The Wickedest of Things by Russel Barrie | Book Review

Plot Summary (spoiler-free)

The Wickedest of Things is a science-fiction thriller set in a near future where advanced technology, from artificial intelligence to virtual reality, is part of everyday life. Reid Sheraton is a tormented video game designer whose mysterious past drives his obsession with building mind-bending realities, and that talent puts him on the radar of Esin, the ruthless CEO of the tech giant Horizon.

What lures Reid in looks innocent: a chance to compete in the Labyrinth, Horizon’s annual high-tech underground maze of puzzles and trials. The deeper he goes, though, the more the promise of an exhilarating contest turns into a desperate fight to survive, with the line between reality and simulation blurring and someone at Horizon pursuing bloody ambitions of their own. This is a thriller, not a romance, so it sits well outside Bloodthorn’s usual lane.

Character Development

Reid is the protagonist, and his haunted past is what fuels both his gift and the danger he walks into. The supporting cast is not flat: Esin is a genuinely forbidding antagonist, an intricate study in ambition and ruthlessness, and the other contestants in the Labyrinth each carry their own motives and secrets, from Maya, a rebellious hacking genius, to the stoic and fiercely competitive Tanaka. Those interactions build an atmosphere where the reader is never sure who to trust.

Themes

The book is interested in the dark side of technological ambition, the ethics of AI and virtual reality, and what happens when a corporation’s reach is unchecked. The Labyrinth is explicitly framed as a crucible built to expose the darkest corners of the mind and turn people’s vulnerabilities against them, which keeps a psychological thread running under the action. Trust, and its scarcity, is a constant.

Writing Style and Effectiveness

Barrie builds the near-future world convincingly, and the concept of the Labyrinth, an ever-changing set of high-tech mazes testing physical and mental agility, is both impressive and frightening. The ever-present threat of death raises real tension and claustrophobia, so the reader feels trapped alongside Reid. The novel is fast-moving, and Barrie weaves action set pieces, philosophical questions about the nature of reality, and character development into a cohesive whole, with enough twists to keep you guessing about the Labyrinth’s purpose and Esin’s true intentions.

Conclusion

The Wickedest of Things is a real page-turner of a sci-fi thriller, one that stays with you after the last page. It has action, mystery, and the philosophical questions Barrie keeps circling, and it delivers a claustrophobic, high-stakes ride. Sci-fi thriller readers are the audience; anyone coming to Bloodthorn for dark romance should know this book has no romantic element.

Evaluation

• Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
• Writing Style: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
• Characters: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
• World-Building: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
• Spice Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ (0/5): no romantic or sexual content.

Trigger warnings: life-threatening peril and violence, psychological manipulation and the deliberate exploitation of trauma, corporate corruption, character death, a claustrophobic survival scenario.

Recommendation: for readers who want a fast, claustrophobic sci-fi thriller about a deadly game, an amoral tech corporation, and the ethics of AI and virtual reality. Not a romance. Fans of high-concept near-future thrillers with a psychological edge.