Rabbits (Review)

[Res Ipsa]

There is a game you've never heard of. It's discussed among the players in the dusty parts of the dark web. It's been played 10 times, or "cycles" since 1959. A cycle begins with the appearance of the phrase "the door is open." It ends when the winner's screename appears in the circle of winners. Anyone can play. None of the players know the rules. None of the players knows how to win. None of the players knows for sure when they are playing and when they are not. But the first step in each cycle is to find a way "in" to the game. Players have to watch for and notice coincidences. The right coincidences will lead them to an anomaly. The anomaly will point to the way to get in. Or not. The players call the game "Rabbits."

Rabbits is Terry Miles' roller coaster ride through the clandestine world of obsessed Rabbits players. It's in the the same universe as his podcast of the same title, but tells a new story about new players. K, like all players is obsessed with the game. He has a talent for finding coincidences. And losing time. He and his fellow players are scrutinizing every detail of everything for the sign that the 11th cycle has begun, when the guy rumored to have won the 6th cycle shows up at his door. He tells K that something is wrong with the game and he needs K's help to fix it before the 11th cycle starts or else they're all screwed. Then he disappears. And bad things start to happen,

Miles is a prairie boy from Moose Jaw who migrated to the Pacific Northwest. He writes, produces and directs films. He plays music. And he makes some of my favorite fiction podcasts. They are all tied to the Public Radio Alliance, a fictional public radio station in Seattle. He voices Nic Silver, producer at the PRA, who also hosts some of the shows. My favorite is Tanis, Nic Silver's investigation into what he thinks might be the world's last great mystery -- the myth of Tanis. In the first episode he asks: What is Tanis? And, well, it's complicated. Five seasons complicated, with one to come. It's some kind of earth-adjacent place that people can access from the forest near Olympia, Washington. Or something. And lots of shadowy figures are very interested in it. There are cults, isolation tanks, conspiracies, cryptic government agencies, conspiracy theories, and a cabin in a place called the Calm. The story and characters are weird and wonderful and secretive and menacing. The protagonists, Nic and his hacker friend Meerkatnip, are like people I'd like to BS with in a bar for a couple of days. The pace is relaxing, and I've used lots of episodes as bedtime stories to fall asleep to.

The others are Rabbits (Carly's friend disappears, leading her down the Rabbit hole), The Last Movie (Nic and MK investigate a movie rumored to drive everyone who views it insane), and Faerie (An investigation into a secret department of the EPA that protects a very secret endangered species). There is also The Black Tapes, which is billed as the only "fictional" podcast in the bunch. It could have been the best of them all, but main character up and moved to Sweden or something as the multi-season plot was building up steam for the climax, and they cobbled together and ending that is the suckiest ending ever to destroy a great story. It was painful. Scratch your eyes out painful. So, do not, under any circumstances, listen to The Black Tapes. You'd be better off watching The Last Movie. You've been warned.

Oh, yeah. Rabbits, the book. I'd give it two thumbs up, but rabbits don't have thumbs.

But now, just as I was about to say something about Synchronicity, my phone began playing Synchronicity II, which means I must be off to the Police Station, looking for a young girl holding a copy of that book by Nabokov.

[Binger]

looking for a young girl holding a copy of that book by Nabokov.

Charles Bukowski.
Hank Chinaski.

Gonzo Poetry.
It is all part of the game.

But this Rabbit thing, sounds mysterious, even for a game.

[Morley]

...which means I must be off to the Police Station, looking for a young girl holding a copy of that book by Nabokov.

I know is is an exercise in surrealism, but this sentence.

A middle-aged man looking for a young girl holding a copy of Lolita. Is it just me, or is there something decidedly unsavory about this?

By the way, what brought you to this novel, Res?

[Res Ipsa]

looking for a young girl holding a copy of that book by Nabokov.

Charles Bukowski.
Hank Chinaski.

Gonzo Poetry.
It is all part of the game.

But this Rabbit thing, sounds mysterious, even for a game.

It’s not really gonzo in a Hunter S. Thompson kind of way. Or the Illuminatus Trilogy. The tone is more eerie, as opposed to the in your face bizarre of gonzo.

[Res Ipsa]

...which means I must be off to the Police Station, looking for a young girl holding a copy of that book by Nabokov.

I know is is an exercise in surrealism, but this sentence.

A middle-aged man looking for a young girl holding a copy of Lolita. Is it just me, or is there something decidedly unsavory about this?

By the way, what brought you to this novel, Res?

Yes, it’s intended to be a creepy example. The whole obsession with coincidences has a creepy feeling that I wanted to capture without spoilers. The Synchronicity II synchronicity appears in the book as part of a “handbook” allegedly written by one of the former winners, I rigged off it to show what the coincidences in the book looked like, and liked the creepy vibe I ended up with.

At some point during the pandemic I was getting information overload from the regular podcasts I listened to. So, I switched to podcast fiction. I enjoy storytelling, and podcasting is a great format for that. I stumbled into the Black Tapes, which was was pretty visible while it was being made. After really loving the storytelling, I felt tremendously let down by the ending. (The series was finished before I started listening.) I hit the Google to find out how such a cool story ended up with such a horrible ending. After learning what happened and reading good things about Tanis, which is still ongoing, I decided to give it a try. I was hooked, and listened to all of Miles’ fiction podcasts. I found the book when Miles, pretending to be Nic Silver’s cousin, started plugging the book.

If you’re interested in audio storytelling, I’d be happy to list the storytelling podcasts I’ve enjoyed so far.

