Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
spy story
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Quick Facts
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

spy story

narrative genre
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

spy story, a tale of international intrigue and adventure. Among the best examples of the genre are works by John Buchan, Len Deighton, John le CarrĂ©, and Sapper (H. Cyril McNeile). Two directions taken by the modern spy story were typified by Ian Fleming’s enormously popular James Bond thrillers, which emphasized technological marvels much in the manner of science-fiction fantasy, and le Carré’s bleakly realistic stories such as The Spy Who Came In from the Cold.