A Rabbit's Tale an Easter Story

by Diogenes Ruiz

Librarian Note: This is the latest edition with updated cover from ASIN B00BEIQYPC

Book 1 of the Praying Mantis Series.

Juan’s life is about to change, unfortunately, not for the better. “This can’t be my life!" If you’ve ever felt trapped in a life that you wish had turned out differently, or wondered, "Where is God?" this suspense-filled Christian fantasy will entertain you. This is the story of two men whose paths cross briefly during their childhood, then again during adulthood. Juan does his best to lead a normal life, after a freakishly bizarre accident. While trying to establish some kind of normalcy and dealing with the strange side effects, he finds himself caught up in a web of suspense and danger as he tries to help a friend bring an evil, cunning, and power hungry ego-maniac to justice. In the process, Juan receives a very special gift.

"This is not a fairy tale...as you’re reading along don’t be surprised if you smile often and even laugh out loud. Diogenes is a great story teller." - Fr. David McBriar O.F.M.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Ebooks

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 13, 2013

About the author

Diogenes is Christian Fiction author living in North Carolina. His debut novel, "A Rabbit's Tale An Easter Story," is the winner of the 2016 Reader's Favorite Award in the "Tall Tale" category, and also the winner of the 2015 Global Ebook Gold Medal in the Christian fiction category. It is a suspense filled, feel good novel. In spite of the title, it is not a children's book. His second novel, "Persistent Evil," picks up where A Rabbit's Tale ends.
"I don't write preachy books, but there is a undercurrent of faith. I write for general audiences and try to keep the content PG-13+."

Reviews

[Diogenes Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up Catholic not realizing the significance of Easter. I knew the facts like any good little Catholic school boy should, but I did not really understand the implications. Although I was born into the Catholic faith, it was not until much later in life that I found myself truly accepting Christ. This quirky little story is my small tribute to the most important event in Christianity. Whether you're a secular reader or a religious reader, whether you like the story or hate it, here's mud in your eye.

[Susan Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book to read. I wouldn’t recommend it if you were looking for something to help you sleep. No, this book requires your attention and focus. Having said that it is delightful read, which I really enjoyed. I enjoyed the way the author played with his characters, and thus played with us; taking us on a roller coaster ride. There were moments when I had no idea what was going to happen next. The Christian themes are relevant, but although not a follower per say, they didn’t affect the story adversely for me. The author manages to raise a few points, which are relevant to all of us in some way. My only criticism, if it is one, is the cover. It doesn’t really do the book justice. But, that’s just my opinion. Grab a copy, I’m sure you will enjoy this book.

[Kyle Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this book wanting to like it. I got about 2/5ths of the way through the book and decided I did not like it. And then I got a bit further.

This book is flawed. Character dialogue is stilted and goes on to long, the reactions of the characters are so accepting of the bizarre that it takes me out of the story, and some of the characters felt like sitcom stereotypes instead of real people. The book is written with competent English, but never dives into the scenes, instead devoting a full page to the backstory of a character as soon as they are introduced by simply telling us their job and what year they got married. There's very little show, and a lot of tell. All that's not to mention the mood whiplash. This book is a comedy of misfortunes that comes dangerously close to taking itself seriously at times, but then at other times is just completely ridiculous and throws away its suspense.

But it's those ridiculous moments that might make the book worth a read.

Even if the dialogue is iffy, and the characters uneven, and the prose bland at times, this book painted images for me that I won't forget. As soon as the 'bunny suit' enters the story, everything goes off the rails into humor. The image on the cover, that of a Easter Bunny being electrocuted, is only the beginning of the weird and silly scenes that are to come. A particular running gag involving a police officer made me laugh out loud, which books don't often do. At times, it felt like I was watching a family comedy movie, and those moments were the best.

In addition, while the villain of the story mostly falls flat humor-wise, he is such an evil presence that it is satisfying to see the story's end. The basic draw of drama is there, I appreciated the happy ending and felt like it was earned.

The book is a short read. It's no masterpiece, but it's not a book you'll easily forget either, and when you think back on it you might smile.

