Have you ever heard of going down the Rabbit hole? I have, and while mostly we think of that childhood favorite, Alice in Wonderland, when the phrase Rabbit hole comes up, I will now, and forever, think of The Game: Rabbits. Rabbits is a story about conspiracies and multiverses all wrapped up into a real-life thriller, written by Terry Miles. This book really made me think, could Rabbits be true? How would I find out and start playing it? Do you really want to play Rabbits, what with the potential consequences and all? There is a final prize if you win The Game, but is it really worth your sanity?

Rabbits follows K, who is obsessed with the game, trying to find and decipher the clues, along with his best friends Chloe and Baron. As they play the game, traversing throughout always rainy Seattle, they start noticing others who are playing the game are disappearing or dying. K also starts noticing that he is losing time and some of his memories are different, such as a famous Troll statue holding a different vehicle than he remembers, and buildings appearing where they weren’t before. K works with many different players, including an old friend from his past. Are they allies or are they enemies? Who can K truly trust? What is happening and can K figure it out in time to save the world?

As a side note, there is a podcast based off of this story that I have become engrossed in after reading this book.

*I was provided a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

R U PLAYING?

Have you ever been driving somewhere only to arrive and realize you have no memory of the ride? Do you constantly see patterns in your surroundings? Do you wake at the exact same time in the middle of the night every night, and the numbers on the clock hold a special significance to you?

Maybe you’re playing Rabbits. Maybe you shouldn’t read this book. Maybe you should read it several times. I recommend the latter.

I can’t tell you the last time I had such a visceral experience. Maybe the first time I watched The Exorcist. This is a totally different genre, but I’m looking over my shoulders all the same.

If you watched the movie The Game (or the comedic parallel Game Night), you might loosely understand this concept. The characters may or may not be playing a game. The participants, if there are any, could die from playing. And if the game isn’t won, the world could end.

The main character isn’t sure what he’s experiencing. He might be suffering a break from reality or he might just be humanity’s last hope. That’s a lot of pressure. And I felt it all right along with him. I was frantically turning the pages to see what would happen next, at least as emotionally invested in the outcome as he was (if not more). The world-building was rich and fascinating, the pacing breathtaking. I couldn’t put this one down.

And now that it’s over, I can’t help but wonder… r u playing?

Five easy stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley for a gratis copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rabbits by Terry Miles is a science fiction fantasy that is supposed to be thrilling, but more on that later. In this one there is an underground game that has been running for years but things are taking a turn for the worst.

K has been a long time fan of the Rabbits game and wants nothing but to get into it himself. The game is on it’s 10th running when one night K runs into Scarpio who is rumored to have won a previous version himself. Scarpio tells K that he needs to look into issues with Rabbits before the 11th version begins and the fate of the world is in K’s hands.

However, shortly after speaking with Scarpio K finds that the mysterious former player has gone missing. As time ticks my K is at a loss as what he needs to do and before he knows it the 11th game of Rabbits is beginning. K begins to notice clues around him though as he begins to play the game himself.

Ok, some of my favorite books I’ve read have been science fiction gaming fantasies, I mean Ready Player One anyone?? Rabbits for me however was not anything like those books that I’ve devoured in the past as the “game” in this one was just our main character fumbling around here and there looking for clues then it would stall with an alternate reality reset moment. There are times the story seemed like it would get engaging but then it just stalled out again and for me this one took three days to trudge through when I can normally read a book in a couple hours. There are those that love this one but I just wasn’t one of them as it seemed slow and choppy with a not so exciting ending to me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book is not going to appeal to all audiences. It will appeal to those that like the bizarre, are into RPG, and believe that multi-dimension universes are possible. While I may not fit into all of those categories, I have to admit this book was fascinating with all of the possibilities.

We follow K and several of his friends that have stumbled across a game called Rabbits. It isn't spoken about and I'm not really sure how someone can win this game, but there are people that have won. It isn't spoken about or really discussed and it is a game for those that notice variations in the world around them....once again, not me but I love just thinking about the possibilities.

I like the titles of each chapter, they are somewhat comical and add humor to this insane story. There are people disappearing, memories that may not be real, time lapses, and so much more.

The story does get bogged down in some of the details and since I do not understand some of the scientific theories discussed, it did go over my head. But I was pulled into K's life and interactions with Chloe and others that led him down the rabbit hole of this game and as he fought for his life and trying to figure out what was real and what was not.

I read a few other reviews and realized that we never really know K's gender. I assumed male but it could easily be a female. There is no way to know for sure and thinking back, that sheds a different light on some of the scenes.

