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Atlas of Cursed Places: A Travel Guide to Dangerous and Frightful Destinations
Oliver Le Carrer brings us a fascinating history and armchair journey to the world's most dangerous and frightful places, complete with vintage maps and period illustrations in a handsome volume. This alluring read includes 40 locations that are rife with disaster, chaos, paranormal activity, and death. The locations gathered here include the dangerous Strait of Messina, home of the mythical sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis; the coal town of Jharia, where the ground burns constantly with fire; Kasanka National Park in Zambia, where 8 million migrating bats darken the skies; the Nevada Triangle in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where hundreds of aircraft have disappeared; and Aokigahara Forest near Mount Fuji in Japan, the world's second most popular suicide location following the Golden Gate Bridge.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
January 29, 2018
THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT – DO NOT SPEND MONEY ON THIS BOOK
Unfortunately, this book does not do what it says on the tin.
This is not a book about cursed places around the world.
If you want to buy this book because you think it will be full of tales of mystery and folklore of cursed places across the globe, prepare for disappointment, because this does not contain that.
The word “Curse” is used very loosely and mostly metaphorically here.
“Curses” of poverty, crime and economic bad luck in particular locations is where this book tends to lead. Only about 25% (at a stretch) relates to Curses in the supernatural sense.
The only Curse I found with this book is that the cover is so beautifully designed that it lured me in to spending $40 on it at Dymocks.
This book was sitting on my shelves for ages because I was saving it because I was so excited to read it.
Once you get past the offensive descriptions of the local people, the incorrect facts (apparently the world has five continents) and the often extremely poor grammar, what you have is a book with a fantastic cover that promises the world, but delivers disappointment.
If anybody does happen to come across a book with the same premise that actually delivers, please tell me. I would actually love to read it.
Unfortunately, this book does not do what it says on the tin.
This is not a book about cursed places around the world.
If you want to buy this book because you think it will be full of tales of mystery and folklore of cursed places across the globe, prepare for disappointment, because this does not contain that.
The word “Curse” is used very loosely and mostly metaphorically here.
“Curses” of poverty, crime and economic bad luck in particular locations is where this book tends to lead. Only about 25% (at a stretch) relates to Curses in the supernatural sense.
The only Curse I found with this book is that the cover is so beautifully designed that it lured me in to spending $40 on it at Dymocks.
This book was sitting on my shelves for ages because I was saving it because I was so excited to read it.
Once you get past the offensive descriptions of the local people, the incorrect facts (apparently the world has five continents) and the often extremely poor grammar, what you have is a book with a fantastic cover that promises the world, but delivers disappointment.
If anybody does happen to come across a book with the same premise that actually delivers, please tell me. I would actually love to read it.
September 13, 2015
This was a fantastic concept, but it fell flat in execution for me.
The book had a lot of good information, but the reading felt very dry for most of the book. There were a lot of old maps of where each area was, but the scale was often so close up I couldn't get a good world reference.
I also would have rather had photographs of each area rather than a full page map. So many of these would have been augmented well with images. I had to keep going to the internet to find pictures or videos to add to what I was reading. When I found images, it brought the stories and history to life for me. Without them, I just wasn't engaged. Perhaps a second edition with photographs would really make the difference for readers.
I plan to look more into Aokigahara Suicide Forest. This area sounds so devastating. I hope the government looks more into providing suicide help and education for the area.
Thank you Netgalley and Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
The book had a lot of good information, but the reading felt very dry for most of the book. There were a lot of old maps of where each area was, but the scale was often so close up I couldn't get a good world reference.
I also would have rather had photographs of each area rather than a full page map. So many of these would have been augmented well with images. I had to keep going to the internet to find pictures or videos to add to what I was reading. When I found images, it brought the stories and history to life for me. Without them, I just wasn't engaged. Perhaps a second edition with photographs would really make the difference for readers.
I plan to look more into Aokigahara Suicide Forest. This area sounds so devastating. I hope the government looks more into providing suicide help and education for the area.
Thank you Netgalley and Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 27, 2018
Curioso libro. Me lo regaló mi amiga Cris en mi reciente cumpleaños y pensaba que iba a ser de historias de fantasmas, pero no lo es. Este atlas nos habla de lugares ciertamente malditos de nuestro planeta, pero en un sentido realista: sitios donde ha habido olas de crímenes, guerras, barrios y ciudades peligrosas del mundo, catástrofes naturales que han sucedido o podrían suceder, islas paradisíacas maltratadas por el turismo masificado... y algún que otro misterio también, como por ejemplo el del Triángulo de las Bermudas, cuyos naufragios y accidentes aéreos se intentan explicar de forma racional en este libro.
Ha sido interesante. Algunos sitios son de sobra conocidos, otros no tanto, y he ido buscando fotos en google de ellos conforme avanzaba en mi lectura. El "miedo" o mal rollo que deja este libro es tangible completamente y, además, la edición además es bonita, con mapas y dibujos.
Ha sido interesante. Algunos sitios son de sobra conocidos, otros no tanto, y he ido buscando fotos en google de ellos conforme avanzaba en mi lectura. El "miedo" o mal rollo que deja este libro es tangible completamente y, además, la edición además es bonita, con mapas y dibujos.
December 7, 2017
Rating: 5* of five
The Publisher Says: Olivier Le Carrer brings us a fascinating history and armchair journey to the world's most dangerous and frightful places, complete with vintage maps and period illustrations in a handsome volume.
This alluring read includes 40 locations that are rife with disaster, chaos, paranormal activity, and death. The locations gathered here include the dangerous Strait of Messina, home of the mythical sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis; the coal town of Jharia, where the ground burns constantly with fire; Kasanka National Park in Zambia, where 8 million migrating bats darken the skies; the Nevada Triangle in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where hundreds of aircraft have disappeared; and Aokigahara Forest near Mount Fuji in Japan, the world's second most popular suicide location following the Golden Gate Bridge.
THIS BOOK WAS A YULE GIFT TO ME. IT SHOULD BE ON YOUR BOOKSGIVING LIST TOO.