I didn't mention the Christian elements as much because, well, if you're reading an Easter book, you should expect some Catholic flair. It's in there, and it's just as miraculous and present as in most other Christian books. It's not handled any better or worse than the rest of the book, it's just a part of the story there. If that bothers you, why are you reading a book about Easter, hm?

[J.Z. Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hippity-Hop, This Tale is Over the Top

Open this book and you are in for an egg-citing treat. Settle back as you turn the pages of this superb story and rest easy knowing you’re in for a jubilee of enjoyment.

A Rabbit’s Tale offers a wonderfully funny, and at times laugh-out-loud hilarious, story of ingenious twists and turns. The author has assembled a rich cast of characters, sympathetically drawn in the case of hero Juan Arias and dastardly villainous as personified by Monty McPride, who messes things up in grand fashion. The array of humanity in these pages spans the spectrum of likeable to detestable.

The storyline is a roller-coaster ride of humorous flashes of comedy and touching moments of tender pathos. Its many twists and surprises kept me guessing about how seemingly unrelated events would weave together, but Ruiz proved himself to be a gifted storyteller.

I especially enjoyed the story’s outrageous central premise, a leap of fantasy based on a stupendous “what-if.” Juan’s trials and tribulations are those of an everyman, an ordinary and decent fellow who dresses up as the Easter Bunny for a kids’ party and has a medical emergency which catapults the antics into high gear.

In keeping with the Easter themes of death by crucifixion and miraculous resurrection, the author presents episodes in Juan’s life when his plight parallels that of his hero Jesus -- times when everything turns dark and bleak, but then by some unexpected plot twist or quirk of character the divine light of hope shines brightly and saves the day.

Highly creative, wildly imaginative, tremendously enjoyable -- this tall tale has the makings of a classic.

[Frances Teel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Reading


recommend this to anyone who wants easy, thought provoking reading. I love Christian reading. this book just kept calling to me to finish reading it. The rabbit suit just reminds me of all the old sin and evil we've carried until we surrender our all to Jesus when we become New creatures in Christ,the old is passed away. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one this year.

[Valerie Albemarle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars
The story is engaging and entertaining, and certainly very unusual. There are flashes of profound wisdom and humour for which neither the plot nor the delivery prepare the reader. Ruiz is a talented and humane writer, but I got the sense that this book is hovering between genres and between target age groups without doing full justice to either. As a book meant for adults it is written in language that is perhaps too simple, and the characters do not possess the kind of complexity and dimensionality that would make them believable to a mature reader. As a book for young adults, if this were one, it is too matter-of-fact, and does not teach the lessons one would expect from a book meant for adolescents. The protagonist's success and breathtaking reversal of fortune are attributable to supernatural powers more than to his new-found faith, which does a disservice to Christianity (this coming from a "devout atheist" reviewer).

[Cecily Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hopeful and inspiring, this unique tale was engaging from the start. The variety of characters kept the story interesting as well, and the Christian themes were apparent but not in a way that would put off a non-Christian reader (although I am Christian and have no problem with such themes, I want to make it clear to readers who aren't that they still would enjoy this story). Thought-provoking without being preachy, this was an enjoyable story that isn't just for Easter, but any time readers need an uplifting and well-told story.

[Eugenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great Easter story and so much more. I meant to read it last Easter but could not make time, so rather than wait until next Easter, I read it now and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a novel that can be enjoyed all year round

I found the beginning a bit gross - Monty's antics were at times stomach churning. I'm glad I persevered though. The novel is light hearted and much of it is fantasy that you could just about believe to be true. But there is no mistaking the profound message that is conveyed.

Characters are believable -5*

[Justin Coogle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I REALLY wanted to like this book. The reviews were awesome, the concept was unique and the cover is adorably quirky. Not only that but it is Christian Fiction that really tried to set itself apart and bring life to a genre that tends to be repetitive. I love a good slice of life / sci-fi novel that glorifies Christ.

But man...I just couldn't get into this book at all.

