Stab the Rabbit

by Shane McKenzie, Aron Beauregard (introduction)

Have you ever wished you could meet your favorite cartoon character?



Just yank them right from the TV into your living room? Go on adventures and cause some mischief together? For Boyd, this wish came true. And at first, it was all fun and games when his favorite cartoon bunny Harry Hare stepped out of the screen and into his home. That is, until Boyd's older, sadistic brother Randall got his hands on the animated rabbit. And started living out his most violent and twisted fantasies as he tortured Harry, inflicting a level of pain that is nonexistent in the universe of cartoons. The kind of suffering that is unique to our earthbound reality.



Will Boyd just stand by while his Saturday morning idol drowns in the colors of his agony? Or will he finally stand up to his maniacal bully of a big brother and try to rescue Harry Hare?



This book contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

Genres: Horror

77 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2024

Reviews

[Erk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what to say, it was cool reading a snuff film on pseudo bugs bunny one of the “ugly boys” rips his “pink tube” off if you catch my drift. Bugs gets his revenge in the end, DONT WORRY. Also the villain in the “Harry” show is a BEAR?!? Strange… I do want to mention I read this like everyone had country accidents because the mention of all the Texas cities. (Made me laugh) super ridiculously short read but not bad for my first finished read of the year.

[Allison | crazypageturner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boyd and his mean older brother Randall receive a magical tablet from a stranger. You can interact with the screen and the world shown on it which is Boyd’s favorite cartoon show The Adventures of Harry Hare. When Randall abducts Harry Hare and places him in the real world, it’s up to Boyd to stand up to his awful brother if he wants to save his favorite cartoon character.

A fun, dark and twisted take on a distorted Bugs Bunny and The Looney Tunes.

The visuals of the two worlds colliding was very entertaining. Whether it be the splashes of colors or the fish out of water feelings for everyone, or even the crossing of the barrier, it was just very imaginable.

What a weird yet wholesome novella. I really enjoyed it. I was smiling and I was gasping. It was simple and moved quick and I was sucked in the whole time. I haven’t read anything else by Shane McKenzie and I plan on changing that very soon. This wasn’t too extremely graphic on the graphic horror scale, so give this a go if you’re looking for something quick, fun and a bit messed up.

[Veronica ☠️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boyd and Randall are brothers and one night they're left home alone. Suddenly there's a knock on the door by a man dressed in a red suit with a propeller on the top of his head. The man is offering a "free" device that looks like a normal iPad. Randall won't give up a free gift so he takes it. While playing with the iPad, Randall notices that his fingertip goes all the way in and this gives him an idea.

The adventures of Harry Hare is Boyd favourite cartoon, and also Randall's. When Randall realizes that he can take things out from the cartoon world, he decides to take out Harry Hare. When he's successful, Harry Hare wants to get into some mischief! He decides to mess with the neighbours but he soon realizes that he's not in his normal world and pain is different here. The boys hide Harry Hare in their house because they don't want to be blamed for his massacre, but Randall decides to teach him a lesson

If Space Jam was splatter, this is how it would be. You really feel for Harry Hare because of the monster Randall really is. Backwoods Bear is one of my favourites and you'll see why. Filled with cartoon violence and gore, this is a book you need to read. Lots of laughs in this one, I highly recommend

[Steph's_Creepy _Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impeccable. This is now one of my favourite extreme horror reads for this year. I've never hated a kid so much in a book before like I did one of the main characters. There's so many elements to this to make it a well rounded book for me. Dark humour, original idea, characters you love and detest, gore...excellent!

