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Come Knocking
In a groundbreaking theatrical experience gone horribly wrong, a deadly night reveals the dark consequences of blurring the lines between performance and reality.
When Come Knocking came to Los Angeles, the interactive theater production that took over six floors of an abandoned building was met with raves, lines for tickets, and reviews calling it the “must-see experience of a generation”. After dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured during one bloody night of chaos during the show’s run, the nation was captured by one inescapable How could this happen?
As the dust settles, investigative reporter Adam Jakes is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the massacre. Through a series of gripping interviews with survivors, cast members, and witnesses, Jakes pieces together the chilling reality behind what was supposed to be the ultimate theatrical experience.
In Come Knocking, the enthralling and terrifying exploration of human nature under extreme conditions poses unsettling questions about the limits of immersive experiences and the true nature of reality.
When Come Knocking came to Los Angeles, the interactive theater production that took over six floors of an abandoned building was met with raves, lines for tickets, and reviews calling it the “must-see experience of a generation”. After dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured during one bloody night of chaos during the show’s run, the nation was captured by one inescapable How could this happen?
As the dust settles, investigative reporter Adam Jakes is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the massacre. Through a series of gripping interviews with survivors, cast members, and witnesses, Jakes pieces together the chilling reality behind what was supposed to be the ultimate theatrical experience.
In Come Knocking, the enthralling and terrifying exploration of human nature under extreme conditions poses unsettling questions about the limits of immersive experiences and the true nature of reality.
264 pages, Hardcover
Published July 1, 2025
91 people are currently reading
5898 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
April 9, 2025
ARC for review. To be published July 1, 2025.
3.4 stars….I wish it had been better. It had promise, but just didn’t quite get there. But I liked!
“Come Knocking” was an interactive theatre experience, which, as described, both really made me want to go to an interactive theatre experience and made me think I might run in the other direction if anyone ever mentions one to me.
So, “Come Knocking,” first in New York, then in L.A. was loosely based on the Canterbury Tales. The L.A. version was held in a six story building and was originally met with raves; people were anxious to get tickets and reviews were great.
However, there was some backlash, generally centered online with people who thought the show was bad, evil and more. That gradually escalated into a deadly night where dozens of people died and hundreds were injured during a performance.
To find out what really happened, the “author” of this book interviews many people who were there, actors, staff and witnesses and pulls some information from the internet to gather all the facts.
Oddly, I happened to be reading two books at one time which use the “interview” format, and both involved the performing arts and I think I sometimes got a little confused, but that’s on me. This book was nice in that it’s refreshing to read a good horror book that doesn’t include a supernatural component, this is just the evil that men do. The whole thing is a little meta, in that a real author is writing as a fake author created a fake book called COME KNOCKING, and, in it, I believe there’s a reference to one of the real/fake author’s other books which MAY be written in the same format…if it is, I’m much more interested in it than I was when I heard about it previously.
Anyway, if the premise sounds good to you, you are probably going to like it. This might have gone up to four stars, but I thought there was a bit of, not quite repetition, but a bit of sameness to many of the voices presented…I wish Bockoven had done a better job at making them not sound like different versions of Bockoven, but overall he does a good job with making the interviews short enough that I never got tired of o e particular point of view. And a small safety quibble that I won’t mention as it would be a minor spoiler, but I’m thinking their insurance would have required (how I wish I could turn off the lawyer in me. She never. Shuts. Up.) Some good stuff here.
3.4 stars….I wish it had been better. It had promise, but just didn’t quite get there. But I liked!
“Come Knocking” was an interactive theatre experience, which, as described, both really made me want to go to an interactive theatre experience and made me think I might run in the other direction if anyone ever mentions one to me.
So, “Come Knocking,” first in New York, then in L.A. was loosely based on the Canterbury Tales. The L.A. version was held in a six story building and was originally met with raves; people were anxious to get tickets and reviews were great.
However, there was some backlash, generally centered online with people who thought the show was bad, evil and more. That gradually escalated into a deadly night where dozens of people died and hundreds were injured during a performance.
To find out what really happened, the “author” of this book interviews many people who were there, actors, staff and witnesses and pulls some information from the internet to gather all the facts.
Oddly, I happened to be reading two books at one time which use the “interview” format, and both involved the performing arts and I think I sometimes got a little confused, but that’s on me. This book was nice in that it’s refreshing to read a good horror book that doesn’t include a supernatural component, this is just the evil that men do. The whole thing is a little meta, in that a real author is writing as a fake author created a fake book called COME KNOCKING, and, in it, I believe there’s a reference to one of the real/fake author’s other books which MAY be written in the same format…if it is, I’m much more interested in it than I was when I heard about it previously.
Anyway, if the premise sounds good to you, you are probably going to like it. This might have gone up to four stars, but I thought there was a bit of, not quite repetition, but a bit of sameness to many of the voices presented…I wish Bockoven had done a better job at making them not sound like different versions of Bockoven, but overall he does a good job with making the interviews short enough that I never got tired of o e particular point of view. And a small safety quibble that I won’t mention as it would be a minor spoiler, but I’m thinking their insurance would have required (how I wish I could turn off the lawyer in me. She never. Shuts. Up.) Some good stuff here.
