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A review by archaicrobin
FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Last book of 2021 and it was Fantastic ! 😉 Fantasticland is a unique survival story in which a bunch of employees are stranded by a disastrous hurricane in a Disney-like amusement park with plenty of supplies and shelter, but absolutely no authority. The result? A Lord of the Flies inspired nightmare!
The story is told through different interviews of survivors from the park massacres and others involved in the tragedy that occurs at the park. This style of storytelling works so well for this book because you’re hearing it like first hand accounts. You have to piece the story together from different interviews just like you would if this had actually happened. I was recommend the audiobook, since each interview is voiced by a different person and it must add so much more to the story! Unfortunately my library only had the digital print version, but I might still check out the audiobook later down the road if I’m up for a reread.
Fantasticland is gruesome but it also has moments of dark humor and glimpses of the underlying themes of toxic masculinity, good vs. evil, and the dark truth of what humans are capable of when faced with survival and a complete lack of authority.
A lot of negative reviews I saw about this book were stating how unrealistic it all is, but honestly I don’t think it’s all that crazy. We see everyday the evil and hate that humanity is capable of, how is this any crazier? And that, that knowledge that, hey this isn’t really that unbelievable, is what makes this book so eerie.
Personally, I absolutely LOVED this and would highly recommend it to anyone that’s looking for a unique, fun take on survival horror! Was it perfect? Of course not, there’s a few typos and some things I would have liked resolution on but overall, the plot, the storytelling, the characters, the horrifying actions that occur, it’s all what make a great horror read and far out shadows any of the negatives in my opinion. Fantastic Land promised a fantastic time and it delivered.
The story is told through different interviews of survivors from the park massacres and others involved in the tragedy that occurs at the park. This style of storytelling works so well for this book because you’re hearing it like first hand accounts. You have to piece the story together from different interviews just like you would if this had actually happened. I was recommend the audiobook, since each interview is voiced by a different person and it must add so much more to the story! Unfortunately my library only had the digital print version, but I might still check out the audiobook later down the road if I’m up for a reread.
Fantasticland is gruesome but it also has moments of dark humor and glimpses of the underlying themes of toxic masculinity, good vs. evil, and the dark truth of what humans are capable of when faced with survival and a complete lack of authority.
A lot of negative reviews I saw about this book were stating how unrealistic it all is, but honestly I don’t think it’s all that crazy. We see everyday the evil and hate that humanity is capable of, how is this any crazier? And that, that knowledge that, hey this isn’t really that unbelievable, is what makes this book so eerie.
Personally, I absolutely LOVED this and would highly recommend it to anyone that’s looking for a unique, fun take on survival horror! Was it perfect? Of course not, there’s a few typos and some things I would have liked resolution on but overall, the plot, the storytelling, the characters, the horrifying actions that occur, it’s all what make a great horror read and far out shadows any of the negatives in my opinion. Fantastic Land promised a fantastic time and it delivered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, and War