This book revolves around an underground game of patterns, and connections that has been going on for years until it starts to change. I thought that the premise was definitely intriguing. It just fell way flat for me. There was no mention of any actual gameplay, or how you would know if it is happening and it is unknown who is playing. Without an actual game demonstrated, there is no book. It was seriously just a man named K running around in alternative reallities trying to talk to someone, or find out something about what is going on. Repeat many times and there is your book. He gets a little more confusing and just weirder over time. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

For the most part I struggled with this book. There were obvious points of nostalgic enjoyment.

Parts of the plot were interesting but there was something lacking in bringing all the key points to fruition.

And it fizzled. I think this is in part due to the focus shifting from the main character to more interesting side characters. I didn’t want to live in the narrators head. I wanted to jump ship.

It also felt disjointed. But that might have simply been my reading experience. This book took me over 8 months to finish.

Some of the book reminds me of NIGHT FILM and READY PLAYER ONE and at the same time it reminds me SURVIVE THE NIGHT. I think if you find a reader that equally liked those books, you’ll find a reader for this one.

I am not that reader.

There was also a very long information dumping session in the ending pages that never works. You cannot use a characters dialogue to explain the holes in your plot and make sense of behaviors that don’t align.

This one is a very mid 2.5

Rounded down to ⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey Books for this gifted copy!

Are you playing?

Conspiracies abound in this fast paced page turner. I love when an author can delicately build and build a world, while taking the character on an ever expanding journey. Gave me some serious Matrix vibes.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes I really enjoy a story that ends and makes you say: "What the [expletive] did I just read?!" This is one of those stories.

The premise is fantastic! An alternate reality game that uses the globe as its canvas? Count me in. In practice, parts of this were too nerdy for me - videogames and music aren't my nerd areas of expertise - but it wasn't hard to get the gist for those moments. The scientific explanations seemed plausible for the most part. It's amazing how much of it seemed grounded in our reality.

Other than curiosity and nostalgia, I didn't have a ton of emotions towards this story. I wasn't emotionally invested in the characters. I was absolutely caught up in the mystery. But caring about Chloe, K, Baron, the Magician, Alan, etc? Not so much.

There were also times when the story started to drag. Not in the sense that there was a lull in the action but in the sense that I felt we had been here before. Several times. It started to feel cyclical and it annoyed me because I wanted answers and understanding.

One of the constructs I most appreciated about this story is that K could be anyone. We are never given a description of K beyond a rough age-range (old enough to know a time before the internet, but not really). We don't have a sex, gender, or race. No physical characteristics. We don't even have more of a name. A pronoun is never used in connection to K. I loved all of it because it doesn't matter. It isn't important to the story. K can be anyone. K is anyone.

If this kind of twisty, psychologically scrambling story, a story that blurs the lines between reality and science-fiction is your thing, I 100% recommend this book.

I don’t have enough amazing things to say about this book. I absolutely adored the main character; I am a lesbian and her attraction to women felt so honest and real without feeling like it was written by a man or was pandering or fetishizing. The concept of this world is totally crazy and I loved absolutely every single second of it.

From the first page I was totally pulled into the world of Rabbits. I desperately hoping and praying that we get sequels and prequels. I want more of this world and the game.

This book wasn't what i thought it was but i enjoyed it. It a mystery sci-fi book that ask the question what would happen if the was a game controlling our lives. this is a fast pace book that really good on audio book and I'm wrapped up in the story that i couldn't tell you what going to happen but i love seeing how every choice the MC makes changes their lives. Side note love that their are characters that play d&d

TW: Family drama, abandoned children, murder,

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: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.
Release Date: June 8th, 2021
Genre: Sci-Fi - fantasy
Pages: 419
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
• The element of there being a game that's all consuming
• That everyone knows the game
• K is a good character that keeps you engaged
• Being book vain I love the cover
• The story is easy to follow considering what it is

What I Didn't Like:
• It’s a lot to wrap your mind around and keep up at times

Overall Thoughts: Gosh what a fun read! If you like Mr. Robot you might find some similarities between this book and that show. I'd definitely say cross between Hackers, Mr Robot, and War Games. This book is a total mind fuck but in the best way possible. It'll have you questioning so many things and wanting to solve everything. It reminded me of my favorite book The Raw Shark Texts . Both are on this higher world of understanding.