October 12, 2025
I was really into this at the beginning: Mike Bockoven returns to the oral history format with a story about an ambitious immersive theatre project that ends in a bloodbath. I appreciated the fact that Bockoven uses different perspectives to shed light on what people find interesting and exciting about immersive theatre – essential for the reader (like me) to whom it doesn’t appeal at all. I felt I really got why people were so obsessed with the show. (Although she is a much better writer, Tara Isabella Burton forgot to do this in her Here in Avalon, to the book’s detriment.) Also, the voices actually seem distinct, even if this is too often achieved by repeating a phrase or verbal tic. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite come together towards the end; all we get is a lot of gory descriptions, variations on the same scene where a person gets violently attacked or is dragged into a fight. I was hoping the literary and religious themes of the show – and its obvious supernatural overtones – would be teased out a bit more.
July 7, 2025
Maybe the real horror is the people on the internet
May 29, 2025
Come Knocking is a super interesting horror novel told through a series of interviews with survivors and the people involved with the interactive theater production called Come Knocking as they recount the events of a disastrous show that left numerous cast, crew, and audience members dead.
I have not read this author’s previous novel, FantasticLand (it’s on my TBR), which I hear is told in a very similar way. I thought that this was a very effective way to tell this story, as it explores how different points-of-view converge and diverge as to how and what (and why) this disaster happened.
There is a lot to explore with regard to art, how we consume and interact with it, and the give and take between consumer and creator, as well as how challenging art can bring out both the best, and worst, in people. There are also heavy themes of online culture and how dangerous it can get.
The deaths and injuries and perilous situations people are put through are brutal and Bockoven describes these very effectively. My minor gripe is that this one did get a bit repetitive in the middle, but that’s a minor issue.
I enjoyed this one a lot and will recommend you check this one out!
Thanks so much to Skyhorse for sending me an ARC for review!
I have not read this author’s previous novel, FantasticLand (it’s on my TBR), which I hear is told in a very similar way. I thought that this was a very effective way to tell this story, as it explores how different points-of-view converge and diverge as to how and what (and why) this disaster happened.
There is a lot to explore with regard to art, how we consume and interact with it, and the give and take between consumer and creator, as well as how challenging art can bring out both the best, and worst, in people. There are also heavy themes of online culture and how dangerous it can get.
The deaths and injuries and perilous situations people are put through are brutal and Bockoven describes these very effectively. My minor gripe is that this one did get a bit repetitive in the middle, but that’s a minor issue.
I enjoyed this one a lot and will recommend you check this one out!
Thanks so much to Skyhorse for sending me an ARC for review!
July 21, 2025
This just didn't quite work for me. It's an interesting topic and there are some interesting elements. I didn't really feel nearly as much horror as I did with FantasticLand. The ending of this book really didn't work for me. It felt very distinct from the rest of the book and didn't really tie anything together to me. I also had a bit of trouble buying in to the idea of something like this happening. I think the idea of online radicalization just didn't come through strongly enough. Overall I would say I enjoyed this, but it was a bit too disjointed for my taste.
April 20, 2025
I really enjoyed this. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror, especially if you appreciate epistolary style.
Come Knocking unfolds through a series of interviews with crew members, performers, attendees, and others, in the aftermath of a disastrous night at a multi-floor, interactive theater experience in LA. As each person recounts their own piece of the puzzle—ranging from seemingly innocuous production hiccups to ominous signs in the environment—a full portrait of the tragic events of the final performance begin to emerge.
⸻
I came to Come Knocking cold, having never read anything else by Mike Bockoven, and was pleasantly surprised by the author’s patient build‑up. The first half of the book moves deliberately, laying groundwork through detailed, interview‑style perspectives which mainly focus on the production itself. I appreciated how different personalities were clearly depicted in different interviews, although at times these characterizations seemed over the top. While it may feel slow at first, that careful pacing pays off when the first truly gruesome description lands (no pun intended)—its impact is all the more powerful because you’ve spent time inhabiting the world and perspectives of these characters.
Because the narrative is structured around many short interviews, character development is necessarily limited a bit, but Bockoven compensates by offering a broad mosaic of experiences. Each voice contributes a different shard of insight, and together they form a haunting portrait of how small lapses, hidden resentments, environmental hazards, and mounting tensions between performers and audience, align to form a perfect storm.
The real strength of Come Knocking is its page‑turning tension. Once the backstory is in place, I was anxious to know how the fateful night itself unraveled. Rather than guessing who the villain might be, the reader is left grappling with a more unsettling truth: that the true “evil” here is the growing trend in humanity toward anger, selfishness, and a willingness to exploit danger for entertainment’s sake.
Overall, Come Knocking is a thoughtful horror novel—one that uses a slow burn to heighten its impact and leaves you reflecting on what it says about our collective darker impulses.
*Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing & NetGalley for access to the eARC. All opinions are my own.*
Come Knocking unfolds through a series of interviews with crew members, performers, attendees, and others, in the aftermath of a disastrous night at a multi-floor, interactive theater experience in LA. As each person recounts their own piece of the puzzle—ranging from seemingly innocuous production hiccups to ominous signs in the environment—a full portrait of the tragic events of the final performance begin to emerge.
⸻
I came to Come Knocking cold, having never read anything else by Mike Bockoven, and was pleasantly surprised by the author’s patient build‑up. The first half of the book moves deliberately, laying groundwork through detailed, interview‑style perspectives which mainly focus on the production itself. I appreciated how different personalities were clearly depicted in different interviews, although at times these characterizations seemed over the top. While it may feel slow at first, that careful pacing pays off when the first truly gruesome description lands (no pun intended)—its impact is all the more powerful because you’ve spent time inhabiting the world and perspectives of these characters.
Because the narrative is structured around many short interviews, character development is necessarily limited a bit, but Bockoven compensates by offering a broad mosaic of experiences. Each voice contributes a different shard of insight, and together they form a haunting portrait of how small lapses, hidden resentments, environmental hazards, and mounting tensions between performers and audience, align to form a perfect storm.
