Rabbits: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-08-19 07:51:32
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Terry Miles
- ISBN：0593358236
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Summary
Conspiracies abound in this surreal and yet all-too-real technothriller in which a deadly underground alternate reality game might just be altering reality itself， set in the same world as the popular Rabbits podcast。
It's an average work day。 You've been wrapped up in a task， and you check the clock when you come up for air--4:44 pm。 You go to check your email， and 44 unread messages have built up。 With a shock， you realize it is April 4th--4/4。 And when you get in your car to drive home， your odometer reads 44，444。 Coincidence？ Or have you just seen the edge of a rabbit hole？
Rabbits is a mysterious alternate reality game so vast it uses our global reality as its canvas。 Since the game first started in 1959， ten iterations have appeared and nine winners have been declared。 Their identities are unknown。 So is their reward， which is whispered to be NSA or CIA recruitment， vast wealth， immortality， or perhaps even the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe itself。 But the deeper you get， the more deadly the game becomes。 Players have died in the past--and the body count is rising。
And now the eleventh round is about to begin。 Enter K--a Rabbits obsessive who has been trying to find a way into the game for years。 That path opens when K is approached by billionaire Alan Scarpio， the alleged winner of the sixth iteration。 Scarpio says that something has gone wrong with the game and that K needs to fix it before Eleven starts or the whole world will pay the price。
Five days later， Scarpio is declared missing。 Two weeks after that， K blows the deadline and Eleven begins。 And suddenly， the fate of the entire universe is at stake。
It's an average work day。 You've been wrapped up in a task， and you check the clock when you come up for air--4:44 pm。 You go to check your email， and 44 unread messages have built up。 With a shock， you realize it is April 4th--4/4。 And when you get in your car to drive home， your odometer reads 44，444。 Coincidence？ Or have you just seen the edge of a rabbit hole？
Rabbits is a mysterious alternate reality game so vast it uses our global reality as its canvas。 Since the game first started in 1959， ten iterations have appeared and nine winners have been declared。 Their identities are unknown。 So is their reward， which is whispered to be NSA or CIA recruitment， vast wealth， immortality， or perhaps even the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe itself。 But the deeper you get， the more deadly the game becomes。 Players have died in the past--and the body count is rising。
And now the eleventh round is about to begin。 Enter K--a Rabbits obsessive who has been trying to find a way into the game for years。 That path opens when K is approached by billionaire Alan Scarpio， the alleged winner of the sixth iteration。 Scarpio says that something has gone wrong with the game and that K needs to fix it before Eleven starts or the whole world will pay the price。
Five days later， Scarpio is declared missing。 Two weeks after that， K blows the deadline and Eleven begins。 And suddenly， the fate of the entire universe is at stake。
Reviews
Meghan Haines
，
Really loved the concept， but trying to look back on the narrative and plot of this book is a murky， muddy mess。 I'm fairly certain that's intentional （especially with the Michio Kaku reference at the end）， but the ending was still a little unsatisfying。 I loved the concept and connections they follow enough to still rate it probably a 3。5 stars。 Really loved the concept， but trying to look back on the narrative and plot of this book is a murky， muddy mess。 I'm fairly certain that's intentional （especially with the Michio Kaku reference at the end）， but the ending was still a little unsatisfying。 I loved the concept and connections they follow enough to still rate it probably a 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Laura Olson
，
This started a lot better than it finished - but it was a quick， action packed book。 I think fans of Ready Player One would enjoy， as there are clues to find and follow and lots of pop culture references。 Ultimately what let it down was the lackluster clues that didn't make a lot of sense， and the flat ending。 This started a lot better than it finished - but it was a quick， action packed book。 I think fans of Ready Player One would enjoy， as there are clues to find and follow and lots of pop culture references。 Ultimately what let it down was the lackluster clues that didn't make a lot of sense， and the flat ending。 。。。more
Paul Preston
，