My Review: History, a ruling passion of my reading life, contains so many byways, culs de sac, and dead ends that are fascinating that it's a wonder the "real" history ever gets told. I love the odd and unsettling details that get lost when one reads only The Big Picture. There are very few byways left unexplored by now, wouldn't you think?
You haven't read this book yet.
Start here, in India. Most US citizens have probably heard of Centralia, Pennsylvania, at some point or another...a town that sits atop a coal mine burning out of control since 1962. Now multiply that by about fifty and set it in a country where there isn't any kind or sort of centralized authority charged with keeping people safe from the consequences of profit-driven environmental rape. Oh wait...that'd be 45's Murrikuh, so sorry. Anyway, the image of Hell that is Jharia makes Centralia look like a minor dump fire.
Then let's go back in time to Timur's reign of terror. In the uniformly awful 14th century, Timur (or Tamerlane as the West knows him) was memorably more heinous than his contemporary rulers and more feared than the only slightly more virulent Black Death that killed almost 50% of the world's population. He managed directly to slay over 15 million people of the 300 million alive on Earth at the time he was busily slaughtering entire cities. This ghastly spot is the site of his mausoleum. It bore the inscription, "When I rise from the dead, the world shall tremble." On 22 June 1941, a silly Soviet scientist raided his tomb; mere hours later, the Nazis began the unbelievably costly Operation Barbarossa, which cost over 5 million more lives, and led to the deaths of millions more in its wake.
The moral of this story, kiddies, is DO NOT TAKE CURSES LIGHTLY.
Unlike the unbearably silly Lutz family that bought 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, after ghastly Ronnie DeFeo slaughtered his family there the year before. They found out the hard way that there is no such thing as a deal too good to be true, lasting a whopping 28 days before bailing on this buy-of-a-lifetime Dutch Colonial in a desirable neighborhood.
Lots of publicity still attends the case, and the Lutzes have been called liars and profiteers. Amityville's just down the road from here. It's a nice village and nice people live there. I myownself get no evil vibe from it. But I wouldn't spend a night at 112 Ocean Avenue for any damn reason.
For the ghoulish giftee, this book's the best!
The Publisher Says: Olivier Le Carrer brings us a fascinating history and armchair journey to the world's most dangerous and frightful places, complete with vintage maps and period illustrations in a handsome volume.
This alluring read includes 40 locations that are rife with disaster, chaos, paranormal activity, and death. The locations gathered here include the dangerous Strait of Messina, home of the mythical sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis; the coal town of Jharia, where the ground burns constantly with fire; Kasanka National Park in Zambia, where 8 million migrating bats darken the skies; the Nevada Triangle in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where hundreds of aircraft have disappeared; and Aokigahara Forest near Mount Fuji in Japan, the world's second most popular suicide location following the Golden Gate Bridge.
THIS BOOK WAS A YULE GIFT TO ME. IT SHOULD BE ON YOUR BOOKSGIVING LIST TOO.
My Review: History, a ruling passion of my reading life, contains so many byways, culs de sac, and dead ends that are fascinating that it's a wonder the "real" history ever gets told. I love the odd and unsettling details that get lost when one reads only The Big Picture. There are very few byways left unexplored by now, wouldn't you think?
You haven't read this book yet.
Start here, in India. Most US citizens have probably heard of Centralia, Pennsylvania, at some point or another...a town that sits atop a coal mine burning out of control since 1962. Now multiply that by about fifty and set it in a country where there isn't any kind or sort of centralized authority charged with keeping people safe from the consequences of profit-driven environmental rape. Oh wait...that'd be 45's Murrikuh, so sorry. Anyway, the image of Hell that is Jharia makes Centralia look like a minor dump fire.
Then let's go back in time to Timur's reign of terror. In the uniformly awful 14th century, Timur (or Tamerlane as the West knows him) was memorably more heinous than his contemporary rulers and more feared than the only slightly more virulent Black Death that killed almost 50% of the world's population. He managed directly to slay over 15 million people of the 300 million alive on Earth at the time he was busily slaughtering entire cities. This ghastly spot is the site of his mausoleum. It bore the inscription, "When I rise from the dead, the world shall tremble." On 22 June 1941, a silly Soviet scientist raided his tomb; mere hours later, the Nazis began the unbelievably costly Operation Barbarossa, which cost over 5 million more lives, and led to the deaths of millions more in its wake.
The moral of this story, kiddies, is DO NOT TAKE CURSES LIGHTLY.
Unlike the unbearably silly Lutz family that bought 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, after ghastly Ronnie DeFeo slaughtered his family there the year before. They found out the hard way that there is no such thing as a deal too good to be true, lasting a whopping 28 days before bailing on this buy-of-a-lifetime Dutch Colonial in a desirable neighborhood.
Lots of publicity still attends the case, and the Lutzes have been called liars and profiteers. Amityville's just down the road from here. It's a nice village and nice people live there. I myownself get no evil vibe from it. But I wouldn't spend a night at 112 Ocean Avenue for any damn reason.
For the ghoulish giftee, this book's the best!
October 7, 2015
I was SO excited for this book, I can’t begin to tell you how eagerly I started reading it. I first started reading it on a long-haul flight, so when I struggled I figured it was just the flight messing with me and I put it away. Two weeks later, when my jet-lag was fully recovered and I was wanderlusting once more, I tried again.
Still, no luck.
The introduction is very good, but a book can’t stand on an introduction alone.
“The cases described in this book area reminder of how much the woes of a place owe to mankind’s overactive information.”
The book is also gorgeous: the layout and typography are simply amazing; and if I had even remotely enjoyed this book I would absolutely purchase a physical copy for my coffee table.
Alas: the major problem with the content is that the places are not properly introduced. It is as though the author is operating on the assumption that the reader already has a background knowledge of the places.
I want details of where the place is, what it looks like and why it is deemed “cursed” – right at the beginning, not vaguely woven into the substance of the chapter. And photos! I got annoyed having to Google every single place. Take away some of the random sketches of a compass, and rather include photos or even sketches of the places themselves.
I know that this presupposition was the reason for my disappointment in the “Atlas” based on the fact that there were three places I did indeed have a good background knowledge of: Gaza, Kasanka National Park, The Valley of the Kings, Aokigahara, and The Bermuda Triangle. I enjoyed these sections because I knew of the places and what they looked of, and so the additional information provided was enlightening to me.