The real strength of Come Knocking is its page‑turning tension. Once the backstory is in place, I was anxious to know how the fateful night itself unraveled. Rather than guessing who the villain might be, the reader is left grappling with a more unsettling truth: that the true “evil” here is the growing trend in humanity toward anger, selfishness, and a willingness to exploit danger for entertainment’s sake.
Overall, Come Knocking is a thoughtful horror novel—one that uses a slow burn to heighten its impact and leaves you reflecting on what it says about our collective darker impulses.
*Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing & NetGalley for access to the eARC. All opinions are my own.*
May 25, 2025
Not that I'm telling you anything you don't already know, but this is basically Fantasticland in a slightly different font. Did you like Fantasticland? Great, you'll probably like this too. Did you hate/ DNF Fantasticland, and hoping this might hit the spot better? Hmmm, probably not.
It's interesting, it's fun, it has all the elements that made me like Fantasticland (take a shot every time I say....). Multiple POVs that often contradict each other in a delicious "Who do YOU choose to believe?" way while also providing the missing puzzle pieces for earlier people's testimonies, creepy setting, escalating violence, subtle (or not) social commentary, the book has it all.
Why the missing star? I don't really know how to explain it well.
**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.**
It's interesting, it's fun, it has all the elements that made me like Fantasticland (take a shot every time I say....). Multiple POVs that often contradict each other in a delicious "Who do YOU choose to believe?" way while also providing the missing puzzle pieces for earlier people's testimonies, creepy setting, escalating violence, subtle (or not) social commentary, the book has it all.
Why the missing star? I don't really know how to explain it well.
**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.**
April 19, 2025
Full disclosure I didn’t finish FantasticLand. I thought the premise was interesting but it was so slow and when it started to pick up it was way too nonsensical for my liking. I DNF’d it and slipped that baby right into the library return box.
I have to say that this is better than FantasticLand but there’s still some work that needs to be done.
This follows the same shtick that FantasticLand did. A terrible event has happened and a fictional author has set out to interview the people who were witnesses/related to this event. It’s comprised of interviews, Reddit posts, letters, and voice memos.
In Come Knocking, the book is about a play with the same title that’s an interactive experience in a six story building inspired by Canterbury Tale’s and Dante’s Inferno. On March 14th, 56 people died during a hostile takeover of the play. The novel sets out to hear many sides of the events of that day.
Similar to FantasticLand, I felt like this was also so slow to start. The titular play is very elaborate so a lot of the early chapters are setting us up with the structure of the play, what’s happening at any given moment, the actual “story” of the play, etc… The early interviews are comprised of set designers and hardcore fans to help us set the stage. Which is fine, but I felt like it would’ve been easier to digest the complexity of the play if the details were spread out a little more.
I also felt like the interviews themselves lacked distinctive voices. I separated the interviews into two sections “Filler” and “Main Characters”. The “Filler” characters all had the same voice, so it was hard to differentiate them from one another. Some of the early, less memorable, interviews could’ve been shorten considerably.
I did really enjoy the discussions here though with how anonymity has caused some people to become absolutely vicious—with the main focus here being anonymity when using online platforms and engaging in communities filled with hate. All of it expressed here felt so realistic and was one of the more interesting aspects of this novel. Seeing the tension ramp up was very well written but I wished it started a little earlier on in the novel.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for providing me an ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own*
I have to say that this is better than FantasticLand but there’s still some work that needs to be done.
This follows the same shtick that FantasticLand did. A terrible event has happened and a fictional author has set out to interview the people who were witnesses/related to this event. It’s comprised of interviews, Reddit posts, letters, and voice memos.
In Come Knocking, the book is about a play with the same title that’s an interactive experience in a six story building inspired by Canterbury Tale’s and Dante’s Inferno. On March 14th, 56 people died during a hostile takeover of the play. The novel sets out to hear many sides of the events of that day.
Similar to FantasticLand, I felt like this was also so slow to start. The titular play is very elaborate so a lot of the early chapters are setting us up with the structure of the play, what’s happening at any given moment, the actual “story” of the play, etc… The early interviews are comprised of set designers and hardcore fans to help us set the stage. Which is fine, but I felt like it would’ve been easier to digest the complexity of the play if the details were spread out a little more.
I also felt like the interviews themselves lacked distinctive voices. I separated the interviews into two sections “Filler” and “Main Characters”. The “Filler” characters all had the same voice, so it was hard to differentiate them from one another. Some of the early, less memorable, interviews could’ve been shorten considerably.
I did really enjoy the discussions here though with how anonymity has caused some people to become absolutely vicious—with the main focus here being anonymity when using online platforms and engaging in communities filled with hate. All of it expressed here felt so realistic and was one of the more interesting aspects of this novel. Seeing the tension ramp up was very well written but I wished it started a little earlier on in the novel.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for providing me an ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own*
July 2, 2025
HOLY SHI* GUYS!!! This book was so F’ing good!! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO @skyhorsepub for giving us the opportunity to read an ARC of this!! I DEVOURED this novel in less than 24 hours.
This is essentially a spiritual sequel to Fantasticland!!! It’s written by the same fictional writer Adam Jakes, and it has the format of having us read a series of interviews, Reddit posts, voice memos, etc.
A BLOODBATH happens at an interactive theatre show called COME KNOCKING!!! Guests, performers, and nefarious 3rd parties are all at a performance of the show on March 14th, and more than 50 people are dead by the end of the night. How did it happen? What led to this situation? Were there signs of this massacre coming??
