The National Security Novel: "Useful Fiction," Persuasive Emotions, and the Securitization of Literature.

Since 2015, two influential American authors and military consultants have sought to leverage imaginative literature for the cause of national security. On the basis of concepts such as useful fiction and FICINT , a shorthand for fictional intelligence , they have sought to develop a new genre—the national security novel—which blends nonfictional research and predictive threat scenarios with the creative inventions and emotional appeal of fiction. In this article, I trace how the national security novel developed through a process of securitization, which has gradually merged the realm of literature with that of policy and military strategy, and I assess the genre's current and future impact on national and global security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]