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jenpaul13's review against another edition
4.0
Coincidences and discrepancies play a large part in a secretive game played by dedicated and observant people in Rabbits by Terry Miles that might make you question reality.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
When you notice the same number or image repeatedly in a short span of time you may think it’s just a coincidence, but what if it was actually the beginning of a larger rabbit hole for you to explore? As early as the late 1950s, and possibly long before then, a game, known by a variety of monikers but often as Rabbits, uses our global reality to present anomalies and impossibilities that drive players to solve the puzzles those anomalies present with the hope of winning the game despite the game becoming more deadly the further you go; ten cycles of the game have concluded and the eleventh is due to begin soon. Having dedicated much of their life to Rabbits, K is eager to find a way in to the eleventh cycle of the game. When K is approached by the alleged winner of the sixth iteration, billionaire Alan Scarpio, a path in to the game is presented and Alan enlists K’s help to save the game, which he believes has been corrupted. After receiving a strange call and making plans to meet the next day, Alan abruptly leaves; when he doesn’t show for their meeting the next day K becomes concerned, but not as much as when Alan’s declared missing. K gets drawn in deeper to Rabbits while being tasked with the massive undertaking of helping to save the universe in the process.
Set in a world that is presented as our contemporary reality, it’s imbued with a deeper look at some grander conspiracy and multiverse theories to help shape the narrative; the mystery that the story presents moves swiftly as it posits reasonable alternative explanations for the odd events that K encounters and observes. The plot is expansive and ambitious in complexity and the sense of confusion it conveys and it certainly provokes thought about reality, which was fascinating; however, the characters didn’t feel as fully developed as they could or should have been, making it more difficult to become invested in them beyond their ability to merely progress the plot. The narrative is filled with details about and references to a variety of gaming and pop culture over the decades, alternate realities, and technology built from scientific advancements, grounding itself in context well without feeling too bogged down with overly detailed or technical descriptions and conveys a sense of familiarity through similarity with other media that’s already addressed some aspects of this story to a degree.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
When you notice the same number or image repeatedly in a short span of time you may think it’s just a coincidence, but what if it was actually the beginning of a larger rabbit hole for you to explore? As early as the late 1950s, and possibly long before then, a game, known by a variety of monikers but often as Rabbits, uses our global reality to present anomalies and impossibilities that drive players to solve the puzzles those anomalies present with the hope of winning the game despite the game becoming more deadly the further you go; ten cycles of the game have concluded and the eleventh is due to begin soon. Having dedicated much of their life to Rabbits, K is eager to find a way in to the eleventh cycle of the game. When K is approached by the alleged winner of the sixth iteration, billionaire Alan Scarpio, a path in to the game is presented and Alan enlists K’s help to save the game, which he believes has been corrupted. After receiving a strange call and making plans to meet the next day, Alan abruptly leaves; when he doesn’t show for their meeting the next day K becomes concerned, but not as much as when Alan’s declared missing. K gets drawn in deeper to Rabbits while being tasked with the massive undertaking of helping to save the universe in the process.
Set in a world that is presented as our contemporary reality, it’s imbued with a deeper look at some grander conspiracy and multiverse theories to help shape the narrative; the mystery that the story presents moves swiftly as it posits reasonable alternative explanations for the odd events that K encounters and observes. The plot is expansive and ambitious in complexity and the sense of confusion it conveys and it certainly provokes thought about reality, which was fascinating; however, the characters didn’t feel as fully developed as they could or should have been, making it more difficult to become invested in them beyond their ability to merely progress the plot. The narrative is filled with details about and references to a variety of gaming and pop culture over the decades, alternate realities, and technology built from scientific advancements, grounding itself in context well without feeling too bogged down with overly detailed or technical descriptions and conveys a sense of familiarity through similarity with other media that’s already addressed some aspects of this story to a degree.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
ellis459's review against another edition
4.0
4.5. super fun read, not the most well written book in history but a very exciting page-turner that leaves you reeling in a good way! Can't wait for the next one!!!
kristenbooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5-- originally leaned positive and gave it 4/5 but time usually leads to clarity, and this feels more accurate.