I loved how the Mandela Effect played a huge part in this book. I thought it was a fun interesting twist. You never know what is real or what has happened. It all ties up so well.

Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed everything about this book.

In the past, I’ve talked about the way that I adore Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I was a huge fan of the technology and the dystopian coming-of-age story for Mr. Wade Watts. The idea of a contest inside a virtual reality paradise was intriguing in theory and in practice.

However, with his new book titled Rabbits, author and podcaster Terry Miles, made a treasure hunt and took it underground. Apparently, Rabbits is a novel set in the universe of a podcast by the same name.

In my universe, however, I’d never listened to that first adventure, so I was going in almost completely blind (I did have to read the description in the email that NetGalley sent me so that I could decide to check it out).

I was completely riveted from the very beginning of this reading experience. That might be because the author created an intoxicating blend of conspiracy, mystery, technology, and sheer fun. I felt off-balance nearly all the way through this book, and that is part of the fun.

By the time this review has been posted for the first time, I will have had nearly two months to sit with the events of Rabbits. This book took over a Tuesday evening and most of a Wednesday with its mind-bending adventures.

The idea of a mysterious game that could lead to an even more mysterious prize was just as compelling to me as it obviously was to the main character (simply called K to acquaintances).

This was way more trippy than Ready Player One, and it was certainly more intellectual. I wasn’t prepared for multiverse discussions or the Mandela Effect, or the most basic question: Are you actually playing the game or not.

This book is a perfect excuse for me to tell you all that spoilers should (and will) remain in my brain. I’m so glad that I only read the jacket copy before setting out.

There is a possibility that I would have enjoyed this book more had I listened to the podcast. I don’t care though. I promise you, that if you are a fan of conspiracy techno-thrillers with heart, mystery, and action, then Rabbits will be right up your alley.

It really blew me away, and it’s taking every ounce of self-restraint for me not to spill some of the plot details right now.

I hope you appreciate that.

Until next time, keep your bookmarks close.

Peace, Love, Pages.

Note: As Always, Affiliate Links are here for your convenience at no cost to you. All reading was at my own expense.

This book was something I thought I would love by the description. However, I actually stopped reading it a few chapters in because I just couldn’t get into it. Once I picked it up again, I started from the beginning and began to trek my way through this ‘techno-thriller’ of a book.
I’ll start off by saying that I did not listen to the podcast beforehand. Would that have helped? Maybe. But, going into it blind I experienced what the majority of readers will experience, who I assume, will have also not listened to the podcast.
This book takes you on the journey of K as he plays the game known as “Rabbits.” It’s a worldwide game about patterns and connections, and the majority of people don’t even know it exists. However, the game is dangerous and people have died playing it.
The book seemed like it was trying to hard. It’s a cool concept, but there was so much going on it felt messy. By the end I wasn’t satisfied with how everything played out. I felt like there were unanswered questions.



I received an advance review copy for free for NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

i really enjoyed reading this book, it was a wonderfully done plot and had a great scifi elements in this book. The characters were great and I enjoyed the way the author writes.

An interesting, though confusing, Sci-Fi novel that takes the reader on a journey they won't soon forget and may not easily figure out. Miles is writing in his element, though it is not for everyone.

DNF
This book just didn't work for me at all. I didn't like the writing style, the characters, or the way the story was unfolding. I stopped reading and opted not to post a review.

I never even knew about the podcast before I got this review copy and now I'm hooked. I like books where the reader solves a mystery with clues and hints. I do think this was a little longer than it needed to be.

Despite not listening to the podcast this book is based on, it's an engaging story from page one. Alternate universes. Mysterious game. Mandela effect. Your mind will be kept thinking throughout

The cover of Rabbits initially drew me in. I saw it around Bookstagram, but I wasn't feeling the pull to read it immediately. Then I was walking through an indie bookstore and saw a review from an employee that compared it to Ready Player One. That did it for me and I picked Rabbits up next.

Rabbits is a fun read! Definitely gave me Ready Player One and Recursion vibes. Immediately after finishing Rabbits, I gave it to my oldest son to read.

Our main character, K, has been obsessed with patterns his entire life. His parents used to play games with him involving patterns and observing. K discovered a game called Rabbits that most players just call "the game" as it is dangerous to speak about Rabbits. Rabbits is happening all around us, you just need to be paying attention to the clues in order to notice it. K is visited by a reclusive billionaire, Alan Scarpio, that tells him that the game is broken and needs to be fixed. After Scarpio's visit and subsequent disappearance, K brings in his friend Chloe to try and figure out what is going on.