It reads like a true crime series on Netflix. It is so gripping from the very first page that I STRUGGLED to put this down.
If you loved #Fantasticland you have to read this.
If you love true crime documentaries, you have to read this.
If you love intense plots, slow-burn suspense, and a mounting body count, you have to read this!!
IT COMES OUT TOMORROW!! GO GRAB A COPY!!!
This is essentially a spiritual sequel to Fantasticland!!! It’s written by the same fictional writer Adam Jakes, and it has the format of having us read a series of interviews, Reddit posts, voice memos, etc.
A BLOODBATH happens at an interactive theatre show called COME KNOCKING!!! Guests, performers, and nefarious 3rd parties are all at a performance of the show on March 14th, and more than 50 people are dead by the end of the night. How did it happen? What led to this situation? Were there signs of this massacre coming??
It reads like a true crime series on Netflix. It is so gripping from the very first page that I STRUGGLED to put this down.
If you loved #Fantasticland you have to read this.
If you love true crime documentaries, you have to read this.
If you love intense plots, slow-burn suspense, and a mounting body count, you have to read this!!
IT COMES OUT TOMORROW!! GO GRAB A COPY!!!
August 1, 2025
this was a really fun premise that’s execution was strictly okay! the amount of typos threw me off 😔
August 2, 2025
[Aside: I see you TELSTARBRONSON.]
-------------------------
The author revisits the post-tragedy journalistic format that he used so well in FantasticLand, shifting from hurricane-stranded kids in a Florida theme park to an innovative piece of interactive theater in Los Angeles. Something complicated has gone terribly wrong, resulting in dozens of injuries and deaths.
Bockoven is interested in what causes civilization to break down, and in chain reactions: a small misdeed causing a minor act of violence leading to a greater act of violence. A pebble growing into an avalanche. He has things to say about American entitlement and the way it mixes with internet anonymity to form incredibly toxic social substances.
There are unexpected choices that work surprisingly well. Like the use of an entirely realistic prurient Reddit subforum dedicated to mapping out nudity in the show, which functionally lays out the six floor setting for the reader. The story is primarily told through interviews but there are forum posts, voicemail and 911 transcripts, even an excerpt from a deranged incel manifesto. Everything reads realistically and the ordering carefully teases out what exactly transpired on the night of the central disaster.
This was an absorbing and provocative read.
-------------------------
The author revisits the post-tragedy journalistic format that he used so well in FantasticLand, shifting from hurricane-stranded kids in a Florida theme park to an innovative piece of interactive theater in Los Angeles. Something complicated has gone terribly wrong, resulting in dozens of injuries and deaths.
Bockoven is interested in what causes civilization to break down, and in chain reactions: a small misdeed causing a minor act of violence leading to a greater act of violence. A pebble growing into an avalanche. He has things to say about American entitlement and the way it mixes with internet anonymity to form incredibly toxic social substances.
There are unexpected choices that work surprisingly well. Like the use of an entirely realistic prurient Reddit subforum dedicated to mapping out nudity in the show, which functionally lays out the six floor setting for the reader. The story is primarily told through interviews but there are forum posts, voicemail and 911 transcripts, even an excerpt from a deranged incel manifesto. Everything reads realistically and the ordering carefully teases out what exactly transpired on the night of the central disaster.
This was an absorbing and provocative read.
July 5, 2025
An experimental play in LA becomes a confusing fight for survival as disorienting as stumbling through a dark room full of people who mean to do you harm. This tale is told from the perspective of crew members, performers, survivors, and witnesses
I was granted an ARC ebook of this through NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity to read it. This was my first time reading an arc copy of a book and I didn't realize certain things like there would be spelling/editing errors but I was able to piece out what was meant in those moments and won't hold that against my feelings and thoughts on the book.
I agree with most people that I wish Mike had gone balls to the wall but I also think the reason he didn't is because of the direct feedback from Fantasticland where the people who didn't like that all the employees lost their minds too quickly from the lack of phones. Not saying I agreed with that complaint but that's my theory. Mr Brockoven please don't listen to those reviews, your stories get better the more "balls to the wall" they get.
As far as the plot goes I loved it. I don't think I loved the situation as much as Fantasticland (sorry to keep bringing up this other book but when you have the same "in universe" writer cover both disasters and have comparisons happen in your own book I'm going to go there too). But I did appreciate the slow build up to the events and how differently both sides saw and justified their own crusades. I think if you appreciate this kind of format of story telling then this book is worth the quick night or two it takes to get through it.
I was granted an ARC ebook of this through NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity to read it. This was my first time reading an arc copy of a book and I didn't realize certain things like there would be spelling/editing errors but I was able to piece out what was meant in those moments and won't hold that against my feelings and thoughts on the book.
I agree with most people that I wish Mike had gone balls to the wall but I also think the reason he didn't is because of the direct feedback from Fantasticland where the people who didn't like that all the employees lost their minds too quickly from the lack of phones. Not saying I agreed with that complaint but that's my theory. Mr Brockoven please don't listen to those reviews, your stories get better the more "balls to the wall" they get.
As far as the plot goes I loved it. I don't think I loved the situation as much as Fantasticland (sorry to keep bringing up this other book but when you have the same "in universe" writer cover both disasters and have comparisons happen in your own book I'm going to go there too). But I did appreciate the slow build up to the events and how differently both sides saw and justified their own crusades. I think if you appreciate this kind of format of story telling then this book is worth the quick night or two it takes to get through it.