Quick Synopsis: Juan Arias is a young kid growing up in a Creaster (Christmas / Easter) Catholic family with his father who is a programmer, his mother a homemaker, and his younger sister, Angie. Juan loves photography and national geographics and is viciously bullied by this kid named Monty at school, who is some rich kid who moved across the street. The story has a time jump where everyone is adults. there is an Easter holiday party coming up, Juan dresses up as a bunny, gets super powers through some narrative stuff, and the story turns into a rather zany, emotional, and difficult series of events.

Major problems that really hurt this book for me:
- Very dry and "Tell, no show" prose. I try not to harp too much on people's grammar, spelling, etc, because at the end of the day that stuff are mistakes anyone can make. However I felt this story truly suffered from a lack of story-telling ability. I couldn't connect with ANY of the characters because the story was delivered in such a dry, mundane, and plastic-packaged way. Every character's motivation, or past, or whatever, was CLEARLY spelled out in like a paragraph of shameless exposition or very info-dump dialogue. So many moments were like: Monty showed up, he's mean, he's a bully. He spits on Juan's mailbox, and then declares to the class the next day "I'm big, and mean, and can do whatever I want." Like, there is no subtlety, no artsmanship, and it REALLY took a toll on my investment.
- This goes along with the previous comment, but I had a strong feeling English may not be this author's primary language. If it is, then I stand corrected, but there were so many phrases or sentences that just felt very "off". Like I could decipher what the author's intent was but I was questioning why it was presented in such a foreign, wooden fashion. It reminded me a lot of when I'd hear Japanese exchange students say certain things when I was back in college. This is of course nothing against the author if this is true, but it warranted a good editor's touch of his final draft.
- The theological themes ended up being rather superficial. Important! He is addressing apathy in the church and glorifying the resurrection of Christ, but there was no new take on a very commonly addressed issue. It was by-the-books. Which is still good, but after reading the synopsis, seeing the cover, and reading the reviews, I was really hoping for more.

I don't know. People that want something different may enjoy this novel, but I feel it needs a good revamp. Too much telling, too much exposition dumping, too much spelling it out for the reader. As it is now I can't strongly recommend this, but perhaps certain people looking for something different will like it. The story is definitely interesting and all the pieces are there, the execution just leaves a lot to be desired.

[Brett Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment I saw the cover of A Rabbit's Tale: An Easter Story I felt this had to be a truly unique story. Its description teased of a speculative edge and deeper philosophical examinations of reasons for the faith. It also promised humor and while I like my books deep, I also really appreciate some levity in the midst. I got both in this novel.
There were some highs and lows for me in the book. What struck a chord with me was the parallelism in portions of the novel. As the book's "back cover" text suggests, the story opens with the ordeals experienced by a young Juan and sets up some of the conflicts later in the novel. What it also does is provide some really clear cut scenes of his family trying to handle theological and existential questions. Later on, those very same questions are tackled by the adult versions of the kids from the novel's start and it was quite moving. A particularly stirring part of the book, came when the bully-kid Monty demands a kid pray to save an insect he planned to crush, which Monty intended to show God doesn't exist. No spoilers, but for a topic that could easily have been heavy-handed in Christian fiction, it was natural and deftly handled and its ultimate parallel was well-timed.
Other aspects of the novel left me a little more conflicted. The characters and dialogue occasionally felt off to me, but most of the time they were nicely done. Monty is loathsome, Angie is a soft-spoken force of peace, and Juan’s snarky inner thoughts help ground a reader in the story and its stakes. There are plenty of moments of humor, while still being a heart-wrenching story where you burn through the pages hoping to find justice for the characters; particularly for Juan. The thing I most wished for was fewer jumps between various characters for point of view. As the novel reads now, it seems fairly necessary, but I couldn’t help feeling I wanted more of Juan’s point of view.
All told, I enjoyed the novel. It gave some really poignant moments of substance and thoughtfulness and those much needed moments of humor as promised.

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a totally interesting, almost random plot, but a wonderful story. I loved this. Couldn't put it down. I have no idea where the author got these ideas but they are great.

