BY NMESOMA OKECHUKWU

Rabbits is a 2021 sci-fi and suspense cyberpunk story by Terry Miles. The book is based on a podcast of the same name, but the author promises that you’re absolutely fine reading the book without having prior knowledge of it.

“Rabbits” is a nameless game. It’s been around for many years. It may or may not exist and you may or may not be playing it. The game’s previous winners remain a mystery and Alan Scarpio, one of the richest men in the world, is rumored to have won an iteration of the game.

On the cusp of launching its eleventh iteration, “Rabbits” is bugged. Players have always mysteriously died in the deeply underground game, but something more could come of the anomaly, something more sinister.

“K” is our narrator in this weird story, and despite having personally witnessed the dark side of the game, he is still obsessed. For years, he fought to find a way to enter the game as a player and for years, every clue he gets comes with twice the mystery.

One night, as “K” lectures on “Rabbits” to a crowd of fellow hardcore enthusiasts, Alan Scarpio approaches him with one more mystery: Fix the game before the eleventh iteration begins or the world will pay the price.

“K” is good with patterns and can tap out an entire tennis or basketball match without missing one single detail, yet he is soon forced to relearn the meaning of reality. In the world of “Rabbits,” there are two realities: the one everyone knows and the one no one knows. He must pick either or both.

If you’ve read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, you’ll notice similarities in Miles’ story. Rabbits pays homage to various games, films, movie stars, and directors; Steven Spielberg’s name is immortalized in its text, just as Ready Player One has done.

Another striking similarity is that both books talk about a very complex game that comes with big rewards for the winners. But while Ready Player One‘s ultimate reward is readily apparent, no one knows what the reward for winning “Rabbits” is. Is it immortality? Secrets to the universe? Untold riches? It is unclear.

There’s not much world building done in Rabbits, but it doesn’t negatively impact the book’s premise, especially since it takes place at a time that’s relatable to ours. The plot also frequently jumps between timelines, but it’s expertly done so the reader doesn’t get confused.

Terry Miles did a great job envisioning a complex and creative storyline. The pop culture “easter eggs” added some excitement, so get ready to be a detective.

Rating: 7/10

To purchase Rabbits, visit Amazon.

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