[Morley]

Yes, it’s intended to be a creepy example. The whole obsession with coincidences has a creepy feeling that I wanted to capture without spoilers. The Synchronicity II synchronicity appears in the book as part of a “handbook” allegedly written by one of the former winners, I rigged off it to show what the coincidences in the book looked like, and liked the creepy vibe I ended up with.

At some point during the pandemic I was getting information overload from the regular podcasts I listened to. So, I switched to podcast fiction. I enjoy storytelling, and podcasting is a great format for that. I stumbled into the Black Tapes, which was was pretty visible while it was being made. After really loving the storytelling, I felt tremendously let down by the ending. (The series was finished before I started listening.) I hit the Google to find out how such a cool story ended up with such a horrible ending. After learning what happened and reading good things about Tanis, which is still ongoing, I decided to give it a try. I was hooked, and listened to all of Miles’ fiction podcasts. I found the book when Miles, pretending to be Nic Silver’s cousin, started plugging the book.

If you’re interested in audio storytelling, I’d be happy to list the storytelling podcasts I’ve enjoyed so far.

Absolutely. I'm intrigued.

[Res Ipsa]

Morley,

My apologies for taking so long to respond. Here are the production companies and story telling podcasts that I really enjoy:

Minnow Beats Whale is the website for the Terry Miles podcasts I discussed above.

Fool and Scholar Productions produces several that I really enjoy. My favorite is The White Vault -- It's an adventure/horror story told in the style of found footage by a narrator that has compiled written and audio records of an expedition to a remote outpost in the arctic. The horror is Lovecraftian in style. Vast Horizon is a science fiction drama that begins with a scientist awakening from cryosleep on a colony ship where things have gone very wrong. Liberty is a collection of stories set in a colony called Atrius on a planet cut off from earth. Atrius is a civilized, authoritarian city with lots of plots and conflicts going on beneath the surface. It is surrounded by a lawless, kind of wild west area called the Fringe, which is the enemy of the colony.

The Penumbra produces two story podcasts. Juno Steel is a cynical, private detective who investigates crimes in the sleazier areas of Mars. It's starts as noir and becomes weird and wonderful. His assistant Rita is one of my favorite characters. The Second Citadel is a series of fantasy stories based on the same set of characters. Both include several non-binary characters.

Radiotopia is my all-time favorite podcast network. It has several story podcasts. The Truth is an anthology podcast with no real theme. Just interesting stories. Passenger List is a mystery/thriller. A plane explodes over the ocean, killing all aboard. Who dunnit? Why dunnit? Lots of suspects and motives. The Polybius Conspiracy is an investigation into a mysterious video game that appeared for a short time in and around Portland, Oregon. It is rumored to have had odd effects in the players.

Night Vale Presents has produced several story podcasts that I really like. Their flagship is Welcome to Nightvale, a public radio show set in a small desert town where the ordinary is bizarre. The Orbiting Human Circus is a wonderful story about a radio variety show broadcast from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and the lowly janitor who wants to be part of the show. Alice Isn't Dead is a story told by a woman who takes up long haul trucking to search for her wife that she had believed was dead. Jasika Nicole does a wonderful job telling a story of mysteries, monsters, and conspiracies. Dreamboy is about a young gay man who works at an odd zoo/amusement park. Great storytelling.

Other scattered recommendations:

The Palimpsest Stories about people haunted by someone or something.
The Dark Tome A unique book that functions as a doorway to other worlds
Homecoming A thriller about a special program for traumatized veterans. Adapted for TV by Amazon.
Janus Descending Science fiction told by a young couple. She tells it from first to last, while he tells it from last to first. Interesting concept.
Limetown A small town in Tennessee vanishes after an episode of chaos and madness
Memory Lane A mother and daughter take a road trip after some of the mothers memories are implanted into the daughter. An intended bonding experience becomes a psychological thriller.
Midnight BurgerThe diner opens every night at 6. But not at the same place or time. Or in the same universe.
Point Mystic An odd town you've probably never heard of. A nice blend of magical realism and investigative journalism.
The Horror of Delores Roach Probably the most horrific of the horror podcasts I've listened to. Not recommended for weak stomachs.

I hope there's something in there to your liking.

[Binger]

Limetown A small town in Tennessee vanishes after an episode of chaos and madness

How many tomatoes would you give to Limetown?

That was a trip. It felt like it was shooting a middle finger at NPR or something, and it was impossible to not finish. On the "if you start this, you will finish this" scale, I would put it up there with S-Town.

[Res Ipsa]

Limetown A small town in Tennessee vanishes after an episode of chaos and madness

How many tomatoes would you give to Limetown?

That was a trip. It felt like it was shooting a middle finger at NPR or something, and it was impossible to not finish. On the "if you start this, you will finish this" scale, I would put it up there with S-Town.

Limetown was one of the very first fiction podcasts I listened to. I definitely would rank it up with S-Town in terms of a gripping story. I would rank it in my top five favorites. Fascinating story, engaging writing, excellent production.

[Binger]

How many tomatoes would you give to Limetown?

That was a trip. It felt like it was shooting a middle finger at NPR or something, and it was impossible to not finish. On the "if you start this, you will finish this" scale, I would put it up there with S-Town.

Limetown was one of the very first fiction podcasts I listened to. I definitely would rank it up with S-Town in terms of a gripping story. I would rank it in my top five favorites. Fascinating story, engaging writing, excellent production.

Random confession. I started Limetown without knowing anything about it. I think it came up on a recommendation after the Serial Podcast or something. I was a good ways into an episode before I realized this was not real. I had to google it, and I felt dumb as crap.