Rabbits is set in Seattle and the author Terry Miles clearly has spent plenty of time in Seattle. Rabbits took me to some of my absolute favorite places in Seattle (the troll under the bridge anyone?).

I just discovered that Christine Lakin narrated the audiobook, so I am thinking a re-read via audio needs to happen. Also, Terry Miles has a podcast called Rabbits that I need to go listen to.

This was... awful.

I got into Rabbits - the podcast, not the book - on the day it came out. I was a long-time (long-suffering?) fan of Tanis, and even when the podcast was more miss than hit, it was still fun to dive into it and try and puzzle things out. But sometime around season 4, the intra-world conspiracy theories that my fellow listeners and I would make up ended up being more interesting and well-written than the show itself.

The Rabbits podcast suffered from that same issue, but it didn't make it out of its first season before the cracks began to show.

The Rabbits <i>book</i> didn't even make it out of the first chapter.

Seriously, this was intolerable, and I say that as someone who pressed on to the "end" of Tanis and into the second season of Rabbits (and don't even get me started on the ending of The Black Tapes). Whereas the podcast leaned heavily on references to 1980s tech and video game culture in a very Ready Player One way (minus the misogynist neckbearding and racism, okay, I'll give it that), the book consisted entirely of it. The story was so thin and see-through that plot points were introduced that I didn't realize were supposed to be shockers until I was beaten over the head with the fact that it was supposed to be shocking. This book is an ouroboros in that way: it will only be enjoyable to you if you are enough of an Old Nerd to understand each and every reference-laden page, but all of your enjoyment will be sucked away as you realize that the entire story structure leans heavily on needing the reader not to extrapolate from any of those references.

On top of all of that, the storytelling itself suffers heavily from the same problem of Andy Weir's <i>Artemis</i>, in that the narrative is supposed to be from the point of view of a twenty-something woman, except that it's clear that Terry Miles has never had a single moment in his life where he critically examined the internal dialogue of a twenty-something woman. The narrator sounds more like a 14-year-old edgelord than any person - of any gender, for that matter - of above legal drinking age. Even in Canada.

I don't know what I was expecting, honestly. Maybe I just had a twinge of hope that Miles' writing would have the opportunity to be more connected and coherent than his podcasts, which are constantly dropping plot threads whenever they become too inconveniently difficult to resolve, but instead I found myself in a book so absolutely infuriating on every page I couldn't even be bothered to pick up a plot thread to begin with. At least when it's Jeff VanderMeer being plagiarised there's some interesting content to mine. When it's Ernest Cline, I think even that's hoping for a little bit too much.

I did not finish reading this book. I am not big into this genre, but thought it might be like Ready Player One and Ready Player Two, both of which I liked. However, I only made it about 20% in, and was very bored with where ever it was trying to go.

If you're looking for a game book that's more dark web, read this book.
If you're looking for a book about a game that you shouldn't talk about, read this book.
If you're interested in a game called Rabbits, read this book.
My final thoughts, read this book.

The opening to this book really draws you in. We learn of this game called Rabbits that is filled with mystery and conspiracy theories. As the book continues we slowly learn more and more about the top players, the dangers of playing and just what Rabbits is exactly.

The writing and story telling is superb. As I was reading it, I kept thinking it reminded me of a podcast called The Black Tapes. In learning more about the author; he was the co-creator of The Black Tapes! He's also creator of one of my other favorite podcasts Tanis. If you've listened to those and loved them, I would highly recommend checking this book out. I also understand there is a podcast called Rabbits which I will be checking out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine, Del Rey for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm at a loss of what to say about this book other than it was definitely not for me. Maybe following this author's podcast is necessary to enjoy/understand this convoluted novel. As other reviews have mentioned, the basic premise was K and Chloe talking, noticing something weird, following it, stopping, noticing something else, then repeating the same process. The rest is filled out with arcane music references, overly detailed descriptions of Seattle locales, and other trivia that must resonate with hipsters.

Thanks to Netgallery for a copy of this.

Honestly at first I didn’t think I would like this one. I couldn’t really figure it out but then once I started realizing the characters storylines it clicked! It definitely had a thrill factor and halfway through I started to really like it! Great writing.