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Don't Go There: A Tour of the World's Most Sinister Spots
Embark on a guided tour of 30 of the most dangerous and mysterious locations that we simply cannot stay away from.
Have you ever visited a forest or an abandoned building and gotten a bad vibe? There are places that are rife with rumors of hauntings, monsters, and sinister phenomena that can’t be explained. And there are just as many sites that are the confirmed home of disasters, murders, and man-made mistakes. Everyone’s heard about the Bermuda Triangle, but do you know these chilling sites?
There’s a lake tucked high in the frozen Himalayan Mountains . . . and it’s full of skeletons.Mount This mysterious mountain in California inspired the I AM cult and is said to host UFOs, bigfoots, and lizard people.Nahanni National Called the “Valley of the Headless Men,” this national park in northern Canada is famous for legends of a hidden gold mine . . . and a series of decapitated miners.Pine Best known as the home of the Jersey Devil, this desolate pine forest has also hosted pirates, the mafia, and moonshiners.Ciudad This fabled pre-Columbian “Lost City of the Monkey God” in Honduras doesn’t want to be found, and explorers seeking it have met violent ends.
Award-winning travel writer and dark history expert J. W. Ocker explores these and many more locales around the world in this fascinating compendium that will ignite curiosity . . . and perhaps inspire some dubious travel plans.
Have you ever visited a forest or an abandoned building and gotten a bad vibe? There are places that are rife with rumors of hauntings, monsters, and sinister phenomena that can’t be explained. And there are just as many sites that are the confirmed home of disasters, murders, and man-made mistakes. Everyone’s heard about the Bermuda Triangle, but do you know these chilling sites?
There’s a lake tucked high in the frozen Himalayan Mountains . . . and it’s full of skeletons.Mount This mysterious mountain in California inspired the I AM cult and is said to host UFOs, bigfoots, and lizard people.Nahanni National Called the “Valley of the Headless Men,” this national park in northern Canada is famous for legends of a hidden gold mine . . . and a series of decapitated miners.Pine Best known as the home of the Jersey Devil, this desolate pine forest has also hosted pirates, the mafia, and moonshiners.Ciudad This fabled pre-Columbian “Lost City of the Monkey God” in Honduras doesn’t want to be found, and explorers seeking it have met violent ends.
Award-winning travel writer and dark history expert J. W. Ocker explores these and many more locales around the world in this fascinating compendium that will ignite curiosity . . . and perhaps inspire some dubious travel plans.
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Published July 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 5, 2026
I got this book thinking it was a guide to super-spooky locations (think Waverly Hills in Louisville or the Stanley Hotel in Colorado), but it’s not. Author J.W. Ocker claims: “These places need to be avoided because they are laced, latitude and longitude, with weird forces that seem to cause strange deaths, mysterious disappearances, and inexplicable, reality-shaking phenomena.”
In other words, think Bermuda Triangle.
Ocker includes the Bermuda Triangle, of course, plus the Pine Barrens of New Jersey (mob slayings, Jersey Devil, ghosts), Skinwalker Ranch in Utah (cryptids, UFOs, ghosts, portals, crop circles, cattle mutilations), the Lost City of the Monkey God in Honduras (hidden treasure, debilitating heat, disease, drug cartels, poisonous snakes and insects, big cats, monkey-human hybrids), Mount Everest (corpses, ghosts, the reckless rich, too much trash and feces), the Paris Catacombs (6 million skeletons, drunken trespassers), Chernobyl and neighboring Pripyat in Ukraine (radiation, ghosts, cryptids), Aokigahara Forest in Japan (lots of suicides, ghosts, Logan Paul — shudder!) and plenty of other places I hadn’t heard of from all over the world.
Here’s a sample on Manchac Swamp:
Ooh! Shudder! I’m ashamed to admit that it was fascinating in a can’t-look-away-from-a-car-crash kind of way. I suspect other readers also won’t have heard of most of these places and would really enjoy the guilty pleasure.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Quirk Books in exchange for an honest review.
In other words, think Bermuda Triangle.
Ocker includes the Bermuda Triangle, of course, plus the Pine Barrens of New Jersey (mob slayings, Jersey Devil, ghosts), Skinwalker Ranch in Utah (cryptids, UFOs, ghosts, portals, crop circles, cattle mutilations), the Lost City of the Monkey God in Honduras (hidden treasure, debilitating heat, disease, drug cartels, poisonous snakes and insects, big cats, monkey-human hybrids), Mount Everest (corpses, ghosts, the reckless rich, too much trash and feces), the Paris Catacombs (6 million skeletons, drunken trespassers), Chernobyl and neighboring Pripyat in Ukraine (radiation, ghosts, cryptids), Aokigahara Forest in Japan (lots of suicides, ghosts, Logan Paul — shudder!) and plenty of other places I hadn’t heard of from all over the world.