So, very sadly, this traveler was disappointed by The Atlas of Cursed Places. Perhaps in the future a second addition could address the troublesome points.
Disclaimer: I received an eARC via NetGalley and Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Still, no luck.
The introduction is very good, but a book can’t stand on an introduction alone.
“The cases described in this book area reminder of how much the woes of a place owe to mankind’s overactive information.”
The book is also gorgeous: the layout and typography are simply amazing; and if I had even remotely enjoyed this book I would absolutely purchase a physical copy for my coffee table.
Alas: the major problem with the content is that the places are not properly introduced. It is as though the author is operating on the assumption that the reader already has a background knowledge of the places.
I want details of where the place is, what it looks like and why it is deemed “cursed” – right at the beginning, not vaguely woven into the substance of the chapter. And photos! I got annoyed having to Google every single place. Take away some of the random sketches of a compass, and rather include photos or even sketches of the places themselves.
I know that this presupposition was the reason for my disappointment in the “Atlas” based on the fact that there were three places I did indeed have a good background knowledge of: Gaza, Kasanka National Park, The Valley of the Kings, Aokigahara, and The Bermuda Triangle. I enjoyed these sections because I knew of the places and what they looked of, and so the additional information provided was enlightening to me.
So, very sadly, this traveler was disappointed by The Atlas of Cursed Places. Perhaps in the future a second addition could address the troublesome points.
Disclaimer: I received an eARC via NetGalley and Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
December 24, 2019
The title pretty much tells it all. The beautifully illustrated book takes the reader on a tour "off the beaten track" if you will.
The book includes maps and is filled with stories of unusual lands, mysterious happenings, and some things that will either make you want to go there (wherever it is you are reading about) immediately, or high tail it in the opposite direction as quickly as possible.
A very interesting read for travel buffs, those looking for unusual destinations, anyone fascinated with the inexplicable, or anyone who is even mildly curious about unusual places right here on planet Earth.
The book includes maps and is filled with stories of unusual lands, mysterious happenings, and some things that will either make you want to go there (wherever it is you are reading about) immediately, or high tail it in the opposite direction as quickly as possible.
A very interesting read for travel buffs, those looking for unusual destinations, anyone fascinated with the inexplicable, or anyone who is even mildly curious about unusual places right here on planet Earth.
August 3, 2018
Credo di poter esprimere l’opinione che mi sono fatto di questo volume grazie ad un singolo termine: ‘robetta’.
Come già molti prima di me hanno potuto constatare il titolo è fuorviante, da no man’s land, passando per le manifestazioni di forza di Madre Natura, agli efferati crimini/misteri passati legati ad essi, tutti i luoghi qui descritti hanno come comune denominatore una sostanziosa dose di sfortuna. Eppure l’itinerario si rivela insoddisfacente, un misero parco località scelte arbitrariamente dall’autore, possibile ce ne siano così poche di zone “maledette”? molte altre avrebbero meritato di comparire, ma ancor meno sono quelle che effettivamente accendano un vero interesse, nonostante abbia apprezzato il tono scherzoso utilizzato nella narrazione; una sorta di: di fronte a situazioni sì disgraziate non ci resta chepiangere ridere.
Bocciato il comparto grafico, perché sarà anche bello vedere la posizione geografica su uno stralcio di cartina per ogni singolo posto, ma il fatto che poi a mo’ di orpelli ci piazzino scheletri, demoni e quant’altro random che 9 volte su 10 ci azzeccano una fava, no. Avrei gradito immagini più legate alle condizioni che garantivano a tali siti inospitali di comparire nel libro, e questo a mio avviso denota una certa mancanza di accuratezza nello svolgimento del lavoro su questo piano.
Voto finale 2 stelle, ero indeciso se darne soltanto una… ma devo ammettere che come titolo nella mia libreria qui su GR fa la sua porca figura e l’ho voluto premiare per questo :D
Come già molti prima di me hanno potuto constatare il titolo è fuorviante, da no man’s land, passando per le manifestazioni di forza di Madre Natura, agli efferati crimini/misteri passati legati ad essi, tutti i luoghi qui descritti hanno come comune denominatore una sostanziosa dose di sfortuna. Eppure l’itinerario si rivela insoddisfacente, un misero parco località scelte arbitrariamente dall’autore, possibile ce ne siano così poche di zone “maledette”? molte altre avrebbero meritato di comparire, ma ancor meno sono quelle che effettivamente accendano un vero interesse, nonostante abbia apprezzato il tono scherzoso utilizzato nella narrazione; una sorta di: di fronte a situazioni sì disgraziate non ci resta che
Bocciato il comparto grafico, perché sarà anche bello vedere la posizione geografica su uno stralcio di cartina per ogni singolo posto, ma il fatto che poi a mo’ di orpelli ci piazzino scheletri, demoni e quant’altro random che 9 volte su 10 ci azzeccano una fava, no. Avrei gradito immagini più legate alle condizioni che garantivano a tali siti inospitali di comparire nel libro, e questo a mio avviso denota una certa mancanza di accuratezza nello svolgimento del lavoro su questo piano.
Voto finale 2 stelle, ero indeciso se darne soltanto una… ma devo ammettere che come titolo nella mia libreria qui su GR fa la sua porca figura e l’ho voluto premiare per questo :D
January 30, 2017
Don't get me wrong, this is a gorgeous book, reminiscent of an old sailor's journal, with full drawings of maps, macabre artworks of skeletons, and just overall really pleasant to look at and flip through. I think it's part of the appeal of this book--that, certainly, and the enticing title. Atlas of Cursed Places. If you're a casual connoisseur of the macabre like me, you'd probably instantly think that this is the book for you.