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stab The Rabbit by Shane McKenzie, young boys brothers Boyd and Randall have been left home alone when a man comes to their door giving out free iPads or at least it looked like an iPad. Randall couldn’t be happier despite Boyds hesitation because Boyd knows there’s no such thing as free but when his brother puts on Harry Hare, Boyd’s worries go away. While enjoying his favorite cartoon he notices his brother sticking his fingers into the screen something you’re not supposed to be able to do and when his brother screams this scares Boyd but what really freaks him out is when he drags a cartoon fish out of the screen and it looks exactly like the fish Harry eats after his adventures. When Randall next pulls out Harry Hare, Boyd is caught between wanting to hug his favorite character, or running away, instead he finds himself being the go-between because Randall isn’t so nice and Harry doesn’t seem to like either of them. Plus he doesn’t want to upset Randall too much because it seems the older Randall gets the scarier Boyd finds him. He’s even caught his brother drowning baby kittens. however when Harry says he hasn’t had an adventure yet that day they come up with a great plan unfortunately they don’t tell Harry that when you hit someone over the head in real life with a mallet sometimes their brains can come out and they won’t get up and chase you when it’s their turn. sadly this is just one of many things Boyd should’ve warned Harry about and things only get worse after Harry’s only real life adventure. OMG I did not know where this book was going nor did I know Aaron Bourogard was a writer for the book as I only saw Shane McKenzie‘s name and although I have read Mr. Bourogard’s books before they’re not something I can stomach at any time but having said that I still recommend this one to any hard core horror fan.#TheBlindReviewer, #ShaneMcKenzie, #StabTheRabbit,

[Paige Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick extreme horror read. The premise was pretty unique. This was like Looney Tunes but dark.

Stab the Rabbit follows two brothers that find themselves sucked into their favorite cartoon via tablet. Can you imagine?? The boys find out that their cartoons can be brought into their world as well and this is when things take a sickening turn. The eldest brother, Randall, is evil. He is known to be violent with animals and just a downright cruel kid. He gets his punishment soon enough though...

There is some brief animal abuse in this story (not related to the cartoon world) and I wanted to throw that out there. That is a trigger for a lot of people. I just skimmed over it and it's not even really relevant to the story tbh. It just further highlights the bad brother and his cruel tendencies and I think that was the main point of throwing that in there.

[Danielle Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“He lowered his finger. But something… strange happened. Instead of his finger tapping the touch screen where the play button was, it sort of sunk into it. Like the screen was made out of liquid.”

Okay hear me out. Your favorite cartoon character growing up is finally in your presence because a random salesman came to your house and gave you a “free” iPad, but your older brother sucks and is a violent/bully jerk and goes rogue. I saw this book compared to Who Framed Roger Rabbit meets Hostel, and I can totally see that.

This was such a good read. It had been on my TBR for a while now based on the cover. (I know, I know. Don’t judge a book on its cover) But I’m so glad I did, because it was fantastic. Shane has such a unique writing style and vibe that I don’t think I’ve read from many, if any other authors in this genre to be honest. His story telling and dialogue etc was top tier in my opinion.

This story is quite violent and does contain animal abuse, so heads up on that. But I still highly recommend and it’s definitely a five star read for me.

[Lynn Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though the story line was not one I would normally read, I did enjoy the writing style of the author and the creativity that went into this story. I like that, not only did he bring a cartoon character into the real world, but the way he described how the cartoon would leave colorful splotches of paint in the real world all while twisting around a darker story.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stab the rabbit is such a fun read. It’s short, funny, and a lil brutal. Bullies get what they deserve, whether it’s hell, or a cartoon.

[Tammy Riner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Shane McKenzie book and what a great introduction it was! I loved this story!

For a pretty short book, the characters were well written and pulled emotions right out of me. I cared for the younger brother, hated the older one, and felt for a cartoon rabbit. I enjoyed the wonder and magic of seeing a favorite cartoon character appear in our world from the perspective of a child, and I really enjoyed the chaos that ensued when they realized things work differently here than they do in cartoon land.

The writing was great, the author has a way of describing things that paint a very colorful picture in my head. This was such a unique and fun read, with a perfect ending.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲. 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲...𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭.

