Fraught is a work of immersive Christian science fiction and fantasy penned by author Kerry Nietz and forms the second book in the DarkTrench Shadow series. Following on from the events of Frayed, we return to the world of the debuggers after ThreadBare has broken away from the implant that would have forced him to stay on the path of mindless obedience. Now ThreadBare has thoughts and feelings but he doesn’t know what to do with them: ideas of love for another person and setting out a path for future debuggers so that they don’t end up following the same route. But when the students he wants to teach face sudden danger, ThreadBare must look to the old ways to ensure their survival.
Author Kerry Nietz has created a highly conceptual and fascinating work which questions technology, religion, and philosophy in one very intelligent package. It takes a little while to get into the world of the debuggers and the cities and civilizations around them, but ThreadBare is a highly engaging guide because he is slightly broken and therefore no longer acquiescent to the idea that he is property with no mind of his own. This opens the door to the idea of rights, slavery, Sharia law and the nature of the human mind going too far in its connection to technology. The prose is fluid and engaging with plenty of detail and immersive character development that keeps you immersed in the plot. Overall, Fraught is a superbly atmospheric science fiction piece that leaves you with plenty to think about.