Recommended for fans of:
- the podcasts Terry has created, especially TANIS. (There is also a podcast version of Rabbits, which I have not listened to yet, but I also like The Black Tapes. If you like any of these, this book will be up your alley)
- House of Leaves. It was giving me those vibes long before it was explicitly referenced lol. TANIS itself also takes a lot of inspo from HoL, so there's another rec for you.
- Haruki Murakami, especially 1Q84 & his other surrealist works.
- Ready Player One. Both for the gamer nostalgia & the quest element.
As someone who's a fan of all of those things, I very much enjoyed the story. My biggest criticism is that it feels very derivative of his own previous work (mostly TANIS). It's set in the same area and hits several of the same beats I have come to expect in PRA podcasts. I listened to it in audiobook form, and idk if it's because of that format, or because I'm familiar with his podcasts, or simply because of how it was written, but I felt like it read more like a podcast than like a novel, especially in the pacing/structure.
I also didn't love certain aspects of the last chunk of the book. There were things that happened that felt... off. I'm not sure how else to put it. Whether paced weird or dropped in the reader's lap without foreshadowing, it just felt a bit clunky.
Haven't decided on a rating, but I'm leaning toward 4/5, despite just saying some negative things about it lol
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I've had this book on my tbr for MONTHS because it's directly in the center of my alley and I JUST discovered that its author was involved in creating Tanis and The Black Tapes?!!?!?! HELLO?!?! I haven't listened to either in quite a while but back in undergrad, those were my absolute favorite podcasts.
Recommended for fans of:
- the podcasts Terry has created, especially TANIS. (There is also a podcast version of Rabbits, which I have not listened to yet, but I also like The Black Tapes. If you like any of these, this book will be up your alley)
- House of Leaves. It was giving me those vibes long before it was explicitly referenced lol. TANIS itself also takes a lot of inspo from HoL, so there's another rec for you.
- Haruki Murakami, especially 1Q84 & his other surrealist works.
- Ready Player One. Both for the gamer nostalgia & the quest element.
As someone who's a fan of all of those things, I very much enjoyed the story. My biggest criticism is that it feels very derivative of his own previous work (mostly TANIS). It's set in the same area and hits several of the same beats I have come to expect in PRA podcasts. I listened to it in audiobook form, and idk if it's because of that format, or because I'm familiar with his podcasts, or simply because of how it was written, but I felt like it read more like a podcast than like a novel, especially in the pacing/structure.
I also didn't love certain aspects of the last chunk of the book. There were things that happened that felt... off. I'm not sure how else to put it. Whether paced weird or dropped in the reader's lap without foreshadowing, it just felt a bit clunky.
Haven't decided on a rating, but I'm leaning toward 4/5, despite just saying some negative things about it lol
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I've had this book on my tbr for MONTHS because it's directly in the center of my alley and I JUST discovered that its author was involved in creating Tanis and The Black Tapes?!!?!?! HELLO?!?! I haven't listened to either in quite a while but back in undergrad, those were my absolute favorite podcasts.
ahoots17's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
shyanblock's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
anteus7's review against another edition
5.0
This book was an absolute blast to read. Books that sound really cool but don't exist? Check. References to things I love (looking at you House of Leaves)? Check. Poking at some of the weirdness surrounding us (the Mandela effect, Barenstein vs.. Barenstain and how we remember that name).
Lots of fun.
I'd never come across Terry Miles or his work before randomly picking this book up at the library because it was staring at me from the new arrivals shelf (something that would happen in the book, incidentally), but now need to go on a listening binge so I can see what other madcappery he gets up to there.
Highly recommended for people who like fast-paced weird fests and making connections to things in strange popular culture spheres that make you feel knowledgeable about all the geeky things you have been consuming since you were small.
Lots of fun.
I'd never come across Terry Miles or his work before randomly picking this book up at the library because it was staring at me from the new arrivals shelf (something that would happen in the book, incidentally), but now need to go on a listening binge so I can see what other madcappery he gets up to there.
Highly recommended for people who like fast-paced weird fests and making connections to things in strange popular culture spheres that make you feel knowledgeable about all the geeky things you have been consuming since you were small.
deadmanspop's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
sofvaz8's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5