Beyond the excellent packaging, however, there's little to be said. The entries are sparse, and, although charming, witty, and captivating enough to the casual reader, failed to engage both the intellect and the imagination. For example, why is Chateau of Montsegur has the subtitle "Satan's Synagogue"? As an avid reader of internet Creepypasta and horror stories, to me, this title seems like a gift from God (ironically) to a writer, especially in a book themed as such, but alas, it's the first page and the book failed to live up to its promise. Maybe it's just me, but I think this book should really capitalise on the stories bit, the human interest, since legends and mythologies is what kept these supposed "cursed" places alive and well in the collective human psyche, not dry facts. Yes, birds mysteriously commit collective suicide in this place, but /why/? It's not enough to say "experts say maybe it's this and that" and "legend had it that..." plus some witty, sardonic joke (which I actually really appreciate, I love the brand of humour here at least), it'd be more engaging if you kept to the spirit and spun a yarn. Tell us a story. We wanted to be entertained, we wanted to be terrified, we wanted to be haunted. We wanted to be cursed. We wanted to understand just /why/ these places in particular are cursed.
This book just often felt too light-hearted for me, and maybe that's the point, to lay down an "atlas" of places that was supposedly cursed (but we know curses don't exist, now, do we, Barbara) to people who lack imagination, who trembled at the mere mention of the "Suicide Forest". And I do love how this book raises awareness on those places who's not so much cursed as it is the making of mankind--sometimes we do curse ourselves unnecessarily, as a species. I do love how this book raises awareness about climate change, about global warming, poverty, and so on and so forth. We as a species must never lose sight of ourselves, especially those that we usually call "less fortunate". I wouldn't call their (unsung and unspoken) tales a real life horror story, that'd be an absolutely unfair judgement towards their plight.
But sadly, this is the bane of my generation, I guess (no pun intended)--I was born in the dark, whereas you merely adopted it. I have braved the dark waters of the internet in search for truly horrific and disturbing tales, and frankly, if I may be so honest, I've watched videos on Youtube more interesting than the contents of this book.
Still, three stars, since I quite enjoyed the ride, the aesthetics, and it was indeed fairly entertaining (could use more photographs of the actual places instead of just maps though). A nice addition to my bookshelf.
Beyond the excellent packaging, however, there's little to be said. The entries are sparse, and, although charming, witty, and captivating enough to the casual reader, failed to engage both the intellect and the imagination. For example, why is Chateau of Montsegur has the subtitle "Satan's Synagogue"? As an avid reader of internet Creepypasta and horror stories, to me, this title seems like a gift from God (ironically) to a writer, especially in a book themed as such, but alas, it's the first page and the book failed to live up to its promise. Maybe it's just me, but I think this book should really capitalise on the stories bit, the human interest, since legends and mythologies is what kept these supposed "cursed" places alive and well in the collective human psyche, not dry facts. Yes, birds mysteriously commit collective suicide in this place, but /why/? It's not enough to say "experts say maybe it's this and that" and "legend had it that..." plus some witty, sardonic joke (which I actually really appreciate, I love the brand of humour here at least), it'd be more engaging if you kept to the spirit and spun a yarn. Tell us a story. We wanted to be entertained, we wanted to be terrified, we wanted to be haunted. We wanted to be cursed. We wanted to understand just /why/ these places in particular are cursed.
This book just often felt too light-hearted for me, and maybe that's the point, to lay down an "atlas" of places that was supposedly cursed (but we know curses don't exist, now, do we, Barbara) to people who lack imagination, who trembled at the mere mention of the "Suicide Forest". And I do love how this book raises awareness on those places who's not so much cursed as it is the making of mankind--sometimes we do curse ourselves unnecessarily, as a species. I do love how this book raises awareness about climate change, about global warming, poverty, and so on and so forth. We as a species must never lose sight of ourselves, especially those that we usually call "less fortunate". I wouldn't call their (unsung and unspoken) tales a real life horror story, that'd be an absolutely unfair judgement towards their plight.
But sadly, this is the bane of my generation, I guess (no pun intended)--I was born in the dark, whereas you merely adopted it. I have braved the dark waters of the internet in search for truly horrific and disturbing tales, and frankly, if I may be so honest, I've watched videos on Youtube more interesting than the contents of this book.
Still, three stars, since I quite enjoyed the ride, the aesthetics, and it was indeed fairly entertaining (could use more photographs of the actual places instead of just maps though). A nice addition to my bookshelf.
October 4, 2015
I just loved the idea of a travel guide to "cursed places". In this Atlas of Cursed Places by Olivier Le Carrer the contents section of the book made me even more keen to read it. I think that most people will be like me and know they want to read it or simply pass by. For those who do want to read it there is a treat in store. It is beautifully presented with maps and plans, longitude and latitude for each cursed place. The write up then indicates why the author considers the location a "cursed place". I guess any such book is subjective and others may not agree that some places are cursed and will wonder at others that are not included. I found covering Nuremberg and yet none of the "death camps" a little strange for example. The places covered in this book vary from those about which there are ancient legends through to really quite contemporary areas; indeed in the case of the "graveyard" of Russia's nuclear submarines you could argue that the curse has not quite been fulfilled yet. The range of places covered and the reasons are wide and varied.
The basic outline of some of the places I was familiar with; Krakatoa, the Chateau at Montsegur & Amityville would would be examples, However others were completely new to me. The graveyard of Russian nuclear submarines, Cape York's killer crocs and the impact on the environment of visitors to the Maldives I knew less or nothing about; it won't make them holiday destinations for me however I did find it very interesting.
There are actually places I'd like to visit as a result of this book and certainly some I'd like to know more about. If I have a criticism about this book it would be that the articles on each place are fairly short; the feel was more like magazine articles than chapters maybe. While I really appreciated the maps that accompanied each place it would have been nice to have some photographs although I realise not every place lends itself to a picture - photographs of the Bermuda Triangle would probably be less than interesting. However it is still a book I enjoyed.
Note - I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
The basic outline of some of the places I was familiar with; Krakatoa, the Chateau at Montsegur & Amityville would would be examples, However others were completely new to me. The graveyard of Russian nuclear submarines, Cape York's killer crocs and the impact on the environment of visitors to the Maldives I knew less or nothing about; it won't make them holiday destinations for me however I did find it very interesting.
There are actually places I'd like to visit as a result of this book and certainly some I'd like to know more about. If I have a criticism about this book it would be that the articles on each place are fairly short; the feel was more like magazine articles than chapters maybe. While I really appreciated the maps that accompanied each place it would have been nice to have some photographs although I realise not every place lends itself to a picture - photographs of the Bermuda Triangle would probably be less than interesting. However it is still a book I enjoyed.
