The Town the World Forgot

The Town That Shouldn't Exist #1

by Boris Bacic

No one ever escapes from this town.

Newlyweds Lisa and John’s summer drive through the Oregonian wilderness takes a chilling turn when an unexpected blizzard traps their car. Desperate for refuge, they find hope in a sign: WELCOME TO ____. Bundling up, they trek through the storm and find that, within the town, the blizzard ceases, though it rages just beyond the town's limits.

The streets are eerily quiet, lined with lifelike ice statues. Lisa and John soon realize they are being watched by the wary townsfolk, who reveal a haunting truth: this town is a prison, and the storm is a trap. As night falls, a deadly entity stalks the streets, claiming victims and leaving ice statues in its wake.

Trapped in this perpetual winter nightmare, Lisa and John must unravel the town's dark secrets to survive—or become the next frozen monument.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Paranormal, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Book Club

404 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 12, 2024

About the author

"Boris is my favorite author on Nosleep, he's always killing it with his stories!"
"The security guard series is the best one ever!!"
"I love the subtle connection between each story."
"Like R.L. Stine, but better."
"I want to see this book as a Netflix mini-series!"
"No one can scare me like Boris."

Both traditionally and self-published, Boris is a prolific writer whose horror novels often find themselves on the #1 bestselling ranks. With the books he has published, he is quickly becoming a big name in the horror community.

His stories have been narrated by famous YouTube and podcast narrators, including MrCreepypasta, CreepsMcPasta, DrCreepen, etc. His book, Tales of a Security Guard, is currently in the works to become a short film.

Reviews

[John Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG!

This was a beautifully written, character driven, horror story. A small town, totally isolated from the outside world and surrounded by impassable snowstorms, is populated by confused and demoralised individuals. How did they get there and why are they being held prisoner? Just who or what is stalking and murdering them? Why is the murderer leaving lifelike ice sculptures of the victims at each crime scene? This is a story full of questions, the answers contained (hopefully) in the sequel? It really was a compulsive read and I'm straight on to Book 2.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Town

A small town with no name and strange rules. As soon as a snowstorm starts, go inside. If someone knocks, don't open the door. Don't look out the door or window no matter what. Every time a snow storm hits someone in town van8shes and an ice sculpture appears. What is happening? Chilling read full of characters you love.

[Kate | Date With A Thriller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying this: if you love the show From, you will love this book!!!! It gave allllllll the From vibes!!!!! 🥰🙌

From the first few pages I was hooked! It does slow down in some spots, but it’s to give the reader more background on the characters. The last few chapters gave utterly creepy and chilling vibes!! 🫢🫣

Highly, highly recommend this one!! This is one of my favorites from Boris yet!! ❤️Can’t wait to see what happens in the second book, The Town Where Echoes Linger!!! 👀🙌

Thank you to Boris Bacic for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review!!! ❤️

[Alexandra Nisneru · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little slow paced comparing to other Boris Bacic books, but not in a bad way. It still is beautifully written and keeps you enthralled into the story and leaves you constantly in need for answers.

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not know what it is about books by Boris Bacic that give me such creepy vibes. This book was no different. This town is hidden from the world, there is something kind of demonic creature after the people and so far many have dies trying to leave. As I read this book I could almost feel the utter despair these people felt. I can only describe how I felt as this: you know when you enter a parking garage and you feel as though you need to duck your head? Even though you are very aware that the ceiling is too high? The feeling takes over your psyche, so much so that you take a break just to look around and realize you are in your own house, safe from this town. My anxiety levels would start out low and as soon as another situation happened, I could feel them rising again. The storytelling in this book grabs you and then spits you out left with small pieces of your souls still intact. I spent so much time trying to figure out the who, what, why, and how this happened to this small town that I had to re-read some passages to find out if I had missed any clues. This was a truly remarkable book about how life as we know it can change in a minute.

[🥀 Rose 🥀 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoyed Lost or the latest show From, or have read the fantastic Wayward Pines, the. This is a MUST read!

Various people find themselves caught in a town and cannot leave. Surrounded by storms that can’t get through to the outside they just survive. However random nights something picks them off one by one.

This the basic premise. I enjoyed the crap out of this page turner. The mystery, the inter connected relationships, people learning to work together. It was all very entertaining.

Super happy the trilogy is all done because woah that cliffhanger ending!!!! I’m diving straight into book 2!!

[S K · Rating 5 out of 5]

better than Stephen King

Impressive narrative, it really kept me awake for some nights. The genuine horror chill is there and what an awesome plot , cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit this book should be made into a series, this is soooo good I cannot wait to read the other two in the series

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt how awful it would be to be stuck in this town. I think the boredom would be pretty unbearable, and the sense of dread from knowing that someone would die whenever the snowstorm arrives. Nicely creepy with mostly likable characters and some to dislike as well. I’ll be looking for the next book in the series.

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 3 out of 5]

The town aspect was fantastic, the cheating drama side of things was too much for me. These people were so dramatic about it and it was just constantly interrupting the actual story which had enough going on already without that extra layer.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read, a slow burn (maybe too slow) but kept my interest, even tho this is not my usual genre. Loved the icy cold setting but don't think I will read the sequels.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

So frustrating !!!!!

