feature where technology aids law enforcement and criminals. Detective stories lend themselves well to Science Fiction because in many ways detective and scientists are similar: problem solving, questioning, following clues, tasked with getting to the truth.

You can view the crowd-ranked "Popular" Detective Science Fiction books list and vote and/submit entries to it.

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Other Features of Detective Science Fiction

Level of Real Science
Relatively high. Technology in Detective Sci Fi is a key feature—androids committing murder or cleaning robots killing someone or psychic abilities for crime stoppers—of the storyline and the science is therefore explained quite well.
Level of Grand Ideas/Social Implications
Moderate. Detective Sci Fi confronts ideas of guilt, innocence, and how technology interacts with these human ideas. The story can interact with these ideas obliquely or can delve into the depths seeking.
Level of Characterization
Good. Characters are a key element in Detective Sci Fi—they are the detectives and the criminals (most of the time) and so readers get a good sense of who they are especially their motivations and thought processes.
Level of Plot Complexity
High. Detective Sci Fi is all about the events and unravelling the events and arriving at the truth. As such, plot is well developed with sufficient twists and turns and explanations.
Level of Violence
Moderate-High. Violence is often the beginning of an investigation for the Sci Fi detectives and there can be more violence as the detective gets closer to capturing the culprit. Sometimes though, the story is more deductive than violent.

Related Science Fiction subgenres

Cyperpunk is often crossed with Detective Sci Fi because its worlds have dark, bleak atmospheres and examine the downside of technology (see our Best Cyberpunk Books list). Of course, the various off-shoots of cyberpunk such as nanopunk, biopunk, ribbopunk might have Detective Sci-Fi elements. Add Detective Sci Fi to that mix and you have a detective solving a murder that was the result of technology.
SpyFy is similar to Detective Sci Fi in that they both are about, in part, how techonologial advancement has effected the profession.
Another branch that's related would be Hard Boiled / Science Fiction Noir / Tech Noir. Think Blade Runner, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, etc.

Detective Science Fiction isn't for you if...

“

You don't like mysteries and plot twists. You especially don't like this in a futuristic technology setting.

Popular Detective Science Fiction Books

1 The Demolished Man

By Alfred Bester. Psychic police chase down criminals.
2 A Philosophical Investigation

By Philip Kerr. What happens when neurologists can test for sociopath tendencies? A list of names and a new serial killer.
3 Tea From an Empty Cup

By Pat Cadigan. A detective investigates the connection of individuals real deaths as their deaths within a game.
4 The Automatic Detective

By A. Lee Martinez. An indestructible robot gives up world domination in favour of driving a cab—but soon is on an quest to find his kidnapped neighbours.
5 Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

By Douglas Adams. A convoluted and twisted book involving murdering ghosts, time travel, and interconnectedness.
6 The Caves of Steel

By Isaac Asimov. This book pioneers the robot-buddy cop genre.
7 The Yiddish Policeman's Union

By Michael Chabon An alternate history Sci Fi story where a detective investigates a murder that turns into a chess game.
8 When Gravity Fails

By Alec Effinger . In the future technology allows a person to download the personalities and skills of others—this is the story of someone who downloads those of histories serial killers.
9 The Retrieval Artist novels

By Kathyrn Rush. A series of novels that take place in a future where humans who break alien laws they are subject to their punishment. These novels follow two detectives existing in this world and solve unusual murders.
10 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

By Philip K. Dick. A more complex and deeply meaningful story than others of this sub-genre it focuses on a bounty hunter who must hunt down fugitive androids.

Publicly Ranked Version of the List

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