If you like podcasts, you might want to check out the Rabbits podcast. I am not usually a podcast listener but will check it out just because I've read this book.

Overall we give this book 4 paws.

Rabbits by Terry Miles is Science Fiction but it's the type that makes you wonder if some of it might actually be true. Reading this story I had to go on my computer a few times to check out things (no spoilers from me!). I want to thank NetGalley and Del Rey for a copy to review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to preview this book. Strange, but worthwhile. Recommended.

This was boring and hard to follow. I've never heard of the podcast, so maybe if I knew more about it I would've liked this more. I'd recommend this for people who are fans of the podcast or fans of Christopher Nolan.

This was a ride!!

Characters 4/5
The characters in this are fun, but the fast pace of the story meant there wasn't as much character development or backstory explored. As a plot-driven reader, this didn't bother me one bit, but for more character-driven readers, you may find yourself wanting a little more here.

Plot 5/5
This book goes, so buckle in and get ready for a ride! Part mystery, part scientific exploration, part game theory... this was just designed for someone like me (someone with an analytical mind that loves puzzles and finding patterns).

Storytelling/Writing 4/5
Pacing in this felt spot-on for me, but there were some instances where some exposition breaks had to come in to keep the plot moving. They didn't interrupt the flow of the story, but they felt a little like that moment while playing a D&D game and the DM has to give you a whole set-up before you can continue the quest. There were also some instances of where a character asks a question and the answer is not provided just to build some tension. I dislike lack of communication as a plot device. It was fairly minimal, but was frustrating when it did pop up.

Enjoyment 5/5
This book was delightful! I am definitely interested in the podcast by the author after reading this. It was fun, and it was my perfect level of over-the-top.

Atmosphere 5/5
The mystery/puzzling vibes in this were fantastic! The eery vibes were perfectly placed. The stakes felt really high. This was just a great, exciting read.

I absolutely loved this. "Rabbits" feels like it was written for someone like me. You may find you enjoy this one too if:
-you were always good at those games of "find six things different in this picture" as a kid
-you enjoy finding correlations and coincidences and patterns
-you enjoy "weird" movies like "Donnie Darko" or pseudoscience shows like "Fringe"

Definitely going to be keeping an eye out for more from this author. This was a smash-hit of a debut!

Probably one of the best books I’ve read this year,so good I went and bought the hardcover edition when it came out. Just a game? Reality or not,you choose! Get it read it,enjoy!

I have not listened to the Rabbits Podcast that inspired this full length audio but I will soon rectify that. I love connections, conspiracies, alternate reality games and societies, so of course I had to grab Rabbits.

In this technothriller we meet K, a geeky gamer who lost his parents in his teens and lives alone. K sees patterns and connections that have caused him to have manic episodes, and gives presentations (for a fee) about a game called Rabbits. The game began in 1959, but some believe it began sooner than that. There have been ten known iterations and nine winners declared. Players follow clues, unlock hidden messages all hoping to win glory and an unimaginable prize. Some say they unlock the secrets of the university, gain immortality or become wealthy beyond your wildest dreams. But when billionaire Alan Scarpio, the alleged winner of the sixth iteration, seeks out K, he learns that something is seriously wrong with the game. Alan tells him K must fix it before the eleventh iteration begins or the entire world will pay. Then Scarpio disappears and soon K is chasing down patterns and searching for clues as players turn up dead or go missing.

K enlists the help of his friend and crush, Chloe. The story might prove confusing as you question what is real and id K is still grounded in reality, but the storyline is addictive and the further down the rabbit hole you travel, the more you understand.

The first rule of Rabbits is that you don’t talk about it and this makes finding clues and obtaining information difficult. The patterns are sometimes obscure and other times simple, like four of the same dog on the street. K has dreams or nightmares about a darkness and for every clue they gain, something shakes things up. It was brilliant.

From the unreliable narrator to the time slips and alternate realities, I was hooked. This isn’t something you can devour in one sitting. In fact, it took me a solid week. Rabbits is perfect for fans of the Matrix, Doctor Who, science fiction and those who see patterns.

For Audiobook fans, you’ll want to grab this one on audio. Christine Lakin does a superb job setting the tone and pulling you into the game. From pacing to unique voices she enhances the tale and provides a fantastic listener experience.