When I was a kid, I lived for Saturday morning cartoons, specifically Tom and Jerry. I couldn't get enough of their antics, and the kid in me loved how Jerry would exasperate Tom, and the adult in me appreciated that even when he could have, Tom never hurt Jerry.

And what kid hasn't imagined what it would be like to enter cartoon universe or have those imaginary characters enter ours? STAB THE RABBIT tackles this plot with a maniacal rabbit and two brothers, Randall, a sadist in the making, and Boyd, whose tender heart and sensitive nature make him an object of torment.

What made this book so fun and deliciously creepy were the whimsical touches that juxtaposed the violence. For example, the mysterious "Salesman" who shows up at the door wearing a red suit with a propeller on his head should be laughable, but the imagery fills the reader with dread. He's giving away a device that looks like an iPad, and when Randall takes it and finds that his finger goes all the way inside the screen, he gets an idea. He plucks Boyd's favorite cartoon character, Harry Hare, out of his world and into the human one. Harry immediately causes some chaos, but he doesn't realize that pain is different in the human world. The panicked boys stow Harry away in their house, and it's there that Randall shows what a budding sociopath he really is. Will Boyd finally stand up to his big brother, or will he stand by and let Harry die, along with what's left of his childhood?

This may be a short little read, but it packs a punch! Brimming with nostalgia, violence, and one of my favorite characters ever created (here's looking at you, Backwoods Bear!) it would be a welcomed addition to an horror fan's library. Thank you so much to the author for my gifted copy!

[Damita Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twisted

Stab the Rabbit is a brutally surreal plunge into childhood nostalgia turned nightmare. Shane McKenzie takes the innocent premise of a kid meeting his favorite cartoon character and twists it into a gut-wrenching tale of horror, abuse, and moral reckoning.

At the heart of the story is Boyd, a young boy who gets the impossible: his beloved animated rabbit, Harry Hare, steps out of the television and into real life. What begins as a whimsical dream-come-true soon descends into a visceral hellscape, courtesy of Boyd’s sadistic older brother Randall. The sheer horror lies not just in the physical torment inflicted on Harry, but in the emotional unraveling that follows—watching a pure, joyful icon systematically destroyed in front of a powerless child.

McKenzie's prose is sharp, raw, and unrelenting. He doesn’t flinch from violence or psychological trauma. The book delivers graphic, at times stomach-turning scenes, but they serve a deeper purpose: exposing the cruelty of unchecked power and the psychological damage of abuse, especially through the eyes of a child forced to confront his own helplessness and complicity.

Though disturbing, the story also offers glimmers of courage and redemption, as Boyd must choose whether to remain passive or finally stand up to the tyrant in his life. This emotional struggle elevates the novel beyond simple shock horror into something more thought-provoking.

[Willard Lawson Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stab The Rabbit By Shane McKenzie
🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟/5
After a hiatus from the splatterpunk scene to presue screen writing, Shane McKenzie is back and the first offering on the McHorror Menu is definitely the most creatively brutal story I have read in a while!

***
Synopsis:

Boyd's world collides with cartoon reality when his beloved character, Harry Hare, is yanked right out of the TV screen by his sadistic brother, Randall. With a twisted fascination, Randall subjects Harry to a horrifying torment that transcends the boundaries of the cartoon world. As the line between fantasy and nightmare blurs, Boyd is forced to confront his own cowardice. Will he just stand there and watch as his brother tortures his Saturday morning hero, or will he find the courage to become Harry's unlikely savior?
***

Now, you might look at this snack sized little book and think to yourself, "self, that's a tiny little book and it could not possibly curb my appetite for the extreme." But listen here size queen, this book packs a wallop! So, turn off the TV and add Stab The Rabbit to the top of your TBR now!