September 17, 2025
So I wanted to start by saying I LOVED FantasticLand. It was in my top reads in 2024 and I reread it this year and loved it just as much. I love the style of Mike’s books, I enjoy the subtle fear that builds into real life horrors. But I think I’m in a bit of a slump and I couldn’t give this book my full attention or buy in. It felt repetitive. It felt really slow then there would be a few exciting and gruesome moments and then I’d be bored again. I could not get into it. I might try to read it again someday but for now I’m good.
July 17, 2025
WOOOO!!!!
now that packs a punch and leaves a message
holy fk!
ohhhh man i loved this it was a more brutal fantasticland and i loved the lil nods at it that were mentioned!!!!
ahh!! wowee very good ending dam
this was so much fun and equally horrifying but …. also real sadly
the world we live in
now that packs a punch and leaves a message
holy fk!
ohhhh man i loved this it was a more brutal fantasticland and i loved the lil nods at it that were mentioned!!!!
ahh!! wowee very good ending dam
this was so much fun and equally horrifying but …. also real sadly
the world we live in
September 24, 2025
i guess we all really are just heading toward the great anime convention in the sky… man.
May 25, 2025
3.75⭐️ - I absolutely loved Fantasticland, so I was really excited to see a new novel from Mike Bockoven. While Come Knocking didn’t quite pull me in the same way, it was still a chilling and highly entertaining read. (That said, I listened to Fantasticland on audio, which was brilliantly narrated, so that might be why I enjoyed the experience slightly more.)
The story centres around an immersive, interactive theatre production called Come Knocking, which explores the inevitability of death. While initially successful, the show faced intense online backlash, with critics calling it disturbing, evil, and worse. That outrage snowballed into a horrific night on 14th March, where dozens of people were killed and hundreds more injured.
Told through a mix of interviews, Reddit threads, letters, voice memos, and transcripts, the book presents a fictional reporter’s account of the tragedy. This mixed media approach (which Bockoven excels at!) gives the story a sense of realism that is almost too convincing. It truly feels like something that could have been ripped straight from the headlines.
I did enjoy this one overall, but I found the first half to be a bit slow. Much of it is dedicated to explaining the concept of the theatre production, its rise in popularity, and the controversy surrounding it. While that setup is necessary, it became a bit repetitive, and I kept waiting for the narrative to move on to the events of 14th March. At times, a few points of view felt too similar, with different characters essentially saying the same thing in slightly different words. That said, the social commentary stands out, and I appreciated the exploration of how the internet fuels fear, outrage, and misinformation, and how quickly humanity can unravel when thrust into chaos and danger.
Where Come Knocking truly excels is in its emotional depth and realism. Mike Bockoven has a gift for creating authentic, heartbreaking characters whose voices feel all too real. The horror doesn’t just come from the violence – it comes from the raw fear, the heartbreak, and the way everything spirals so fast and so believably. The sense of panic is palpable and the fear is all consuming. This is one of those stories that is deeply disturbing but you can’t stop reading, even when you want to look away.
Thank you to Mike Bockoven, Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for the early access.
The story centres around an immersive, interactive theatre production called Come Knocking, which explores the inevitability of death. While initially successful, the show faced intense online backlash, with critics calling it disturbing, evil, and worse. That outrage snowballed into a horrific night on 14th March, where dozens of people were killed and hundreds more injured.
Told through a mix of interviews, Reddit threads, letters, voice memos, and transcripts, the book presents a fictional reporter’s account of the tragedy. This mixed media approach (which Bockoven excels at!) gives the story a sense of realism that is almost too convincing. It truly feels like something that could have been ripped straight from the headlines.
I did enjoy this one overall, but I found the first half to be a bit slow. Much of it is dedicated to explaining the concept of the theatre production, its rise in popularity, and the controversy surrounding it. While that setup is necessary, it became a bit repetitive, and I kept waiting for the narrative to move on to the events of 14th March. At times, a few points of view felt too similar, with different characters essentially saying the same thing in slightly different words. That said, the social commentary stands out, and I appreciated the exploration of how the internet fuels fear, outrage, and misinformation, and how quickly humanity can unravel when thrust into chaos and danger.
Where Come Knocking truly excels is in its emotional depth and realism. Mike Bockoven has a gift for creating authentic, heartbreaking characters whose voices feel all too real. The horror doesn’t just come from the violence – it comes from the raw fear, the heartbreak, and the way everything spirals so fast and so believably. The sense of panic is palpable and the fear is all consuming. This is one of those stories that is deeply disturbing but you can’t stop reading, even when you want to look away.
Thank you to Mike Bockoven, Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for the early access.
May 19, 2025
Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book!
This was excellent. I really loved the style and how the eye witness testimonies created this sense of gradually building both the show and the events that occurred layer by layer. Each chapter gives a small glimpse of Come Knocking until eventually it feels like you’ve walked through the experience yourself. If you’re familiar with the movie Hell House LLC, this book takes a similar approach to storytelling, and it works very well.
The theater experience of Come Knocking is really cool. I won’t give anything away, but I think it will appeal to theater lovers and horror fans alike. It’s very dark and mysterious, and it feels like anything could happen—good or bad (but probably bad). Both the setting and the format of the book create this heavy atmosphere of dread. You know going into the story that it ends in a massacre, but you’re left to imagine the how and why elements. Piecing the story together felt, in a way, like its own beautiful decent into madness.
As the book builds to its final act, it becomes truly terrifying. It felt as though a mirror were being held up to our current society in a very uncomfortable way. Come Knocking (both the show within the book and the book itself) focuses on fear and how we deal with it, how it can spread and grow amongst a group, and how it can ultimately destroy us. It explores human nature in extreme situations, but it also examines our reaction to art. Is art/the artist responsible for how we react to it or does the blame lay solely on us?