[Barbara Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting Easter story for teens and adults. Written from a Christian fiction perspective, though not a preachy story with a totally one sided perspective. At the outset the reader gets the impression she is reading a middle grade novel. Juan Arias is a fifth grader growing up in non-religious Catholic family with his father who is a computer programmer, his mother a homemaker, and his younger sister, Angie. Juan has a passion for photography; he is eagerly waiting for a subscription to National Geographic to arrive in the mail. A new family rents the house across the street, but Monty turns out to be a mean-sprinted bully. Their first encounter involves Monty placing a dead squirrel in Juan's mailbox. Monty terrorizes Juan and threatens his sister if Juan reveals that Monty stole Juan's photograph to submit as his own.

The scene shifts as Monty moves away and Juan grows to adulthood. Sadly, Juan follows in his father's footsteps and gives up his dream of photography to marry Leigh, who turns out to be a self-centered selfish brat. But Juan's sister Angie marries Ray and has two beautiful children who adore Juan. When Ray talks Juan into dressing up as the Easter Bunny for a holiday party, an outlandish set of events is put into play leading to a shakeup of family relationships, embezzlement, and attempted murder. Juan becomes a victim once more; it appears that his life will be ruined. Characters from past and present are intertwined in a melange of emotions and devious plots.

The Easter story is woven into the well-developed plot and interesting characters. As the title indicates, this book is part of the Christian fiction genre, though it relates a sometimes funny, sometimes sad commentary on what life can dish out.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

Some of the basic elements within the story were just too ridiculous to believe. At points I felt silly just for continuing to push through. Also, a good editor would have made a big difference with some of the writing. But ultimately, the story kept me entertained. I couldn't put the book down. It's the first time I've ever read a book from cover to cover in one day

[Jo-Marie Jo-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected Twists

This book is a fun read with many unexpected twists. Through a fictional tale God's Love shines. I think you will enjoy this book.

[Tom Park · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't really make up my mind about this book. It seemed to be more science fiction than anything else. And it was not all that "uplifting" since the characters were somewhat one-dimensional. Almost tossed it after the first couple of chapters as it was a turn-off. However, it did pick up somewhat with the sci-fi approach even though you could see how it was all going to end.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the plot of this story. It was kind of far-fetched but enjoyable nonetheless. When an experimental medication is accidentally switched with food coloring and a near-electrocution occurs, Juan's life is forever changed.
Some may be offended by the obvious Christian elements, but they are necessary to the story.

[Shirley Sudhoff` · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

This may seem like a young adult or even a child's book from the title, but believe me it is much more. You will wat to read it in one sitting it is that good.

[Nico Genes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The constant fight between good and evil.

I love stories about good and evil despite the fact that the ending can be easily predicted. What I can't predict are the details in between.
The novel starts with a mean child Monty and his bullying over Juan and other kids at school, and then we are soon taken 25 years into the future.
Juan is the good one. There is something missing though, and that is because of the way he was raised, Juan doesn't believe in God. But Easter is just around the corner and Juan gets asked by his brother-in-law to be the Easter Bunny at their kids’ party. Here the fun part begins or better said the rich imagination of the author is translated into words. Juan may have to wear that Bunny costume more than a day and his life seems to be ruined. The good things will start happening though only when he finally accepts God into his life. Sort of ‘everything happens for a reason’.

Well, the book is not entirely positive as we have on the other side the bad Monty, the worst man possible. Not only he disrespects his father, but he is planning to take his place as the CEO of the company through some dirty work, not being afraid to hurt him to death. Luckily, his schemes end one day.

Overall, I was lacking emotions, especially around Juan's relationships, felt like the pace of the story was too fast, and some things, especially related to Monty, were a bit exaggerated. But I did enjoy the story, the twists, and the final message. I encourage you to see for yourself.

Quotes from this book:

“People sometimes need to think there is something greater than them. It makes no sense, but if it makes people feel good, then that's fine.”

“Who are you, really?” Then Juan looked closely into the man’s eyes and said, “Are you…?” “I AM,” the man replied before Juan could say another word. Juan’s grin was now a full-fledged smile. “You show up at the most unexpected times.” “I’m always here, Juan, everywhere. Just look into their eyes.”


