Conspiracy Theories. What would the world be without them? While some ring hollow and others are petty or cruel, many have made our world a better place. Some of the best conspiracies out there were originally constructed for the sake of great literature. Since researching how to create a top notch conspiracy theory for the sake of my next novel, I’ve developed my top 5 list of most impactful literary conspiracies (created first within literature rather than the other way around) that have changed our world for the better–or have they?
Most Impactful Conspiracy Novels
Dreadful Sanctuary by Eric Frank Russell
While not popular by any means, Dreadful Sanctuary blazed the path of the alien conspiracy. Blending science fiction and political thriller, this mostly forgotten novel laid the groundwork for many of our favorite contemporary conspiracy theories. The moon landing? Area 51? Alien invasion of popular figures?
The Da Vinci Code: A Novel (Robert Langdon)
On the opposite end of popularity, Dan Brown’s religious conspiracy thriller has spurred countless other publications debating the “truthiness” of his fictional novel. This is of course the true test of the effectiveness of a literary conspiracy. When an author can write a fictional novel (which by the way means it’s not factual) and generate scads of argument, then he/she has done the job well!