Definitely check this one out, I really enjoyed it! Preorder now if this sounds like your kind of jam!
💀💀💀💀💀 /5
✔️ Highly recommend
This was excellent. I really loved the style and how the eye witness testimonies created this sense of gradually building both the show and the events that occurred layer by layer. Each chapter gives a small glimpse of Come Knocking until eventually it feels like you’ve walked through the experience yourself. If you’re familiar with the movie Hell House LLC, this book takes a similar approach to storytelling, and it works very well.
The theater experience of Come Knocking is really cool. I won’t give anything away, but I think it will appeal to theater lovers and horror fans alike. It’s very dark and mysterious, and it feels like anything could happen—good or bad (but probably bad). Both the setting and the format of the book create this heavy atmosphere of dread. You know going into the story that it ends in a massacre, but you’re left to imagine the how and why elements. Piecing the story together felt, in a way, like its own beautiful decent into madness.
As the book builds to its final act, it becomes truly terrifying. It felt as though a mirror were being held up to our current society in a very uncomfortable way. Come Knocking (both the show within the book and the book itself) focuses on fear and how we deal with it, how it can spread and grow amongst a group, and how it can ultimately destroy us. It explores human nature in extreme situations, but it also examines our reaction to art. Is art/the artist responsible for how we react to it or does the blame lay solely on us?
Definitely check this one out, I really enjoyed it! Preorder now if this sounds like your kind of jam!
💀💀💀💀💀 /5
✔️ Highly recommend
August 16, 2025
In Come Knocking geht es um eine interaktive Theateraufführung bei der es an einem Abend zu einer großen Katastrophe mit vielen Toten und Verletzten kommt. Durch eine Vielzahl von Augenzeugenberichte erfährt man nach und nach was genau passiert ist und wie es überhaupt zu dieser Katastrophe kommen konnte.
Ich liebe es, wenn Geschichten erst mit der Zeit Sinn ergeben und sich über einen längeren Zeitraum aufbauen. Dass Mike Bockoven das beherrscht hat er bereits vorher schon bewiesen und auch bei Come Knocking fand ich den Aufbau wieder sehr gelungen. Es ist unheimlich spannend die Ereignisse aus verschiedenen Perspektiven zu erleben und unterschiedliche Eindrücke von Situationen zu bekommen. Der Satz 'Das liegt im Auge des Betrachters' bekommt da doch nochmal einen anderen Bedeutung.
Leider hat mir am Ende aber etwas gefehlt um sagen zu können, dass ich ein wirklich klares Bild von den Geschehnissen des Abends habe. Durch die vielen Ebenen auf denen sich verschiedene Katastrophen abgespielt haben, die Aufführung erstreckt sich über sechs Stockwerke eines Gebäudes, hatte ich bis zum Schluss nie das Gefühl wirklich zu wissen was alles genau passiert ist. Für meinen Geschmack wären da ein paar weitere Berichte hilfreich gewesen, aber wahrscheinlich entspricht genau das der Realität, denn große Katastrophen lassen sich später nie zu 100 Prozent nachvollziehen.
Ich liebe es, wenn Geschichten erst mit der Zeit Sinn ergeben und sich über einen längeren Zeitraum aufbauen. Dass Mike Bockoven das beherrscht hat er bereits vorher schon bewiesen und auch bei Come Knocking fand ich den Aufbau wieder sehr gelungen. Es ist unheimlich spannend die Ereignisse aus verschiedenen Perspektiven zu erleben und unterschiedliche Eindrücke von Situationen zu bekommen. Der Satz 'Das liegt im Auge des Betrachters' bekommt da doch nochmal einen anderen Bedeutung.
Leider hat mir am Ende aber etwas gefehlt um sagen zu können, dass ich ein wirklich klares Bild von den Geschehnissen des Abends habe. Durch die vielen Ebenen auf denen sich verschiedene Katastrophen abgespielt haben, die Aufführung erstreckt sich über sechs Stockwerke eines Gebäudes, hatte ich bis zum Schluss nie das Gefühl wirklich zu wissen was alles genau passiert ist. Für meinen Geschmack wären da ein paar weitere Berichte hilfreich gewesen, aber wahrscheinlich entspricht genau das der Realität, denn große Katastrophen lassen sich später nie zu 100 Prozent nachvollziehen.
November 2, 2025
As a huge fan of Sleep No More (which is the immersive theater experience that this book is heavily based on) I was so excited to read this book! I read Fantasticland by the author last year and it was such an unexpected hit for me and this book follows a very similar format of telling the story through interviews and social media/news excerpts.
For some reason Come Knocking didn’t work quite as well for me as Fantasticland did. I felt like I was still confused and missing some pieces of the story by the end. Some of the characters were confusing to me because I knew they had been talked about in previous interviews but for some reason I just couldn’t remember them or the context well enough to make it really cohesive.
I think as a concept, Fantasticland just worked better in this format for me. It was more of like an end of the world, survival of the fittest type of situation which has been super popular in media over the last decade or so. Kind of like a what if? type of situation. While unfortunately in this world, Come Knocking is more believable as something that could actually happen, it just felt overall more confusing and hard to understand.
I still enjoyed reading it and will probably continue to pick up more books by this author!
For some reason Come Knocking didn’t work quite as well for me as Fantasticland did. I felt like I was still confused and missing some pieces of the story by the end. Some of the characters were confusing to me because I knew they had been talked about in previous interviews but for some reason I just couldn’t remember them or the context well enough to make it really cohesive.