Note - I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
October 19, 2015
While certainly a very pretty book with several lovely mock historical maps in it, The Atlas of Cursed Places suffers from a distinct lack of research into the places it mentions. Some of the stories are close to accurate, some are little more than repeats of commonly told urban legends appearing all over the internet. The worst part is the factual errors made in several stories - one glaring one being that King Tut is not displayed in Cairo but his mummy remains in his tomb - and the lack of completion of the stories. Several feel unfinished as if the author repeated what he knew about a place and stopped there without looking into any details. A good example of this is the story about Stull Cemetery which he repeatedly states there is no way of knowing how the story that this cemetery was a gate to hell began - when I found this information out in less than five minutes with Google. So, while a very pretty book, not a very useful one to anyone with more than a passing knowledge of urban legends and cursed places.
Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 25, 2016
You'd think that just based on the title of the book that I would love this one, but you'd be wrong. And you guys, this book is a thing of beauty to hold and flip through. How did such a wonderful premise go so wrong? Yes, it has lovely maps (something I always geek out about), and there are some interesting nuggets, but overall this one simply fell flat in the execution. Each location has about a page of information, and a map, and maybe some diagrams. After randomly reading six essays, am bored, and disappointed, and have bailed on it. What a bummer.
October 21, 2015
Hard to resist title but unfortunately I didn't find the presentation to be up to the same standard. I was very excited when I was approved to borrow this from the publisher/Netgalley. I mean, who wouldn't be interested in a book about spooky and dangerous places? It's broken down by region (North America, Africa, etc) but I found that a good many of the places listed were unfamiliar to this geography buff, and to be frank, not what I would really consider "cursed" or "scary". Some of the locations were man-made disasters, others seemed to have gotten their reputation based on folk tales and not empirical proof. The maps provided were interesting but I would have much preferred pictures of the sites mentioned.
This book was provided free from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was provided free from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 24, 2020
3.5 but rounded up to 4 stars.
You can't really say that this book is based on places that are cursed but I personally can't think of a better name for the book. Some of the places were intersting and some of the stories told were tragic. There are inhabitable places on earth and quite a few were included here. As the stories were all kind of short, I could pick it up in between and read some and put it back down again. The maps and pictures included added flair to the book as well.
You can't really say that this book is based on places that are cursed but I personally can't think of a better name for the book. Some of the places were intersting and some of the stories told were tragic. There are inhabitable places on earth and quite a few were included here. As the stories were all kind of short, I could pick it up in between and read some and put it back down again. The maps and pictures included added flair to the book as well.
May 20, 2021
I read the kindle edition. In the kindle edition there are not photos, and the design that seems present in the real book format isn't present.
And it is an interesting nice read, but it could really use photos. I like the use of little known and well known places. The places range from natural places to ruins. Nice in terms of travel and making a travel bucket list as well as for those interested in folklore.
And it is an interesting nice read, but it could really use photos. I like the use of little known and well known places. The places range from natural places to ruins. Nice in terms of travel and making a travel bucket list as well as for those interested in folklore.
July 9, 2019
L’idea in sé era meravigliosa, così come il design del libro.
Ma il contenuto non è stato all’altezza delle aspettative. Avrei preferito molti altri approfondimenti e curiosità, dato che i luoghi citati sono davvero pochi e non propriamente “maledetti”. Nonostante ciò, è comunque una buona lettura d’approfondimento per gli amanti dei viaggi.
Ma il contenuto non è stato all’altezza delle aspettative. Avrei preferito molti altri approfondimenti e curiosità, dato che i luoghi citati sono davvero pochi e non propriamente “maledetti”. Nonostante ciò, è comunque una buona lettura d’approfondimento per gli amanti dei viaggi.
March 7, 2018
Titolo altisonante, ma già, a leggere le recensioni su Goodreads, mi aspettavo la mezza "sòla", quindi sono arrivata con basse aspettative. In realtà sarebbe più corretto chiamarlo "Atlante dei luoghi sfigati o inospitali o impervi o, ma molti meno, maledetti".
Trattasi appunto di un elenco di luoghi ai quattro angoli della Terra che, per varie ragioni (clima proibitivo, frequenti cataclismi, interventi scellerati dell'uomo, qualche evento del passato, ecc.), hanno oggi una brutta fama. L'etichetta di "maledetti" in senso stretto, in pratica un'esca per il lettore curioso, sfruttata anche nella quarta di copertina che promette chissà che brividi di terrore e nelle illustrazioni cupe con tanto di scheletri disseminate per le pagine che non c'entrano nulla, si applica in effetti solo a pochi di questi, alcuni molto famosi (la casa di Amityville, il triangolo delle Bermuda, l'Area 51, l'isola su cui naufragò il "Batavia", il faro di Eilean More...). Qualche notizia e qualche curiosità sono interessanti, ad esempio quella sul "cimitero" dei sommergibili nucleari sovietici nella penisola di Kola.
La confezione del libro ricorda molto (o scimmiotta?) quella di Atlante delle isole remote: cinquanta isole dove non sono mai stata e mai andrò di Judith Schalansky, con le immagini delle antiche carte geografiche; nel volume della Schalansky però funzionavano e avevano un loro perché (era un libro che illustrava 50 isole piccolissime e remote, e il semplice puntino in mezzo al blu dava bene l'idea di questi microcosmi lontanissimi da tutto e irraggiungibili), qui non aggiungono nulla a parte la posizione dei vari luoghi sul mappamondo. Meglio allora foto o illustrazioni che mostrino l'aura "maledetta" del posto, no?
Va beh, d'altra parte era un (auto)regalo, per cui poco male. Letto solo per iniziare e finire qualcosa di veloce e perché sembrava "appropriato" subito dopo The Haunting of Hill House.