I was excited to read this book。 I first played Rabbits， or The Game， when the podcast was released。 It was an “Alice in Wonderland” type experience that seemed to bend reality and make you question your past and all your decisions。 Who runs The Game？ How do clues left in famous paintings fit into a modern game？ Or is it modern at all？ Some say it has been played for hundreds of years， but like Fight Club， the first rule about the game is to not talk about it。 You don’t really know if you are pl I was excited to read this book。 I first played Rabbits， or The Game， when the podcast was released。 It was an “Alice in Wonderland” type experience that seemed to bend reality and make you question your past and all your decisions。 Who runs The Game？ How do clues left in famous paintings fit into a modern game？ Or is it modern at all？ Some say it has been played for hundreds of years， but like Fight Club， the first rule about the game is to not talk about it。 You don’t really know if you are playing the right game at all， no matter how many people have died。 。。。more
Jim Lindsay
，
In fairness， this is not usually the type of book I like， it was a gift。Started out somewhat interesting， and has pretty good characters。 But overall， I found it it rather cliched and predictable。************************************************* SPOILER ALERT **********************************************************So， you know -- a very special young man has weird stuff happen， more weird stuff happens， more weird stuff happens， there is danger but he always manages to escape it somehow， the w In fairness， this is not usually the type of book I like， it was a gift。Started out somewhat interesting， and has pretty good characters。 But overall， I found it it rather cliched and predictable。************************************************* SPOILER ALERT **********************************************************So， you know -- a very special young man has weird stuff happen， more weird stuff happens， more weird stuff happens， there is danger but he always manages to escape it somehow， the world ticks down to its death caused by an insane scientist， and then he does something amazing and "unpredictable" and all is good。 Sigh。。。。 。。。more
Melinda Wasinger
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Was truly excited by the premise， but this book was poorly executed。 70% through and just can’t finish it。 Way too long and overly drawn out。 Makes me tired and disappointed。
Eustacia Tan
，
I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this on the blog before， but one of the first fiction podcasts I listened to was Rabbits。 And I enjoyed Rabbits so much that I ended up listening to everything by Pacific Northwest Stories （PNWS） – Tanis， The Black Tapes， The Last Movie， and Faerie。 So you can probably imagine my excitement when I found out that there’s a Rabbits book， set sometime before season one of the podcast。Rabbits （the book） is the story of K， a man obsessed with patterns who has always I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this on the blog before， but one of the first fiction podcasts I listened to was Rabbits。 And I enjoyed Rabbits so much that I ended up listening to everything by Pacific Northwest Stories （PNWS） – Tanis， The Black Tapes， The Last Movie， and Faerie。 So you can probably imagine my excitement when I found out that there’s a Rabbits book， set sometime before season one of the podcast。Rabbits （the book） is the story of K， a man obsessed with patterns who has always been on the fringes of the game known as Rabbits。 One day， Alan Scarpio， the alleged winner of the sixth round of the modern version of Rabbits， who tells him that the game needs to be fixed before Round 11 starts of the world will end。And then Scarpio vanishes。So first things first， I’m not actually sure how fun this will be if you’re not already a fan of the podcast。 While the story is unrelated to the podcast， I think having a feel for the general weirdness of rabbits and the PNWS podcasts helps a lot。 The story can be rather confusing at times because the game is confusing （although I think the book explains more than the podcast did！）， but because it’s very similar to the podcast， I enjoyed it a lot。As for plot， I think the book spends a lot of time establishing the world and the actual “saving the world” part happens mostly towards the end of the book。 I personally found the last section to be the most exciting one， and I think the time spent world-building paid off。The most interesting about this book is the ARG hidden in it。 I’ve not completely figured out all the clues because it’s a lot more complicated than I thought， but it’s so cool that a game is hidden in this book！ Here’s a hint to get you started: you’re going to need to see the text to find the first few clues。 I’ve also heard that it helps to take note of names and websites in the book， which is not something I did and probably why I’m struggling with the ARG now。Overall， I thought this was a very fun book that fans of the podcast are going to love。 There’s a lot of swearing in the book， so this is probably not an ARG you can play as a family activity， but if you like puzzles， gaps in reality， and mysteries that may not be solvable， Rabbits is the book for you。 If you’re not sure about this book， I highly recommend listening to the podcast first。This review was first posted at Eustea Reads 。。。more