I think as a concept, Fantasticland just worked better in this format for me. It was more of like an end of the world, survival of the fittest type of situation which has been super popular in media over the last decade or so. Kind of like a what if? type of situation. While unfortunately in this world, Come Knocking is more believable as something that could actually happen, it just felt overall more confusing and hard to understand.
I still enjoyed reading it and will probably continue to pick up more books by this author!
May 4, 2025
Come Knocking, a reportedly groundbreaking theatrical experience that has come to Los Angeles, is being called the "must-see experience of a generation" in reviews. This production is spread throughout the six floors of an abandoned building. On one deadly night, dozens of people end up dead with even more injured. Adam Jakes, an investigative reporter, intends to find out how this could happen. Told through a series of interviews with survivors, cast members and witnesses, we get our answers. Come Knocking is a deep dive into what happens when you blur the lines between reality and performance. It casts a bleak lens on what happens when people look away, when they don't take action and how terrifying our choices can be when put under extreme duress. The interview format allows for a truly immersive read and I will be thinking about this one for a long time. Thank you so much to Rachel at Skyhorse Publishing for sending me an ARC. You can pick this up when it publishes July 01, 2025!
June 17, 2025
Many thanks to @skyhorsepub for my copies of Bockoven’s work. This was a super unique story told in epistolary format through interviews, reddit forums and even pieces of a manifesto. Our MC is writing a book covering the interactive theater production, Come Knocking and the horrific disaster that left many cast and audience members dead.
I thought that the way the story was written really helped to bring the author’s message across. The multiple POV’s give different accounts of the incident (before and after) which ultimately showed the way it could have been prevented.
The main take away, in my opinion, is the darkness social media can bring into a situation. The author talks about the masks we all wear and how current culture has gotten angry, scared and anxious. This is the ultimate depiction of what happens when we don’t listen. It’s chilling and sadly, close to today’s world. I have said it once and I will say it again; humans are the real monsters.
I thought that the way the story was written really helped to bring the author’s message across. The multiple POV’s give different accounts of the incident (before and after) which ultimately showed the way it could have been prevented.
The main take away, in my opinion, is the darkness social media can bring into a situation. The author talks about the masks we all wear and how current culture has gotten angry, scared and anxious. This is the ultimate depiction of what happens when we don’t listen. It’s chilling and sadly, close to today’s world. I have said it once and I will say it again; humans are the real monsters.
October 25, 2025
If you enjoyed FantasticLand, definitely check this out! Come Knocking is a follow up book in the same style of FantasticLand, but covering a different disastrous event.
Come Knocking is a smaller scale tragedy than that of FantasticLand. Most of the book is telling the story of one specific night rather than a long period of time. We hear the stories of the workers/audience members who lived through a horrific performance of an immersive horror theatre experience.
This is extra fun if you have any experience working in a professional theatre setting!
I’ve been waiting for the audiobook of this one to be released for months and really glad to have finally gotten the chance to listen to the story!
Come Knocking is a smaller scale tragedy than that of FantasticLand. Most of the book is telling the story of one specific night rather than a long period of time. We hear the stories of the workers/audience members who lived through a horrific performance of an immersive horror theatre experience.
This is extra fun if you have any experience working in a professional theatre setting!
I’ve been waiting for the audiobook of this one to be released for months and really glad to have finally gotten the chance to listen to the story!
April 15, 2025
4.5 rounding down - solely because one chapter felt like it didn't fit.
Overall what a RIDE. If Come Knocking were a real show I would 100% be vying for tickets based on the picture Bockoven painted. I'm enthralled by the premise and that made the downfall of the show all the more delicious to read. The pacing of this was exquisite. The style was exquisite. It's been a long time since I read something like this and it will be sitting in my brain for quite some time to come.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Overall what a RIDE. If Come Knocking were a real show I would 100% be vying for tickets based on the picture Bockoven painted. I'm enthralled by the premise and that made the downfall of the show all the more delicious to read. The pacing of this was exquisite. The style was exquisite. It's been a long time since I read something like this and it will be sitting in my brain for quite some time to come.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2025
To immerse yourself within a form of art typically feels like a gratifying experience laden with revelations, comfort, and exploration. Some art is daring, pushing the boundaries of comfortability in the name of self-discovery and vital performance. But what if this very practice of immersion is hijacked? The controls relinquished to those with a harmful agenda? What happens to the vulnerable partakers, the willing enthusiasts, and the art itself? Mike Bockoven provides a stomach-churning, deeply unsettling answer to this dramatic predicament as one theatrical experience takes a turn for the absolute worse with his novel, Come Knocking.
Told through a series of interviews, we are made privy to the horrific realities of “Come Knocking,” an interactive, transfiguring play that occupies multiple stories of a singular building with a choose-your-own-path style of progression. As you can fathom, feelings on this type of performative art vary wildly with some individuals claiming the trajectory of their lives have been forever changed by this performance to others who loathe such a ridiculous, pompous affair. Yet, multiple acts of violence mark the end of the performance leaving a wake of dead bodies, traumatic injuries, and unfolding stories of horror. The lingering question is one of how such a travesty could unfold, a question that is answered with bone-chilling clarity.
While Come Knocking works as an effective novel that preys upon every sense of social anxiety, it feels as though Bockoven created the fictional play of “Come Knocking” as a reflective microcosm of our national state of current affairs. Given the prevalency of chronic online-ness and readily made information, radicalism has never been more devout, more extreme, more accessible. The negative feelings fostered by some towards “Come Knocking” within the novel’s premise organize and prove to be the igniting force for so much violence that somehow unfolds within a few hours. If this doesn’t read as a symbolic take on our state of terror within our country, I don’t know what does.