Trattasi appunto di un elenco di luoghi ai quattro angoli della Terra che, per varie ragioni (clima proibitivo, frequenti cataclismi, interventi scellerati dell'uomo, qualche evento del passato, ecc.), hanno oggi una brutta fama. L'etichetta di "maledetti" in senso stretto, in pratica un'esca per il lettore curioso, sfruttata anche nella quarta di copertina che promette chissà che brividi di terrore e nelle illustrazioni cupe con tanto di scheletri disseminate per le pagine che non c'entrano nulla, si applica in effetti solo a pochi di questi, alcuni molto famosi (la casa di Amityville, il triangolo delle Bermuda, l'Area 51, l'isola su cui naufragò il "Batavia", il faro di Eilean More...). Qualche notizia e qualche curiosità sono interessanti, ad esempio quella sul "cimitero" dei sommergibili nucleari sovietici nella penisola di Kola.
La confezione del libro ricorda molto (o scimmiotta?) quella di Atlante delle isole remote: cinquanta isole dove non sono mai stata e mai andrò di Judith Schalansky, con le immagini delle antiche carte geografiche; nel volume della Schalansky però funzionavano e avevano un loro perché (era un libro che illustrava 50 isole piccolissime e remote, e il semplice puntino in mezzo al blu dava bene l'idea di questi microcosmi lontanissimi da tutto e irraggiungibili), qui non aggiungono nulla a parte la posizione dei vari luoghi sul mappamondo. Meglio allora foto o illustrazioni che mostrino l'aura "maledetta" del posto, no?
Va beh, d'altra parte era un (auto)regalo, per cui poco male. Letto solo per iniziare e finire qualcosa di veloce e perché sembrava "appropriato" subito dopo The Haunting of Hill House.
May 21, 2016
The author picked a few random popular places that can be found anywhere discussing ghost stories then added a few places that are not as well known. I am glad the author actually did their research and actually stuck to the facts instead of just the legends. Some were fascinating to read especially the ones I was not familiar with. I do think he did not try very hard in the section about North America and just stuck mainly with the most popular spots that have been dubbed paranormal except one which was a surfing spot. I also think the use of the word curse is not correct which makes the title a bit misleading.
December 30, 2021
i just don’t think it’s fair to put shanytowns and an /entire country/ on the same level as amityville and the pine barrens in an atlas of cursed places. it seems almost disrespectful. like yes we get it, the jersey devil may be scary but the real villains are capitalism and climate change, but i wanted to read about cursed graveyards and mausoleums, not islands in the indian ocean drowning in garbage.
November 7, 2015
Loved this read! Wonderful, creepy stories to give you chills! And I have a thing for maps.
June 23, 2021
To be honest, I was kind of disappointed. The subsections don't make much sense, there aren't any photos although the book would greatly benefit from them, and the individual entries just felt sort of like previews of longer, more in-depth articles. At least it wasn't long.
October 4, 2015
I received a digital copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Bite-sized descriptions of places that wouldn't make Lonely Planet's 1001 Places to See Before You Die.
Essentially, this book presents bite-sized chunks of eyebrow-raising information focusing on a collection of locations that are plagued by natural, human-instigated or thoroughly mysterious misfortunes. Each location has one to two pages dedicated to its particular woes, which was too much for the places I wasn’t interested in, and not enough for those that I was. Many of the situations described prove the old adage that fact is stranger than fiction, such as the village in India where the ground could explode at any moment due to fiery mining pits beneath the earth, the mountain village where birds seem to go with the express purpose of dying and the ill-thought-out, surely-this-is-someone-else’s-problem nuclear submarine graveyard in the frozen north. This would be a great starting point for those looking to write a horror or fantasy story and needing an interesting setting. Or indeed, a great conversation starter for someone wishing to look worldly and mysterious at a dinner party.
The information given about each place is cursory for the most part and I found myself becoming annoyed with the slightly stereotypical depiction of Far North Queensland , where deadly creatures take shifts throughout the year to strike fear into the hearts of tourists (although this section was particularly amusing). Similarly, I was irritated to note that while the island of Nauru is mentioned, including a passing mention of Australia’s offshore detention facility for the “processing” of asylum seekers, the author neglected to mention the accursed experiences related by asylum seekers while detained there – experiences which include rape, self-harm, suicide and abuse – which surely qualify as the fodder for nightmares noted for other localities in the book.
This is one of those books that you keep around for the “Oh, that’s interesting!” moments that you’ll experience while reading it. It would make a great gift for the travel enthusiast in your life, or for those teenaged readers who are looking for more grown-up books that focus on the real world in an accessible way. I quite enjoyed dipping into this one and discovering the mind-boggling situations attached to certain localities.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Bite-sized descriptions of places that wouldn't make Lonely Planet's 1001 Places to See Before You Die.
Essentially, this book presents bite-sized chunks of eyebrow-raising information focusing on a collection of locations that are plagued by natural, human-instigated or thoroughly mysterious misfortunes. Each location has one to two pages dedicated to its particular woes, which was too much for the places I wasn’t interested in, and not enough for those that I was. Many of the situations described prove the old adage that fact is stranger than fiction, such as the village in India where the ground could explode at any moment due to fiery mining pits beneath the earth, the mountain village where birds seem to go with the express purpose of dying and the ill-thought-out, surely-this-is-someone-else’s-problem nuclear submarine graveyard in the frozen north. This would be a great starting point for those looking to write a horror or fantasy story and needing an interesting setting. Or indeed, a great conversation starter for someone wishing to look worldly and mysterious at a dinner party.
The information given about each place is cursory for the most part and I found myself becoming annoyed with the slightly stereotypical depiction of Far North Queensland , where deadly creatures take shifts throughout the year to strike fear into the hearts of tourists (although this section was particularly amusing). Similarly, I was irritated to note that while the island of Nauru is mentioned, including a passing mention of Australia’s offshore detention facility for the “processing” of asylum seekers, the author neglected to mention the accursed experiences related by asylum seekers while detained there – experiences which include rape, self-harm, suicide and abuse – which surely qualify as the fodder for nightmares noted for other localities in the book.
This is one of those books that you keep around for the “Oh, that’s interesting!” moments that you’ll experience while reading it. It would make a great gift for the travel enthusiast in your life, or for those teenaged readers who are looking for more grown-up books that focus on the real world in an accessible way. I quite enjoyed dipping into this one and discovering the mind-boggling situations attached to certain localities.
