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FantasticLand

A Novel
3.83 goodreads logo

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( 53,980 ratings, 8,457 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
FantasticLand unfolds in a Florida theme park isolated by a hurricane, where a group of young employees are cut off from the world without their electronic devices. As weeks pass, these teenagers form rival tribes competing for survival amid scarcity, leading to gruesome violence and a complete breakdown of social order. Presented as a fact-finding investigation with first-person interviews, the novel explores how online identities give way to brutal tribalism in this nightmare scenario reminiscent of Lord of the Flies and Battle Royale.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This novel suits readers of intense, psychological horror and dystopian survival stories, especially fans of social collapse narratives like Lord of the Flies or Battle Royale. It is best for mature audiences who appreciate gritty, thought-provoking thrillers with a supernatural and social commentary edge.

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Get ready for a struggle for survival in the unlikeliest of places

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Get ready for a struggle for survival in the unlikeliest of places

Since the 1970s, FantasticLand has been the theme park where "Fun is Guaranteed!" But when a hurricane ravages the Florida coast and isolates the park, the employees find it anything but fun. Five weeks later, the authorities who rescue the survivors encounter a scene of horror. Photos soon emerge online of heads on spikes outside of rides and viscera and human bones littering the gift shops, breaking records for hits, views, likes, clicks, and shares. How could a group of survivors, mostly teenagers, commit such terrible acts?

Presented as a fact-finding investigation and a series of first-person interviews, FantasticLand pieces together the grisly series of events. Park policy was that the mostly college-aged employees surrender their electronic devices to preserve the authenticity of the FantasticLand experience. Cut off from the world and left on their own, the teenagers soon form rival tribes who viciously compete for food, medicine, social dominance, and even human flesh. This new social network divides the ravaged dreamland into territories ruled by the Pirates, the ShopGirls, the Freaks, and the Mole People. If meticulously curated online personas can replace private identities, what takes over when those constructs are lost?

FantasticLand is a modern take on Lord of the Flies meets Battle Royale that probes the consequences of a social civilization built online.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Critics praise FantasticLand for its clear prose and terrifying, engrossing narrative. Zack Handlen of the AV Club calls it "merciless, terrifying, and curiously humane," warning not to read it after dark. Rob Hart highlights its plausibility and compelling horror, while Scott Seeke applauds the escalating tension and thrilling descent into chaos. William Grabowski notes its grim but not hopeless tone, exploring fractured identities under extreme isolation.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781510709447

Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 27 October 2016

Country: United States

Imprint: Skyhorse Publishing

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 442g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Mike Bockoven writes thriller/horror novels while his kids are in gymnastics class or at piano lessons. He lives with his wife, Sarah, two daughters, Emaline and Tessa and an exceptionally dumb wiener dog names Sherlock. You can find him at his website, mikebockoven.com, on Facebook (facebook.com/Bockovenbooks) and on Twitter @mikebockoven. He lives in Grand Island, Nebraska.

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