Either I missed something or else nothing has been explained. I trudged on and on through the many chapters trying to connect one occurrence or character to an ending no matter how terrifying. Just looking for an explanation who killer is. Ghosts, monsters, a cult? I don’t have the patience for searching for the answer in another long, drawn out book.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Fans of the TV show From are going to love this!” Hoo boy, they are not since this is just a poorly done, blatant rip off. Any IP or copyright lawyers in the comments who need a slam dunk case, I’ve got one for you.

[Paul Flint · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great start to the trilogy. Terrifying and exciting horror and Boris Bacic is at the top of his game. A true masterpiece. Read with the lights on.

[Margarita Gonzalez · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to force myself to finish it…

Definitely will not be reading the second one. While I want to know what the hell the situation is with the town, I do not want to know bad enough to torture myself through a second, or god forbid, a third, book. And yes, I definitely felt like I was just reading someone’s horribly rewritten version of the show From.

[Rachel M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

This book had an interesting plot, but I could not get past the overly long, repetitive descriptions and unlikeable characters that make really stupid decisions... I will not be continuing with the series.

[Pasquina Santina · Rating 1 out of 5]

VERY slow for a lot of the book. I won’t be reading the sequel because I’m just not invested in the story. It’s similar to the show From, however this one is not scary whatsoever, and I’m disappointed because it started off so good and so promising. Unfortunate.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off very excited about this book. However, the drama/cheating side story really took away from the main story. Debating if I wanna continue to the next book

[jayashree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Premise was great, writing was meh, but it often felt like the book couldn't pick a lane. Cult? Paranormal? Conspiracy? And then to end on a cliffhanger after all that? Absolutely not.

[Bronwyn]

August 3, 2025:

This isn’t working for me atm. I think that’s on me and not the book. Maybe I’ll pick it up at another time.

[Michael Kelso · Rating 5 out of 5]

No way out

Imagine you're driving on a warm summer day when suddenly it starts to snow.
You chuckle at the oddity and continue knowing it will soon end and be an interesting conversation piece when you arrive at your destination... only the snow doesnt stop, it gets worse.
Soon your car is stuck and you have no way to turn and go back.
What would you do?
There's a town full of people who've experienced the exact same thing.
Surrounded by eternal winter and populated by detailed snow sculptures that hold a secret, the people of the town survive in this winter prison and try to live normal lives cut off from the outside world.
But when the storm arrives, deadly things happen.
Find out what happens in this gripping pageturner.
I highly recommend this book. It kept me reading until the startling conclusion.

[Christina Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Town The World Forgot by, Boris Bacic is a gripping horror thriller with a strong atmosphere of isolation and existential dread. The premise—newlyweds trapped in a mysterious town surrounded by an impassable blizzard, where an unknown force turns victims into ice statues—is haunting and intriguing.

Bacic as always which I love, excelled at building suspense and crafting an eerie, immersive setting. The idea of a town that acts as a prison, with its own terrifying rules and a deadly entity lurking at night, reminds me of classic survival horror stories like Silent Hill or The Mist. The character development also seems to be a strong point, noting the emotional weight of the protagonists’ struggle.

I praise its pacing, atmosphere, and tension! I highly recommend this book! 📖

[amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

the plot is good but the characters r so beyond insufferable that i don’t even want to know what happens after this book

[Kortni · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

Oof! What a fun ride!
This definitely gave me “Retown” vibes, the whole being stuck in a town you have no chance of leaving thing.

This one however felt a little more sinister. A lot more death. It got really brutal toward the end!

I really enjoyed getting the story from a bunch of different POV’s. It really helped with feeling like you were right there with the characters, feeling their despair and really getting into each one’s head. Getting their perspective and really understanding how each one was dealing with the town. Really solid.

This book ends on a giant cliffhanger. You’re left with a ton of questions, the main one being “WHY?!!!”

Guess I gotta wait till July to find out but I’m very excited to do so!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to race off to find part 2 of this series.
It's (as the blurb says) very much giving From vibes.
When the snowstorms hit, find your way inside or you won't make it until the morning.
While I'd have loved to have find out more about what exactly was stalking the residents of the town they couldn't leave? The tense scary moments and action packed ending made up for that.
I also couldn't be bothered with the only child in the book continuously running off. But it actually paid off in the end.
The characters aren't fully fleshed out. But they are fleshed out enough.
A good solid spooky read.

[Lizzy]

Boris Bacic has creepy and slow building fear turning into absolute terror at the tip of his typing fingers. There is just something about his stories that I love. He provides you with a thorough scare!!! This book is no exception. I'm busy with the holidays and will come back to edit and say more. I will leave you with this. I have never been disappointed with any of his books. That speaks volumes, because I'm very picky.

[Laura Friars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I have to admit that at the start I almost stopped reading it as I thought it was too like the TV series From but the only resemblence is people stuck in a town and a guy playing sherrif. This was an exciting read, especially toward the end. Going straight onto book two :)

[Nancy Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good storyline, some very suspenseful bits! I did find the middle of it kind of slow though. Looking forward to reading the 2nd book

[Alex Wilkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

HUH???

[Callie Rickard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Repetitive and too much foul language. Returned before getting halfway through. Don’t recommend.