January 13, 2016
Un concept incroyable. Un livre qui aurait pu être une référence assez unique dans le genre, mais non... Plusieurs problèmes techniques font que ce livre qui semblait si prometteur tombe à plat et ne devient utile et intéressant que comme point de départ d'une recherche qu'il faudra poursuivre sur Internet. Première l'écriture est lourde et le style peu intéressant. Deuxièmement, pourquoi autant de cartes et encore d'autres cartes. Je ne suis pas contre l'idée d'y insérer des cartes, mais deux par endroits en plus des coordonnées géographiques, c'est un peu trop, d'autant plus que toutes ces cartes ne laissent la place à aucune image. Et oui, un atlas des lieux maudits sans la moindre photo de ces lieux (probablement le pire point faible du livre, cela ne fait aucun sens). Finalement, les lieux en soient sont parfois intéressants et parfois très peu voir pas du tout. Certains ont réellement un petit truc «maudit» alors que d'autres ne sont que des endroits avec certaines anomalies géologiques ou météorologiques. Ce livre aurait pu être tellement plus!!
February 24, 2018
Autori: francesi. Saggi viaggio.
Anche questo, come l’Atlante delle città perdute, è arrivato come regalo.
Non so se il donatore avesse pensato a qualcosa di horror. Spero di no, perché così non è.
Il solo caso con qualche legame è la casa di Amityville, ma l’autore è dotato di una buona dose di sarcasmo.
Maledetti quindi perché se ne può dire solo male.
Luoghi dove il clima è terrificante, dove un vulcano dorme di un sonno leggero, dove ogni anno milioni di pipistrelli di radunano a devastare alberi da frutto, luoghi da dove nascono i cicloni.
Luoghi dove è l’uomo a creare l’invivibilità: agglomerati mostruosi di miserabili, inquinamento, lotte di confine. Persino quando la guerra non c’è, l’abbandono di armi nucleari può scatenare l’inferno.
Niente maledizioni tipo quella scagliata sul povero Rigoletto.
Apprezzate le cartine, per quanto ovvio, e il tono polemico di Le Carrer. Per il resto …… forse siamo così adusi a luoghi e situazioni disastrose che queste sembrano misera cosa.
22.02.2018
Anche questo, come l’Atlante delle città perdute, è arrivato come regalo.
Non so se il donatore avesse pensato a qualcosa di horror. Spero di no, perché così non è.
Il solo caso con qualche legame è la casa di Amityville, ma l’autore è dotato di una buona dose di sarcasmo.
Maledetti quindi perché se ne può dire solo male.
Luoghi dove il clima è terrificante, dove un vulcano dorme di un sonno leggero, dove ogni anno milioni di pipistrelli di radunano a devastare alberi da frutto, luoghi da dove nascono i cicloni.
Luoghi dove è l’uomo a creare l’invivibilità: agglomerati mostruosi di miserabili, inquinamento, lotte di confine. Persino quando la guerra non c’è, l’abbandono di armi nucleari può scatenare l’inferno.
Niente maledizioni tipo quella scagliata sul povero Rigoletto.
Apprezzate le cartine, per quanto ovvio, e il tono polemico di Le Carrer. Per il resto …… forse siamo così adusi a luoghi e situazioni disastrose che queste sembrano misera cosa.
22.02.2018
December 13, 2019
This is a very peculiar collection of 'cursed' locations around the world.
The mixture left me a little bit dissatisfied with the final experience as some locations are really scary (e.g. slums), but some are just tales of haunting with no record after the 19th century, and some are well-known phenomena (e.g., Bermuda triangle) with a matter-of-factly presented explanation of why they are actually not that scary. The general line seems to be that there are really cursed places (as the slums) but we still believe in ghosts and similar fairytales and care more about the latter than the former. However, this line is not that explicit and clear in the book. And I seem to realize it only when reflecting upon the book now.
What I certainly appreciated was the artistic impression of the book as it is written in a beautiful language and well presented. Instead of explicit and shocking realistic pictures, we are presented with a description as from a travellers diary, with a few glimpses of a historical map, which leave us longing to learn more or to visit the place itself to see.
The mixture left me a little bit dissatisfied with the final experience as some locations are really scary (e.g. slums), but some are just tales of haunting with no record after the 19th century, and some are well-known phenomena (e.g., Bermuda triangle) with a matter-of-factly presented explanation of why they are actually not that scary. The general line seems to be that there are really cursed places (as the slums) but we still believe in ghosts and similar fairytales and care more about the latter than the former. However, this line is not that explicit and clear in the book. And I seem to realize it only when reflecting upon the book now.
What I certainly appreciated was the artistic impression of the book as it is written in a beautiful language and well presented. Instead of explicit and shocking realistic pictures, we are presented with a description as from a travellers diary, with a few glimpses of a historical map, which leave us longing to learn more or to visit the place itself to see.
February 5, 2021
This book won't be for everyone, and be warned, the title is a bit misleading. If you are really into supernatural, historical mysteries, or worldly folklore, or the strange and weird...that's not exactly what this book is about. You'll probably be disappointed. If you're looking for a quick, dry, textbook like read that supplies very brief overviews on locations around that globe that are for one reason or another f***ed up, you might like it a bit better, though the author's definition and criteria for f***ed up is definitely up for debate. I did find the choice of maps, the layout, and the illustrations confusing. There was a disconnect there, like they weren't really connected to the articles, though they were fun to look at. The most interesting parts for me were actually the locations that were "cursed" because of how badly human's have messed things up, so there you go.
October 6, 2015
Good and interesting book, scary also, I just wonder why the author used a very old map to show the location of the places he was describing, maybe it was good for the atmosphere, but from time to time was difficult to use.
Libro bello ed interessante, mette anche paura! Mi chiedo soltanto perché l'autore abbia usato una vecchia cartina del mondo per mostrare la location dei posti che stava descrivendo, magari andava bene per 'átmosfera del libro, ma a volte era proprio difficile capire di che posto stava parlando.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND BLACK DOG AND LEVENTHAL PUBLISHERS FOR THE PREVIEW!