More book reviews on: https://www.nicojgenes.com/book-reviews

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty good. I think the main problems I had was the Longfellow, some missing quotation marks at the end, the flashbacks, and the first two chapters. Going into it, it seemed like it would be a story about these two boys growing up, but that was not the case. I see why those two chapters were important to the story, but, it would have been better suited as a long prologue or as another flashback with the others. But I think having it as a prologue would have been better, unless there was a chapter in between number two and number three about what happened when those children grew up, it might have made the rest of the story flow better. Or, find a better way to handle the flashbacks. They did not seem to help the story flow. Out side of that, the story was great, great idea, pretty good execution, but some things might not have needed saying, or it could have been phrased better.

Again, great story, it just needs a little bit more work.

[L.A. Keller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an unusual book in that I was never sure if the story was going to turn into something really bad or really good. When the tale begins, we meet Juan, a young man who loves photography and his family. When a new neighbor moves in across the street, Juan is subjected to a psychotic young man who bullies everyone in school

Fast forward to Juan, the bully Monty and Juan's sister all grown up. At this part the story moves into Grimm fairy tale land. Juan is in a miserable marriage, his sister's husband has created a new wonder drug and Monty is still manipulating everyone around him. Without giving the story away, some of what happens in the remainder of the book makes this appear to be a cross between SciFi, Fantasy and Religion. If you enjoy that mix then you will probably like this book. I gave it 4 stars because it kept my interest.

[Pat Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird but interesting

This book tells of a boy who grows up as a psychopath, although that word is never mentioned. He is evil through and through. His dad is a truly good man who is the CEO of a pharmaceutical company. A new product has been developed which fuses with any other fabric to form a skin for burn victims. Its a bit ridiculous when Juan, dressed in an Easter Bunny suit at his nephew's party, is electrocuted after someone accidentally swaps the new drug for green food colouring, and Juan drinks it, thus becoming fused to the bunny suit, without which he will die. Its a light-hearted story with some deeper messages. I enjoyed it. Thank you!

[Sillwana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting idea, but at the end I realized that it didn't impress me much. Maybe I was expecting something different.

[Judy Lowrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read!

Lots of twists and turns with chuckles and mystery sprinkled in make for a delightful read. Some outcomes were predictable, but all in all, I’d read it again!

[Caitlyn Santi · Rating 4 out of 5]

UPDATE: I recently looked over an updated version of this book and I am delighted to say that all the head hopping issues have been resolved! The issues I have with the language still remain, but as the head hopping has been removed I have now updated my rating of this book to 3.5 stars.

This is a very hard review for me to write. As an author myself I know first hand just how much work and how much of their heart an author puts into their book.

What I liked: I have never before read anything quite like this book! The story was very unique and well thought out, it does require you to suspend disbelief due to its implausible nature, but I personally really liked the storyline. It was a lot of fun to watch all the pieces fit together. This was a very interesting read and I liked how the faith story played out. There were also some very humorous moments that I loved reading! This book was also very well edited, I did not notice any proofreading errors.

What bothered me: There was a lot of head hopping (when the point of view switches between characters without a break or at least a double space between paragraphs) which doesn't bother me if it happens occasionally, but unfortunately it happened often in this book, sometimes jumping between several different characters' perspective in a single scene, which prevented me from being able to connect with the story as much as I would have liked to as I was constantly having to reorient myself as to whose mind I was in. The other thing that really bothered me was that this book contained lots of swear words, no F-bombs, but A** was said several times, as was H*** spoken as a swear word, and B**** was spoken once as part of a characters' threat to slap another character, there were also a few instances of God's name being spoken in an irreverent and/or disrespectful manner, this is something that I personally consider to be taking, or using the Lord's name in vain and to me seems completely unnecessary as well as highly inappropriate in a Christian Fiction novel.

Honestly, if I was to rate the storyline itself I would give it 4 stars because it was interesting and I really did enjoy it, but I just can't give this book more than 2 stars because of the swearing, if the swearing wasn't there A Rabbit's Tale would easily be a 4 star read for me. I think this author shows promise and I would be willing to try another of his books!

I received a copy of this book from the author. No review required. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.