[Miriam Delgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two brothers left alone for a day get a knock at their door and a strange man gives them a tablet, the tablet is a magic tablet that lets you watch your favorite show and you can go through the screen and bring back your favorite characters from the show to your world , Randall the big brother is a sick psychopath who brings back Harry the rabbit from the show to their world, only to torture him but his little brother saves him by bringing in another character form the show into his world to save the rabbit and teach his brother a lesson. The rabbit and the other character take his brother to their cartoon world and torture him forever since in the cartoon world you can never die. His little brother watches on the iPad how his brother gets tortured every day, parents think Randall ran away from home since that is what his little brother said happen,and list him as missing then one day the man returns for the tablet to give to another kid and the little boy gives him back the tablet and lives happily with his mom and dad. Pretty good short story.

[G0rewhxre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did. It was like Looney Toons, but then splatterpunk. I am a gore lover to the extreme, so I quite enjoyed this one. Though, truth be told, it might not be gorey enough for me.

Stab the Rabbit was a very quick read, only taking me two hours in total, with a very interesting plot. It felt a little bit Who Blamed Roger Rabbit, but then much darker. I quite liked the dark tone of the book.

It was a good introduction to this author's work. I didn't know Shane McKenzie before this book, and even though the writing style was a bit messy here and there, I see great potentional! I will definitely be picking up another one of his books if one manages to catch my fancy.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise. Interesting world-building. Didn’t like the execution. Writing style, including character descriptions and dialogue, felt too flat and hyperbolic. For example, the contrast between our world and the cartoon one would have felt stronger if the older brother wasn’t broadcast as the villain every other paragraph. I don’t need dialogue peppered with slurs and a graphic description of him killing kittens to want bad things to happen to him. In fact, imo, after that? No punishment or torture the author could do to such a character would ever feel extreme enough.

But it was short. Two stars.

[Kalaya Stutesman · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was. so disappointing.
I had seen it for so long and had been too hesitant to read it and now that I have. I was unfortunately not impressed. sure the gore and the premise itself is neat, however, I just really didnt like it!!!
the constant use of the r slur and f slur stopped being shocking after like the 3rd time but it doesnt stop, the needless purely for shock mention of animal abuse, constant repeating of phrases, what felt like an ending not actually being an ending????
this book had so much potential and an awesome cover but when you read it, it falls flat. Ill give this author more chances but man.

[Ethan Lazaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger Warning: Torture, Slurs, and Violence

What a weird story. It wasn’t bad (other than the slurs) it was just torture porn in the style of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Boyd had nice savior arc but other than that it was pretty gory and violent. Again, not bad, just a lot. Pretty quick read, I did it in an hour.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was hella fun!! This little book packs a hella of a lot into it. Who doesn't like cartoon rabbits? And blood and guts? Me.... I do!! This was so much fun. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer. I want more of Harry Hare.

Happy Reading and Splatter On.....

[Jeff Folschinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a crazy ride, and I loved every minute of it. It's hard to describe, but imagine an R-rated version of Roger Rabbit and you're most of the way there. Additionally, a small collection of short stories is included at the back of the book, which was a bonus.

[Adam King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whimsically Bloody...

[Gary Vassallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Shane McKenzie book and I really loved it. It was creative and gruesome with a generally unlikebale character. It was a fast paced ride with a satisfying ending. Highly recommended.

[Randy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright. I feel like there’s just too many slurs to get the point across, you can make a person a shitty character by using other words, but it was good enough i finished it.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cartoonish splatterpunk read.

[Mike Prewitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a weird one

Think Looney Tunes meets extreme horror. This is definitely what this book was. It felt way too short, and I wanted more.

[Carmyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5*

Space jam gets revenge

[Jax · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this thinking it was going to be funny. I was wrong but I am not unhappy that I was wrong because this is a perfect story.

[Brianna Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy… mind bending. I feel like i need to clean my eyes in the best way.

[khaden · Rating 4 out of 5]

not gonna lie, love it. love it. but the only reason its 4 and not 5 is because i wanted more.

[Ellerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was good, really graphic, but also not too terribly scary (make sure i finished it)