Libro bello ed interessante, mette anche paura! Mi chiedo soltanto perché l'autore abbia usato una vecchia cartina del mondo per mostrare la location dei posti che stava descrivendo, magari andava bene per 'átmosfera del libro, ma a volte era proprio difficile capire di che posto stava parlando.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND BLACK DOG AND LEVENTHAL PUBLISHERS FOR THE PREVIEW!
May 21, 2016
Fascinating little stories about this world we live, even though much of the text reads like a textbook.
As someone who enjoys looking over maps, I find the maps in this book frustrating. They are often not contextual and are difficult to read. Some of the maps look like copies of ancient maps. Other atlases include a legend (small globe icon) so you know "where in the world" this map is located. Supplying latitude and longitude is not enough.
Also, I would have appreciated a larger font in the main text :)
As someone who enjoys looking over maps, I find the maps in this book frustrating. They are often not contextual and are difficult to read. Some of the maps look like copies of ancient maps. Other atlases include a legend (small globe icon) so you know "where in the world" this map is located. Supplying latitude and longitude is not enough.
Also, I would have appreciated a larger font in the main text :)
July 30, 2016
I'm sad to say I was kind of disappointed with the execution of this book. Carrer had a really good idea and he could have gone in so many different ways, but in the end the book itself seemed almost thrown together. The pictures and the layout were the best part, the wording and such were in some parts just too odd and disjointed.
January 20, 2018
Well, this was... not great. The idea was fantastic, and it seemed like it was trying to be a combination of Atlas Obscura and Lore and succeeded at being neither. The entries were much too short and vague and left you, the reader, to suss out where they were (there were old maps on each page, which were really cool to look at, but were at weird scales and so sometimes didn't have entire names of places on the page), and seemed to try and be told in an artsy sort of way which left you wondering why exactly the places were supposed to be cursed at all, because the story never quite got across. Additionally, most of the places didn't seem so much to be cursed as... poorly governed, or prone to bad climate. And even those could have had their high points, or could have had a case made for them, but the way that they were talked about just made this feel like the Big Book of Places Not to Go - which is shocking, because Atlas Obscura talked about almost an identical list of places and it came across as the Big Book of Places I Absolutely Must Go.
The thing that really got me, though, was that some of the information was just... entirely wrong. I'll take two examples here, just because I'm very familiar with them. Two places listed in the book were the Pine Barrens in New Jersey and the Amityville House. You probably see where I'm going with at least one of these. The thing about the Pine Barrens - where the Jersey Devil supposedly lives - is that, even for people who believe that it's a real thing, the origin story is a bit hazy. In fact, there are two origin stories in direct conflict. There's an amazing episode of Astonishing Legends about this. So even if you take this stuff seriously, there's a mysterious beginning. But the author doesn't even mention that. He just picked one story and ran with it like it was the god's own truth, and then extrapolated a bunch of facts from this one debatable story. With Amityville, the people responsible for the story have admitted it was all made up and none of it ever happened oh my god it shouldn't even be in this book and the author gave it two full pages. Seriously? Seriously, dude. Did you even research this?
But... I don't know if he even researched this. Because there are no sources listed anywhere. I was hoping to get to the back and find at least an index. The World of Lore lists no sources page to page but has a huge bibliography at the end.
Nothing.
Le Carrer could have totally fabricated literally everything in this book for all I know (except that this is kind of my jam so I know that he didn't, but otherwise, how would I know that?). This guy is a fucking journalist?
Two stars only because this is an excellent jumping off point to do research on your own - and if you're interested, the materials linked above (Atlas Obscura, Lore - the book as well as the podcast, and maybe the TV show if you can handle it, and Astonishing Legends) are all much more thoroughly researched and better put together for their respective formats, and will give you other places to turn if you're looking to find the weird and woolly on planet Earth.
Also the maps were pretty. They were useless, but pretty.
The thing that really got me, though, was that some of the information was just... entirely wrong. I'll take two examples here, just because I'm very familiar with them. Two places listed in the book were the Pine Barrens in New Jersey and the Amityville House. You probably see where I'm going with at least one of these. The thing about the Pine Barrens - where the Jersey Devil supposedly lives - is that, even for people who believe that it's a real thing, the origin story is a bit hazy. In fact, there are two origin stories in direct conflict. There's an amazing episode of Astonishing Legends about this. So even if you take this stuff seriously, there's a mysterious beginning. But the author doesn't even mention that. He just picked one story and ran with it like it was the god's own truth, and then extrapolated a bunch of facts from this one debatable story. With Amityville, the people responsible for the story have admitted it was all made up and none of it ever happened oh my god it shouldn't even be in this book and the author gave it two full pages. Seriously? Seriously, dude. Did you even research this?
But... I don't know if he even researched this. Because there are no sources listed anywhere. I was hoping to get to the back and find at least an index. The World of Lore lists no sources page to page but has a huge bibliography at the end.
Nothing.
Le Carrer could have totally fabricated literally everything in this book for all I know (except that this is kind of my jam so I know that he didn't, but otherwise, how would I know that?). This guy is a fucking journalist?
Two stars only because this is an excellent jumping off point to do research on your own - and if you're interested, the materials linked above (Atlas Obscura, Lore - the book as well as the podcast, and maybe the TV show if you can handle it, and Astonishing Legends) are all much more thoroughly researched and better put together for their respective formats, and will give you other places to turn if you're looking to find the weird and woolly on planet Earth.
Also the maps were pretty. They were useless, but pretty.
![[image error]](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gHP8EraCm7Q/WieAXbD3IgI/AAAAAAAAAyg/obKwN7nv-pQ_kamBQekf5ic9aNp_U_jbwCLcBGAs/s1600/atlas%2Bcursed%2B3.jpg){kind=link}
October 7, 2018
Buen listado de localizaciones, aunque faltan algunas de las clásicas (Prypiat, Centralia...) y otras son bastante mejorables (Pico Viejo en La Palma, cuando todos los años se pierden guiris en Taburiente). Creo que al autor le ha faltado encontrar la voz adecuada para la crónica, porque a veces se distrae demasiado evocando y otras va muy al grano, entiendo que el Atlas de Islas Remotas de Schalansky lo pone muy difícil en comparación.
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