Charlotte
，
A counter-culture thriller filled with games， conspiracies， and interesting near-future technology， Rabbits by Terry Miles is a blast。 Our protagonist， only known to us as K， is a fan of a game called Rabbits that has had many iterations over many generations。 The story starts with the coming of the 11th iteration on the horizon。 K is a coding guru who hangs out in old arcades and gives talks about Rabbits。 Over the iterations， the game has become more dangerous， with K's first experience with t A counter-culture thriller filled with games， conspiracies， and interesting near-future technology， Rabbits by Terry Miles is a blast。 Our protagonist， only known to us as K， is a fan of a game called Rabbits that has had many iterations over many generations。 The story starts with the coming of the 11th iteration on the horizon。 K is a coding guru who hangs out in old arcades and gives talks about Rabbits。 Over the iterations， the game has become more dangerous， with K's first experience with the game resulting in the death of a family friend。 As the years have gone by， the game has become more and more deadly。 Finally， K is approached by an internet billionaire and supposed former game-winner to help save the game。 When the billionaire goes missing， K decides to find out what happened to him and what is happening to the game that he would so desperately love to win。 There are many layers and textures to this novel， which you can read and thoroughly enjoy without having listened to the podcast。 Hints of similar literature， such as House of Leaves， Ready Player One， and The Monarch Papers， stand out in the context and structure。 Terry Miles also includes a character named Hazel， which could reference Watership Down。 All these books are about secrets， codes， and hidden messages， and they all wander。The number of references to pop culture is many。 It's easy to overlook some of the more peculiar allusions， which doesn't exactly detract from the story。 But knowing all the fun bits and bobs heightens the novel。 While not as easy to read as the likes of The Monarch Papers， Rabbits is a fast-paced mystery that flies by。 It is packed with all sorts of twists and turns and layers。 Can one understand everything that is happening in the book？ Not really。 But then again， a story about a game that may be a form of recruitment for the CIA， with increasing danger， it only makes sense that not everything is spelled out。 A swirling， mind-bending mystery， Rabbits is a quick and exciting novel for any counter-culture fan。 。。。more
Martha Sullivan
，
Contains all the stuff that makes the podcast such an addictive listen: a twisty mystery， questions about what's real， fun characters that are too smart for their own good。 RABBITS the novel fills out the world of RABBITS without over-explanation or trying to fill in too many holes - which， honestly， is the amount of information I want from it。 A story like this runs the risk of trying to do too much; RABBITS lets the adventure do the heavy lifting， so we can take the ride along with the charact Contains all the stuff that makes the podcast such an addictive listen: a twisty mystery， questions about what's real， fun characters that are too smart for their own good。 RABBITS the novel fills out the world of RABBITS without over-explanation or trying to fill in too many holes - which， honestly， is the amount of information I want from it。 A story like this runs the risk of trying to do too much; RABBITS lets the adventure do the heavy lifting， so we can take the ride along with the characters。If you like ARG's， questionable realities， acidic humor， video game references， or any of the other Pacific Radio Alliance brand of podcasts （TANIS， The Black Tapes， Faerie）， you'll have a lot of fun with this book。 。。。more
Danielle
，
I can’t finish this。 Nothing about it makes it worth being absolutely confused
Jim Rogal
，
A truly fascinating journey。
Nigel
，