Rabbits by Terry Miles.
K has been vaguely aware of a game called Rabbits since he was a teenager. Rabbits is an alternative reality game that is based on all of those random coincidences that one might notice. The game is wrapped up in mystery, rumors, and danger. But the game is more that just a game. Something is changing, something is messing with the reality. Rabbits tells the story of K and his friends try to discover the patterns, tracking down cults, rumored players, scientists and gamers. As contacts are disappearing K tries to balance his safety with the need to save the universe.
This book will be compared with Ready Player One and will likely be enjoyed by the same audience. Ready Player One is more 80s trivia and a defined goal and bad guy with a teen main character. Rabbits has a slightly older characters and has more science, ambiguity with reality.
Recommended for teens and adults that enjoy the world of old tech and video games,
Thanks to netgalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Truly a wild wide from start to finish, Rabbits take the mind-boggling, conspiracy-tinged premise of the podcast to the next level with page-turning thrills that had me repeatedly saying "what the heck did I just read?"

The book is a sort of standalone sequel to the podcast, which I highly recommend listening to in order to get a better idea of the mysterious, conspiratorial, alternate reality vibes this book puts out. The podcast and the book are perfect for fans of "Lost" and "Stranger Things" and gamers who love RPGs, ARGs, and classic arcade games. It also helps to be familiar with the Mandela effect. It starts out in a similar vein as the podcast - with a character "investigating" the game and getting pulled into the secretive, underground world of Rabbits and learning just how much the game means to the health and safety of the world around them.

Chock full of popular culture references, computer gaming, and artificial intelligence technology. Its horror-tinged trippy surrealism from the get-go makes you feel like you're playing the game right along with main character "K" - reading between the lines, highlighting names and clues, and trying to solve the puzzle of what's plaguing Rabbits and the universe.

I applaud Terry Miles for the fantastical, multiversal epic that is Rabbits. The Door Is Open.

I listened to Rabbits a couple of years ago so I was excited to be approved for this ARC. As someone who participated in several alternate reality games back when they were more popular, the ARG-inspired flavor of this book was veeery appealing to me. And while reading it, I could tell the author appreciated them as much as I do. I think Terry Miles and I could be buds. We both seem to like creepy, mysterious, is-this-real-or-not? types of stories that are right on the edge of fiction and reality.

Overall, I did enjoy the story of Rabbits. I'm a sucker for scary things that deal with technology and the internet, and there were a few moments I found really exciting. I think it's a unique idea, and I found myself googling some of the things in the book to see if they were actually real or not (some were, some weren't). I think Rabbits would make for a great movie or TV series, maybe. Or even a graphic novel!

I wasn't sure who the target audience of the book was really meant to be. I figured this kind of book would be written for people like me who are generally kinda nerdy, but it felt like the writing kind of held my hand and explained things to me when it was unnecessary. There were some "show don't tell" issues for sure. The way that pop culture and video games were discussed made me think of Ready Player One and I honestly wasn't feeling emotionally prepared to face that kind of 80s music and retrogaming supremacy again. I'm not sure if it was just me becoming more invested, but about halfway through the book it felt like the writing suddenly got better and this became much less of an issue.

I love good, human-like characters and unfortunately I found the ones in this book lacking. I didn't understand what motivated them, I thought their reactions to things were unrealistic, and I frequently got mad at them for not understanding what was going on. Even when wild, dangerous things were happening in the story, the characters' reactions were so flat that it was like there were no real consequences to anything. I couldn't really worry about the characters or get emotionally involved with the story because it was all like "oh, that happened. I'm sad. Okay, next thing."

On the topic of characters, K is described as being "neurodivergent" but this only really manifests in him having an obsession with patterns. I think his character would have been deeper and more interesting had this impacted his personality and decisions more.

Also I'm just going to throw in that I found it strange that race and skin color were only brought up for POC characters. Like, one random dude was described as being a Persian man before he even said anything. How'd the main character even know he was Persian? And the character's presence was so extremely brief that being Persian had nothing to do with anything at all so I was just thrown off by the description.

I'm going to briefly talk about the ending, but I won't spoil it. Skip this paragraph if you don't like ending talk. I found it hard to get through the last bit of the book. Toward the end, I realized there was a ton of plot that was unresolved that would have to be wrapped up in a short amount of time. I was right, it felt like it was crammed in there. It made the twists and conclusion especially unsatisfying.

I wish I could get my grubby paws in there and edit and restructure this book. I really do like the story (hence rounding the 2.5 to a 3 instead of a 2), but there were too many things keeping me from loving it. But would I read another book by this author? Sure, I think he can improve. Speaking of which, I might be willing to sell an organ for a The Black Tapes novel.

