Overview

The Wolf Mile launches a gritty dystopian thriller where the secret Pantheon Games draw fighters into a brutal, ancient-weapon contest across the streets of Edinburgh. Recruits leave their ordinary lives behind to compete in a life-and-death spectacle watched worldwide. The novel follows Tyler and Lana as they face violence, endurance and the haunting cost of survival.

Writing & Voice

We found Barrington’s voice urgent, raw and unrelenting. The pacing drives forward with energy, using visceral scenes and tight prose to grip the reader. The contrasts between mundane city life and the violent games frame a world that feels both familiar and disturbingly warped.

Content & Perspective

The narrative alternates between recruits and the wider world that watches and bets on the Pantheon. We see how trauma and hope fuel choices, how alliances form under pressure, and how the rules of the Games shape identity and loyalty. The novel’s perspective keeps us close to character experience while hinting at wider social fascination with spectacle.

Themes

The Wolf Mile explores spectacle, exploitation and the human cost of entertainment. It asks what we sacrifice when we elevate violence to sport and how the lure of purpose can draw people into perilous arenas. The setting in Edinburgh grounds this high-stakes contest in tangible streets and alleyways turned battleground.

What Worked

• A compelling launch to a series with original worldbuilding.
• High-octane pacing that sustains tension.
• Strong immersion in dystopian spectacle without losing sight of character fears and motives.

Minor Quibbles

• Some worldbuilding feels fragmented early on.
• The unresolved ending anticipates the next instalment.

Final Thoughts

We found The Wolf Mile a bracing, unsettling debut, using spectacle and violence to probe agency, consent, and the thrill of watching others risk everything.

Rating: ★★★★½ / 5