If you're read Ready Player One， comparisons are inevitable， but RP1 suffers badly in comparison to this millenial hunt through a maze of internet sites， cultural artifacts， obsolete technologies， urban legends， creepypasta， arcane history， wild-eyed tech and science， and most of all games， games games of all sorts。 It's wish fulfillment， sure - the weirdest thing about it has to be the secure financial status of most of the characters - a search for hidden meanings in otherwise random patterns If you're read Ready Player One， comparisons are inevitable， but RP1 suffers badly in comparison to this millenial hunt through a maze of internet sites， cultural artifacts， obsolete technologies， urban legends， creepypasta， arcane history， wild-eyed tech and science， and most of all games， games games of all sorts。 It's wish fulfillment， sure - the weirdest thing about it has to be the secure financial status of most of the characters - a search for hidden meanings in otherwise random patterns and connections and coincidences and assorted neorulogical phenomena and states， but it is very well written and deliciously surreal and paranoid。 The repeated movement of the plot and the characters through a conveniently confined geographical area via crunching random numbers， searching for patterns， finding things that shouldn't exist， all as part of a Game infuriating in its vagueness but so thoroughly believed in by the characters that you're carried along， doesn't quite outstay its welcome， and the fun of a world where any sort of weird inexplicable impossible thing can happen with no prior warning or set-up， only for it to be part of the Game， actually works within its own context of a reality that is constantly， subtly altering itself around the characters， who may or may not notice it happening。 It has plenty of elements of the house style of the podcast it's based on - the types of characters， their weird calm exteriors even in the throes of grief or confusion， their dialogue and verbal ticks。 I honestly expected them， and thought they would be far more irritating than they were， but their familiarity works in what， really is a massive fictional comfort blanket for people who want the world to be weirder and its dangers to be more otherworldly and Games to be the mechanism that keep reality tied down， and where playing the Game can save the world。 。。。more
Emily Lorraine
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I picked this book up， admittedly， because of the cover。 When I saw that the quote on the front mentioned conspiracies I was sold。 If the last twenty pages didn’t exist， I would have given this book 4 stars， if not 5。 It sucks you in and forces you to play along。 There wasn’t a point where I didn’t feel at least grounded in what K was experiencing， which I think is integral in enjoying the experience of reading the book。 It was a unique idea， and sets up perfectly a space for a sequel， or a movi I picked this book up， admittedly， because of the cover。 When I saw that the quote on the front mentioned conspiracies I was sold。 If the last twenty pages didn’t exist， I would have given this book 4 stars， if not 5。 It sucks you in and forces you to play along。 There wasn’t a point where I didn’t feel at least grounded in what K was experiencing， which I think is integral in enjoying the experience of reading the book。 It was a unique idea， and sets up perfectly a space for a sequel， or a movie to be made。 The ending sucked， in my opinion。 It was like we were supposed to be surprised one last time by a marriage and then having K choose Chloe anyway seemed unrealistic。 I want to know what happened to Emily and how else she impacted K winning。 I also don’t really understand what K did to win。。。。 there could have been so much more that happened to make this ending feel up to par with the rest of the story。 。。。more
Tracy
，
I don’t care where this is going anymore。 I’m quitting at about page 270。 I received a digital review copy from NetGalley for review， and then bought the hardcover because I loved the cover and I was loving it and wanting to highlight and look for clues。
Peter Furst
，
What a strange book！ But non the less it was hard to put down。 Is it Science Fiction or Fantasy？ I don't know but it is definitely a book involving alternate realities and gaming （as in video arcade games） but the ultimate game is Rabbits which if you are playing you are not supposed to talk about it and it is not clear if you are playing it or not even if you are following the clues。 The story is told by "K" who sees patterns in many things。 Certain numbers keep cropping up and K notices the pa What a strange book！ But non the less it was hard to put down。 Is it Science Fiction or Fantasy？ I don't know but it is definitely a book involving alternate realities and gaming （as in video arcade games） but the ultimate game is Rabbits which if you are playing you are not supposed to talk about it and it is not clear if you are playing it or not even if you are following the clues。 The story is told by "K" who sees patterns in many things。 Certain numbers keep cropping up and K notices the patterns。 Most gamers in this story know about Rabbits but since they aren't supposed to talk about it nobody seem to know who is playing and who isn't。 Ten iterations have been played and 9 winners have been declared。 The eleventh round is about to begin。 But something is wrong - the game has been altered and now players are dying or have gone missing and K has been asked by a previous winner to find out what is wrong and to fix it。 Although I am not into gaming I did find this book fascinating although I am sure it is not going to be everyone's cup of tea （So to speak）。 。。。more