I remember listening to the Rabbits podcast when it first came out, and like essentially all of the Pacific Northwest Stories podcasts (The Black Tapes, Tanis, The Last Movie...) I found it absolutely fascinating, loved the twists and turns, and was left relatively satisfied but also confused and a bit frustrated.

I had a very similar experience with the Rabbits novel.

Our protagonist is K, who sees patterns and connections everywhere, and has been fixated on the game Rabbits since a traumatizing incident from his childhood. Rabbits is a game you don't talk in detail about, for fear of severe repercussions, a game most people have never heard of, but one that could take players anywhere. A clue could be a building that you swear wasn't there just a second ago, three people you meet in the span of three minutes who all share the same three-lettered name, or a hidden track on a vinyl record only available in one store you don't remember ever seeing before.

This is the absolutely fascinating part, following along as clues are found, connections are made, and more is learned about the game. I love the idea so much of a mysterious game that is just hidden out there in everyday life, with what frequently seem to be the coolest clues and connections. I could read an entire series of novels where each book is a different iteration of the game, and we follow along with a player or players as they work their way through the clues.

Where the problem comes in for me, and has since the podcast (though it definitely felt more prominent here) is the extreme confusion that can come with some of the explanations and reasonings, in particular the reasoning behind the game and all the strange things that have been occurring. We get these explanations at various points in the story, but in particular towards the end. A lot of that aspect just did not make sense to me, I honestly could not grasp or understand what was being said. And I love a good fake out, or a twist within a twist, or a possibly unreliable narrator, but when in the last few chapters all that is thrown together plus maybe add in another level and some highly complicated scientific discussions, you have a story you still enjoy but that also becomes frustrating and somewhat unsatisfying.

I definitelyfeally liked thix book. I was completely caught up in it, and enjoyed reading it a lot. It just felt like it fell into a bit of a trap-one that has led many fans of Pacific Northwest Stories' podcasts to get frustrated and stop listening to a show they once absolutely loved-of getting caught up in its own greatness and just not knowing when it's time to settle on one singular satisfying ending.

A very cool idea that translates well from the podcast to a novel. I really appreciated all of the conspiracy theories that abound in the story and was intrigued by the central mystery. Terry Miles is an author who I will be tracking in the future if this is any indication of what the quality of the prose and plot will be. A fantastic read that I highly recommend. Review to come on the blog sometime soon down the road.

This was a little God Game and a little Ready Player One, and I was super into it! This was an intricate plot for an intricate game, and it was such an all-consuming story! It holds a fast-pace throughout the entire book, so I found it to be a pretty quick read! There's a podcast for this, and I'm super interested in listening to it now! If you enjoy video games, or books about them, you'll enjoy this one!

Full video review here - https://youtu.be/LxGq3q1hAtk

This was an amazing and engrossing read. found myself pausing the book to look up the real lifer references, places, and science from the book. The twist, the clues, the traversing of universes was something i've always been interested in and this book absolutely hit that mark. I really enjoyed it.

One Sentence Summary: A Rabbits fantatic, K is thrilled to meet Alan Scarpio, the potential winner of the sixth iteration of Rabbits, until Scarpio tells him he needs to fix the game before the eleventh iteration starts, otherwise everyone could be in danger.

Overall
Reading Rabbits is like falling down the rabbit hole. I expected a book inundated with video game, tech, and pop culture references that I probably wouldn’t understand, but, instead, I got a crazy journey where it didn’t matter if I understood any of it at all. I was lost and confused by the end, especially by how it all actually worked, but it also turned out to be an incredible adventure I don’t regret. It’s twisty with alternate dimensions, missing time, strange dreams, and even stranger clues. It was often hard to tell what, exactly, was going on. But the trip is definitely worth it.

Extended Thoughts
There’s a game that uses the real world as it’s playing board. It’s called Rabbits and is all about finding the clues, finding the discrepancies, finding the coincidences, and following the trail to whatever the conclusion of the game is.

K has been obsessed with it since he was a teenager, since he was in the backseat of a car with sisters who were just getting started in it, until an accident suddenly halted them. Not long after, K’s parents die and he’s left on his own. Years later, he holds informal sessions about Rabbits in an arcade run by the Magician and where his friend Chloe works. Everything is normal, until K meets the legendary Alan Scarpio, the rumored winner of the sixth iteration of Rabbits, and Alan tells him K needs to fix the game before the eleventh iteration starts.

But, before K can learn more, Alan goes missing, and K has no idea what to do. With his friends Chloe and Baron, and the Magician doing his part to find information, K haphazardly tries to follow clues. Too late, though. The next iteration has started and players start dying and disappearing. K might be the key to fixing the game and saving the world.

