Book Review: Rabbits: A Novel

Reviewed by Tim R.

Rabbits: A Novel by Terry Miles, Del Rey. 2021, ISBN: 978-1984819659

A rabbit is an ornery animal.  It moves with illusive purpose but never in a direct line.  The same path is followed in the narrative of this book.  Imagine crossing a river and the only way to do it is to step from stone to stone, barely visible in the moving water.  You just move, you don't think.  That's the feeling you get when reading this book.

"Rabbits" is the name of an ancient game that hides in plain sight.  Many iterations of the game have been played, the winner of each iteration becomes exalted and memorialized forever.  You can think of it as an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) that was first created in the medieval era.  Some of you might remember a podcast with the same name.  If you have, you're on the right track.  While the universe is the same, you'll find that the book stands alone.  It is another puzzle piece that needs to be fit into the bigger picture.

You might be asking yourself, why 2600?  What does this book have to do with hacking?  I'd respond by saying that the story perfectly aligns with the hacker mindset.  In that you observe the things around you, but look at them differently.  You look at the coincidences and patterns, find methods to make things happen, all in ways that weren't intended to be possible.  It's not a techno thriller - computers and technology are part of the story but certainly not the only part.  You can share this book with others curious about what the hacker mindset is but who are unable or unwilling to make the journey of discovery with technological means.

Here's the thing.  The best part of Rabbits is not even the story.  It is what you find on the pages.  If you're clever, you'll also immerse yourself with what is hiding in plain sight.  The hacker community is full of people who look at things in different ways, making progress all while avoiding roadblocks and dead ends.  This book will reward that inclination and provide an intriguing and satisfying experience.