Brooks
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The DaVinci Code meets Ready Player One， and no one comes out the better for it。
Adam Colter
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Audio version。 Dialogue felt slow and stilted。 Ending left too many unanswered questions。
Jordan A。
，
Wow。 This book is a mindfuck of conspiracy theory， the internet， quantum physics， pop culture and the esoteric。 A story that drew me in immediately and doesn’t let go， I had to slow myself down from devouring this thing in a day。 If Ready Player One， Hitcherhikers Guide to the Galaxy， Fight Club and The DaVinci Code all got rolled into one narrative， it would somewhat resemble the insanely entertaining story that Terry Miles crafts here。 One of my favorites this year。
Tracy
，
Some kind of Ready Player One and Matrix Hybrid。A lot of this story takes place locally （Seattle/Tacoma WA） and a lot of this book super freaked me out。 It was good and intriguing but still a slow read for me。
Eric J Neese
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I love the Rabbits podcast， as in it is in my top five favorites （I currently subscribe to 131 of them）。 When I heard there was going to be a related book coming out I was very excited - as in to the point of there was no way it could ever live up to my expectations。 But it did so， and beat those。 I’m one of those who is never happy with how a book ends， no matter how great the rest of the book was。 Wow！ Rabbits’ ending was exactly what I wanted it to be， even though I had no idea what it would I love the Rabbits podcast， as in it is in my top five favorites （I currently subscribe to 131 of them）。 When I heard there was going to be a related book coming out I was very excited - as in to the point of there was no way it could ever live up to my expectations。 But it did so， and beat those。 I’m one of those who is never happy with how a book ends， no matter how great the rest of the book was。 Wow！ Rabbits’ ending was exactly what I wanted it to be， even though I had no idea what it would be。 Call me a happy reader and fan！ 。。。more
Adam Floridia
，
This is the first book I bought in an actual brick-and-mortar bookstore in。。。a long time。 I still go into bookstores just for the job of being in a bookstore， perusing the shelves， seeing how many Vonnegut novels they carry， and checking out the various literary knick-knacks。 This time was different: It was as if I was being compelled by some unknown force to a certain book。 A book with a pretty kick-ass cover。 A book called （and I'm reluctant to speak about it because， like Fight Club， rule one This is the first book I bought in an actual brick-and-mortar bookstore in。。。a long time。 I still go into bookstores just for the job of being in a bookstore， perusing the shelves， seeing how many Vonnegut novels they carry， and checking out the various literary knick-knacks。 This time was different: It was as if I was being compelled by some unknown force to a certain book。 A book with a pretty kick-ass cover。 A book called （and I'm reluctant to speak about it because， like Fight Club， rule one is you don't talk about it） *in a whisper* Rabbits。I brought it back to my hotel room in D。C。， the nation's capital surely full of mystery， intrigue， and conspiracy， and was immediately sucked into its world， a world seemingly just like ours， but with an edge of mystery folded just behind the corners of our reality。 Despite being on a family vacation， I kept finding myself drawn back to the book--Yeah， I'm having a great time with the kids in the Smithsonian。。。but wouldn't it be cool to go sit in the hotel room and read？ And so I finished it in 4 days--more impressive when you consider that one was spent driving and two others were spent sight-seeing。Unlike the characters in the book， though， that's about it for my experiences of being pushed in a certain direction: I liked a book and wanted to keep reading it。 For the characters in the novel， there are intrigue， hints， ciphers， clues， and oh-so-many chance encounters at every turn。 In fact， the pacing of the novel became pretty repetitive after about 200 pages: Find some random clue， go talk to someone who seems to have information， get just a tidbit of that info before you're told to screw off。 Rinse and repeat。 The downside is that most of the puzzles weren't really ones for the reader to solve alongside the characters。 They were like random things that might be found， oh say， in a video game。 E。g。 