Rabbits has to be the twistiest, craziest story I’ve ever read, but I loved it so much. It required me to read it closely so I wouldn’t miss any clues. Still, by the end, I had no idea how all the alternate dimensions worked so the end felt like a bit of a mess to me. But I think it was more fun to go on the journey with K than to really figure out what was going on. Following the clues was nutty, and I’m actually really glad the story didn’t go into too much detail to explain how each leap was made because it would have completely lost me.

K and Chloe are repeatedly told to stop playing the game. Of course, for two Rabbits addicts, it’s hard. It seemed even harder to stop when it felt like every clue, every discrepancy, was falling right in their laps. I loved how it both did and didn’t feel like they were playing. Playing the game just kind of happened. It felt like it was just something they were caught up in and couldn’t stop no matter how they tried.

Rabbits kept me on the edge of my seat. Part science fiction, part fantasy, part thriller, it even had some horror elements. All of it blended together perfectly to create the perfect tension, the perfect atmosphere, and the perfect way for me to blur reading fiction and living in reality.

But what was happening to K was incredibly wacky. The why behind it was a bit of a let down as I felt it took the easy way out, but I still really liked K, even if I had an easier time imagining him as a twenty-something instead of someone in their thirties or forties. All of the characters felt a little younger than I had calculated them to be, but I also frequently conveniently forgot that.

K has no one except his friends, so I liked how he felt quite comfortable on his own and with Chloe even while crazy things were happening around him. He definitely has a self-preservation streak, but his curiosity often got the better of him. Chloe, though, was a good partner for him. She kept him grounded and he watched out for her. They were an amazing duo who seemed capable of pulling everything off. I liked how they thought similarly, but also managed to add to each other. There was a light romantic edge to their relationship, but the romance is faint and nicely woven in without overpowering at all.

Set all across Seattle, I was a little disappointed it didn’t wander too far out of the city’s limits even though some clues indicated the larger world. Since Rabbits is a world wide game, I hoped for something more far flung, but it turned out that what was introduced was just right, even if it did seem just a little too convenient. It was fun to travel around Seattle.

All in all, Rabbits is not just a crazy game, but a crazy book I struggle to describe. At one point, it did feel like it was getting a little outlandish, but managed to kind of reel itself in. Full of alternate dimensions, time warps, old technology, and coincidences and discrepancies, Rabbits often felt like a mind boggling book, but will definitely take the reader on a journey.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

✨Wow!!! This book is bananas! (Bananas is good!) Thank you Del Rey books and NetGalley for a free copy of this book! I loved it. I stayed up WAY past my bed time last night finishing this book because I had to know what happened.

✨Part technological thriller, part treasure hunt this book is about winning a game that doesn’t really exist and getting your hearts desire as the prize. The characters are all people who are deep into gaming, computers and are adept at noticing patterns. Our MC, known only as K, caught wind of a mysterious underground game when he was a teenager that was said to be called Rabbits. Over time he’s become an unofficial expert on the lore of Rabbits and as an adult thinks he has the expertise to win it all. Once he becomes fully immersed in solving the mystery of the game, he finds that others playing are dying or disappearing and things become very scary and dire from there. The very fabric of reality seems to be folding and tearing as he pursues each new lead.

✨This book is super fast paced. I loved the way it is linear, like solving a deadly treasure hunt. You get past one puzzle and are on to the the next. You’re solving riddles and puzzles along with the characters in the book. It is also rife with pop culture references which is something I loved! I never knew what was going to happen from one thing to the next. It’s like Clue meets Ready Player One set in the world of Black Mirror. It does have some Sci-fi elements but overall it’s much more about K and the people in his life, those he loves and wants to save.

✨This book is related to a podcast, set in the same world. I have listened to a fictional podcast before called The Black Tapes which was really good and was made by the same production company that does the Rabbits podcast. Now I’ll have to go listen to Rabbits and see if it’s as exciting as this book!

✨I highly recommend you read this one of you like puzzles and mysteries, you will not be bored.

Rabbits is a game played in the real world by real people. Though young, K is an old school gamer who is sucked into the game deeper and deeper as the book continues. Could coincidences really be hints of the game play or are they caused by real science? Could it be both? Or is K slipping ever deeper into insanity?

This is a mind-bending science fiction thriller. I absolutely adored it! It has a lot of pop culture, along with many obscure gaming and science facts. Since I’ve always been into all of those, I had no trouble keeping up with the plot. I guarantee that you will look at everyday occurrences differently after reading this book. The entire book is a wild ride! Don’t miss it. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to Del Rey Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.