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.
I couldn’t resist this description of an alternate reality game – and it turned out to be a mindbender of a book.
I wasn’t familiar with the Rabbits podcast created by this author, but after checking it out it seems to be pretty popular. The website states it’s a documentary/docudrama, and the show’s producers won’t admit it isn’t real. That little niggle at the back of my brain wondering if this could really happen made this story even more appealing for me. The game of Rabbits is kind of like Fight Club – you don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist, and you tell no one you’re playing. Rumors about its purpose have surrounded the game for years, and the identities of the winners are unknown. It involves finding patterns, inconsistencies, and following clues in our everyday world, and the players seem to be pretty tech savvy and geniuses at detecting subtle irregularities.
After K is contacted by Scarpio (a former winner – maybe?) who tells him something has gone wrong with the game, things take a dark turn. Players go missing and/or turn up dead. K has had some issues in his past and at times is unsure of what’s real and what’s not – along with the reader. He loses time, encounters shadow figures, and remembers movies that don’t exist. My jaw dropped more than once at unanticipated twists, and I formed all sorts of theories.
At times, you’ll feel like you’re literally going down a rabbit hole with the characters, then look up at the clock and see you’ve also lost time because you need to know what’s happening. With quantum physics, alternate realities, false memory syndrome, and more, Rabbits is a trippy and often baffling novel I’d recommend to avid sci-fi fans. Now I’ll be looking for patterns and inconsistencies everywhere.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I want to read this, and I’m also afraid to! I don’t know if that’s a good sign or not. LOL
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I’m thinking you should conquer your fears, Staci – go for it! It releases on June 8th.
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FYI, Teri. I freaking LOVED it!
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Yay!!!
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Whoa, my mind is blown just reading your review. What a cool concept for a story! Great review, Teri!
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Thanks, Priscilla! After reading this, I’m afraid I’d really get sucked into the podcast. I’m not usually one for podcasts, but it’s calling to me now.
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Okay, this is just a really creepy sounding kinda tale. 😲 I have to think about whether or not my tiny brain can survive reading something like this one. Honestly, it’s scary just reading about it. *goes off shivering and looking over her shoulder* Eeep.
Great review, says she as she locks the doors. 😉 😀
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I was thinking about it days after finishing it, Marcia. Even some of the characters wanted to quit playing, but it’s like they were addicted to the game.
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This is very intriguing, Teri! Pretty sure I’m going to read this one. Excellent review!
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It’s kind of like a yoga class for your brain, Jenn – it will be stretched and turned all kinds of different ways, lol.
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That’s crazy. Sounds like one I’d enjoy.
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I was thinking the same thing, Craig. I can see this as a movie very easily.
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I am totally intrigued by this story! And now I have “You are not special. You’re not a beautiful and unique snowflake,” (which is my favorite Fight Club quote) stuck in my head. But this book I’m definitely writing down ❤️
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I’m such a Fight Club fan, but it’s been years since I’ve watched the whole thing. I think it’s time for a rewatch. This book will absolutely mess with your mind, Tessa – enjoy!
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Great review, Teri. It sounds like a book that would keep me awake at night!
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The characters in this book didn’t sleep much either, Jill, lol!
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This book sounded so intriguing when I first heard about it, and it’s great to get your review. Now don’t become a conspiracy theorist, Teri, as you look for clues and irregularities! Lol. That said, I love books that cross over into our real lives. Thanks for the review and recommendation!
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No worries there, Diana. If The X-Files didn’t turn me into a conspiracy theorist, I doubt any book or show could at this point, lol. This one’s certainly a mindbender.
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Ha ha. I put it on my wishlist. 🙂
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Thanks for sharing your review, Teri.
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I don’t get quantum physics but alternate reality is fascinating. Great review, Teri!
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Both fascinate me, Yesha – even if I don’t totally understand them. Thanks!
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And here I was hoping it was a book about a bunch of cute, snuggly bunnies! LOL. 😉
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Right? That’s why I picked it up and not one snuggly, fluffy bunny anywhere!
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This sounds like one of those books that makes you scratch your head and wonder. I love the cover, too. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on it, Teri. This one is definitely intriguing to me.
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I can vouch for the head scratching, Jan, lol. My brain got a great workout reading this one.
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This plot reminds me a bit of The Running Man by Stephen King. I am not sure I would like this as I don’t play games and would probably find it difficult to follow and understand.
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I read The Running Man years ago and I know there was a movie, but it’s been so long I don’t remember much about it. Sometimes the characters in the book weren’t sure they were even playing the game, Robbie, lol.
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Trippy and baffling novel..it dos not seem my jam to be honest Teri but amazing review!
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Thanks, Sophie! Trippy and baffling – are you sure you didn’t read it, lol?
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Haven’t read the book but I HAVE heard the podcast. While it’s really very good and very engaging, I found the lack of proper closure in the podcast a tad bit dissatisfactory. How is the closing of the book?
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Not to give anything away, but I’d say it’s in keeping with the tone of the book. I’d love to try the podcast sometime.
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