I found this phone number， and it led me to a building after a google search， and on the darkweb I discovered a secret building， and I went there and there were weird ass symbols， and then I found a key， and the key had a name on it， and the name led me to。。。etc。 Having just played a lot of Resident Evil VIIllage， I couldn't help but be reminded by the discovery of a "random" object， figuring out where in the game it fit， being led to another such puzzle， repeat。 Yet it's more fun when I'm actually part of the game， controlling the protagonist and solving the puzzles on my own。 There were a couple "clues" in the book that point the reader to real-world websites and URLS， which is a cool "add-on，" but that only adds a few extra clicks， not a new rabbit hole。All of that said， this was still a page turner， the ending was satisfying enough， and I really enjoyed the incorporation of real world theories and conspiracy theories， scientists and pseudoscientists。 And I learned some cool stuff， like the Tor Browser。 If you like the classic movie The Game imagine mixing it with Lovecraft-inspired movie Banshee Chapter and adding just a sprinkle of Stranger Things， this might be for you。p。s。 One final thought: there are a lot of （unnecessary） mentions of circa 80s memorabilia and cultural effluvium that， I suppose， are relevant to characterization; however， I couldn't help feeling a lot of them were included just to make the book "cool" （or "rad" as we said in the 80s）。 。。。more
Feryal Khawar
，
I’m giving this three stars because it kept me engaged enough to read to the end。 Did it deliver a worthwhile pay off？ No。 Did it make sense？ No。 It was like a movie that ends with the reveal that everything mysterious， or crazy that you’ve sat through was just a dream。 Feels like an incredibly lazy resolution。 However if you enjoy being taken for a ride， by all means give it a try。
David McNally
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Loved it！ I guess it's sci-fi？ Characters try to access other dimensions。 Clues come via rich guys and gamers。 Lots of fun！ Would probably make a great movie。 The story is different， but it still reminded me a bit of Ready Player One。 Had a similar vibe to it。 Loved it！ I guess it's sci-fi？ Characters try to access other dimensions。 Clues come via rich guys and gamers。 Lots of fun！ Would probably make a great movie。 The story is different， but it still reminded me a bit of Ready Player One。 Had a similar vibe to it。 。。。more
Stephan
，
In my world， I give this book a 3。5。 A good involving read gets 4 stars， and if there is anything I stumble over， I reduce the rating。 2 Stars go to a book I felt disappointed with。This book isn't bad or anything。 I just have qualms with conspiracies and the mindset going with it。 So why did I decide to read it？ The game and the word multiverse got me looking， so I gave it a shot。 I'm more into science / hard scifi。 Meaning Rabbits was a bit of a stretch for my usual preferences。I did enjoy the In my world， I give this book a 3。5。 A good involving read gets 4 stars， and if there is anything I stumble over， I reduce the rating。 2 Stars go to a book I felt disappointed with。This book isn't bad or anything。 I just have qualms with conspiracies and the mindset going with it。 So why did I decide to read it？ The game and the word multiverse got me looking， so I gave it a shot。 I'm more into science / hard scifi。 Meaning Rabbits was a bit of a stretch for my usual preferences。I did enjoy the read though， and that's a pretty good thing by itself。 。。。more
Diane Billas
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I really enjoyed this book。 It’s a fast read with lots of twists and turns。 It reminds me of Ready Player One but darker。
Casey Frank
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After not reading any fiction for two months thanks to my life being turned upside down with my newborn， I definitely needed a book that would keep me turning pages and Rabbits delivers。 I found myself thinking about the novel when I wasn’t reading it， wondering about the various mysteries and occasionally thinking through my own theories。 All of that made it incredibly fun to read。 But then the ending came and I felt kind of bewildered。 Now- I haven’t listened to the podcasts in this same world After not reading any fiction for two months thanks to my life being turned upside down with my newborn， I definitely needed a book that would keep me turning pages and Rabbits delivers。 I found myself thinking about the novel when I wasn’t reading it， wondering about the various mysteries and occasionally thinking through my own theories。 All of that made it incredibly fun to read。 But then the ending came and I felt kind of bewildered。 Now- I haven’t listened to the podcasts in this same world so I may be missing some context。 But I still have so many questions。 So while I enjoyed the ride， I’m not certain about the destination。 。。。more
Michael Bazaco
，