Stepping away from the big picture, Come Knocking is one of the most effectively horrifying novels I have read in some time. Now, I should caveat this statement with the realities of my own preexisting social anxiety, but Bockoven has created a nightmare of claustrophobic, viscerally frightening circumstances that tragically lead to disaster. Reading the scenes of unfolding misfortune and manipulated destruction resulted in breathless bouts of panic, punctuated by grotesque body horror and psychological malfeasance. Perhaps most frightening of all is the clear reality of logic that is uncovered with each interview, demonstrating how such a situation arises within the deeply, seemingly chaotic, unruly nature of this violent beast. In other words, this novel is remarkably intense on every front.
A novel that capitalizes on every sense of social terror in a country shaped by mass violence, Mike Bockoven’s Come Knocking functions both as a remarkably effective horror story and as a representation of organized radicalism matched with violence. Layers of symbolism (loss of self, exploration of the taboo, and role reversals to name a few) exist within the context of the play “Come Knocking,” but the glaring, unforgettable aspect of blood-chilling social horrors takes center stage. Unsettling, horrific, and sadly logical, Come Knocking is a horror novel that provides more than a performance. No, Come Knocking is a concentrated, harrowing reality, much to our frightened understanding.
Told through a series of interviews, we are made privy to the horrific realities of “Come Knocking,” an interactive, transfiguring play that occupies multiple stories of a singular building with a choose-your-own-path style of progression. As you can fathom, feelings on this type of performative art vary wildly with some individuals claiming the trajectory of their lives have been forever changed by this performance to others who loathe such a ridiculous, pompous affair. Yet, multiple acts of violence mark the end of the performance leaving a wake of dead bodies, traumatic injuries, and unfolding stories of horror. The lingering question is one of how such a travesty could unfold, a question that is answered with bone-chilling clarity.
While Come Knocking works as an effective novel that preys upon every sense of social anxiety, it feels as though Bockoven created the fictional play of “Come Knocking” as a reflective microcosm of our national state of current affairs. Given the prevalency of chronic online-ness and readily made information, radicalism has never been more devout, more extreme, more accessible. The negative feelings fostered by some towards “Come Knocking” within the novel’s premise organize and prove to be the igniting force for so much violence that somehow unfolds within a few hours. If this doesn’t read as a symbolic take on our state of terror within our country, I don’t know what does.
Stepping away from the big picture, Come Knocking is one of the most effectively horrifying novels I have read in some time. Now, I should caveat this statement with the realities of my own preexisting social anxiety, but Bockoven has created a nightmare of claustrophobic, viscerally frightening circumstances that tragically lead to disaster. Reading the scenes of unfolding misfortune and manipulated destruction resulted in breathless bouts of panic, punctuated by grotesque body horror and psychological malfeasance. Perhaps most frightening of all is the clear reality of logic that is uncovered with each interview, demonstrating how such a situation arises within the deeply, seemingly chaotic, unruly nature of this violent beast. In other words, this novel is remarkably intense on every front.
A novel that capitalizes on every sense of social terror in a country shaped by mass violence, Mike Bockoven’s Come Knocking functions both as a remarkably effective horror story and as a representation of organized radicalism matched with violence. Layers of symbolism (loss of self, exploration of the taboo, and role reversals to name a few) exist within the context of the play “Come Knocking,” but the glaring, unforgettable aspect of blood-chilling social horrors takes center stage. Unsettling, horrific, and sadly logical, Come Knocking is a horror novel that provides more than a performance. No, Come Knocking is a concentrated, harrowing reality, much to our frightened understanding.
January 11, 2026
An immersive theatre production turns into a night of violence and murder. FantasticLand, also by this author, was a very cool book, so I was pleased to find this was written in the same format and by the same “journalist”. It also contained a lot of the same themes (e.g. us vs. them mob mentality, how social breakdown can lead to violence, dehumanisation, unreliable narratives, etc.). I think the premise for FantasticLand was better, but still really enjoyed this. It’s pretty gruesome and explores the worst of humanity though, so proceed with caution!
December 3, 2025
As someone who was involved in the original Sleep No More in NYC and later on Queen of the Night and other debaucherous productions of immersive theatre, this struck a chord. In a “post COVID” world, where people are rediscovering community, humanity, and basic social interactions- masks further degrade the already degraded.
Thoroughly enjoyed the read— and the very descriptive gore.
Thoroughly enjoyed the read— and the very descriptive gore.
September 24, 2025
You gotta listen to me, man. I really wish someone else would’ve written this. I know that might seem more shitty than a goat colon, pal. Not one editor found, bro. 2/5 WILL read another one. Keep it up, Mike. 👍🏽
July 10, 2025
diet fantasticland. (as a compliment.) how does this have so few reviews?! i’m so open to discussion if anyone wants to message me 🖤
but: why were there SO MANY typos & grammatical mistakes in the print edition of the book? if i hadn’t loved f’land so much that would’ve made me bail on this one early.
but: why were there SO MANY typos & grammatical mistakes in the print edition of the book? if i hadn’t loved f’land so much that would’ve made me bail on this one early.
November 9, 2025
This is why theater can’t be experimental, it always ends in a bloody slaughter. Next time they should choose a safer play, like Hamilton or Pink Flamingos: The Musical.
July 5, 2025
I really enjoyed this one
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