A fun first novel by Terry MilesI enjoyed the book quite a bit but I do think that the ending felt rushed and fell a little flat。 It was a very fun book to read and the characters as well as their interactions were well written。 I look forward to future books by Terry Miles and will certainly continue to read his work and listen to his podcasts。 I recommend the book， for sure。
Sandy
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way too long， but an interesting premise。
Daniel
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This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 2。0 of 5Have you ever been going along your day and for no particular reason suddenly noticed unique patterns in unusual places？ For instance， it's April 4th and you happened to look at your clock at the exact minute when it reads 4:44。 Or perhaps you are convinced you know the name of a store you've shopped at or the title of a book you read recently， only to discover that no such store or book exists？ If so， you are quite possi This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 2。0 of 5Have you ever been going along your day and for no particular reason suddenly noticed unique patterns in unusual places？ For instance， it's April 4th and you happened to look at your clock at the exact minute when it reads 4:44。 Or perhaps you are convinced you know the name of a store you've shopped at or the title of a book you read recently， only to discover that no such store or book exists？ If so， you are quite possibly seeing the effects of the game， known to the insiders， as Rabbits。The game is highly secretive， though it's been going on for sixty years or more， and those who play must put together these strings of unusual circumstances just to be able to get a clue for the next step in the game。 'K' has been fascinated with the game Rabbits for years and has been trying to find his way into the circle of players when he meets billionaire Alan Scarpio who， it has been rumored， was the 16th winner of the game。 Scarpio confides to K that something has gone wrong with the game and it needs to be fixed before the next iteration of the game begins or there will be disastrous consequences。 A week later， Scarpio is declared missing and the game has begun。 It's up to K to find a way to get into the game and save the planet。I think it's pretty clear that the first thing any reader is going to notice about this book is the quite obvious parallels to the highly successful Ready Player One book and movie。 In addition to the whole 'win the game， save the world' trope， I should note that it is essential for players of Rabbits to have a solid knowledge of 1970's and 1980's pop culture。 Really？ We couldn't at least pretend to be different and make it the 1950's or the early 2000's？But one of the big differences between this and the obvious comparison is that we don't spend much time with anyone actually playing the game。 Or do we？ Since there don't appear to be any concrete rules other than putting clues together， it's hard to say when one is playing or not。 We do get K putting together unusual coincidences and making a clue out of it， and we observe as players make sense of or reason out why there is a different track title on a popular music CD。 But that's pretty much the extent of our involvement in Rabbits。There's a bit of mysterious 'whodunnit' looming over the book， running parallel with 'how do we win？' but these two tracks never quite meet。So much time is spent trying to hook the reader into wanting to play the game without ever really telling us what the game is， that we get an Escher-staircase-like story， going round and round without getting anywhere。This book was not on my radar， nor was it something I was initially looking forward to reading， but I fell prey to the marketing blitz and thought， "Yeah， I like games and secrets and that other big gaming novel， so this sounds great。" Unfortunately， I was left quite unsatisfied。Looking for a good book？ Beware the power of good copy writers who can make a slow， dull book sound exciting and unique。 Rabbits， by Terry Miles， tries to be the next big game/adventure novel to lure in fans of Ready Player One， but the book only manages to tease without ever satisfying。I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher， through Netgalley， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sarah Trites
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DNF。 I loved the Rabbits podcast/all of Pacific Northwest Studios podcasts that Terry Miles worked on， but I don’t think the novel should be his medium of choice。
Matthew Engelthaler
，
Loved it
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Rabbits: A Novel
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Rabbits: A Novel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Rabbits: A Novel&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0