Here’s a sample on Manchac Swamp:
Swamps are the worst of all worlds when it comes to dangerous environments: They’re wet enough to drown you as dead as any ocean. Dense enough to disappear you without a trace as much as any forest. They can get hot enough to burn you crispy as any desert and cold enough to freeze you stiff as any tundra. They contain creatures deadly enough to kill you fast as any jungle. And they’re disease-ridden as the most crowded city. In fact, there is very little that could make these places more terrifying than they are already. You’d have to go supernatural, I think. Like maybe a swamp that’s been cursed by a witch. Like maybe Manchac Swamp in Louisiana.
Ooh! Shudder! I’m ashamed to admit that it was fascinating in a can’t-look-away-from-a-car-crash kind of way. I suspect other readers also won’t have heard of most of these places and would really enjoy the guilty pleasure.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Quirk Books in exchange for an honest review.
July 16, 2026
Ocker is an auto-buy author for me, and I was excited to dive into Don't Go There. The book is divided into a six core parts, each one corresponding to a different type of landscape: forests, waters, islands, deserts, ruins, and snowscapes. Within each section, you'll visit several different frightening locations. Some of these were familiar to me like the Pine Barrens, Haynesville Woods, and la Isla de las Muñecas, but most I hadn't heard of before. I think unless you're a real spooky locations buff, there'll probably be plenty that is new for you. We've got a wide variety of spooky locations too. There are your classic ghosts, cryptids, and UFOs. There are plenty of curses to go around. And then we've got places that are just plain dangerous or weird. But also maybe cursed and/or haunted.
What I love about Ocker's work is that he doesn't sensationalize. He'll lay out the legends for you, but if there's nothing to back them up, he'll let you know that too. Honestly, some of these places, such as the Bermuda Triangle, might seem less spooky after reading this. But even when the most logical explanations are the mundane, it's still a fascinating look at some of the strangest places on earth. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about the paranormal and spooky locations.
What I love about Ocker's work is that he doesn't sensationalize. He'll lay out the legends for you, but if there's nothing to back them up, he'll let you know that too. Honestly, some of these places, such as the Bermuda Triangle, might seem less spooky after reading this. But even when the most logical explanations are the mundane, it's still a fascinating look at some of the strangest places on earth. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about the paranormal and spooky locations.
August 14, 2026
3.5⭐️: i thought this was a really interesting combo of travel guide, true crime, and myth. it was a great listen while i was crocheting because it didn’t go too in depth on any of the topics it covered so it was easy to follow along while doing something else. the lack of depth is also my main complaint because i felt like the lore of some locations could have been covered on a deeper level but overall it was very interesting and i learned some things!!
August 25, 2026
Book Review: Don't Go There (2026) by J.W. Ocker
As a reader of nonfiction, I prefer experiencer anecdotes about events in the spirit of Blackwood, James, and Machen.
Ocker is right there with me in Don't Go There.
From the opening pages, Ocker establishes a refreshing and sardonic departure from standard, sunshine-soaked travel writing. Rather than curating a bucket list, Don’t Go There operates as an anti-travelogue—a guide dedicated not to the places we ought to visit, but to the perilous, uncanny corners of the globe we should avoid at all costs. In doing so, Ocker taps into the classic tradition of weird fiction masters who understood that atmosphere and landscape are often the truest conduits of dread.
The book is neatly arranged across six hostile landscapes: Fearsome Forests, Wretched Waters, Insane Islands, Deadly Deserts, Risky Ruins, and Spooky Snowscapes. Within each section, Ocker presents deep dives into legendary vile vortices and localized hotspots of high-strangeness. We wander through the pitch pines of New Jersey's Pine Barrens, stalked by both the Jersey Devil and mob executioners; across the boggy expanse of Massachusetts's Bridgewater Triangle, where Algonquin puckwudgie folklore intertwines with modern UFO sightings and true-crime horror; and along the shores of Georgia’s Lake Lanier, where drowned history and genuine tragedies generate persistent apparitions.
Chapter Summaries;
I. Fearsome Forests
Pine Barrens: Spurred by the 1735 legend of Mother Leeds birthing the winged Jersey Devil and the sudden outbreak of flying creature sightings across the snow in January 1909, alongside the woods' dark history as a mob dumping ground.
Bridgewater Triangle: Formalized in 1980 by Loren Coleman after tracking high-strangeness across 200 square miles steeped in the bloody history of King Philip’s War, featuring Bigfoot encounters in Hockomock Swamp, Algonquin puckwudgies, and ritual murders.
Hoia-Baciu: Ignited internationally by Emil Barnea’s 1968 daylight UFO photograph over the Poiana Rotundă clearing and botanist Alexandru Sift’s four-decade documentation of invisible, reality-bending "bioplasma".
Nahanni National Park: Rooted in the sudden, unexplained disappearance of the indigenous Naha tribe and the grizzly 1908 discovery of the McLeod brothers' headless skeletons while prospecting for lost gold.
Haynesville Woods: Driven by a lethal, ice-prone 40-mile stretch of Route 2A that claimed dozens of truck drivers—immortalized in Dick Curless’s 1965 country song—and spawned recurring sightings of the spectral Haynesville Hitchhiker.
Aokigahara: Defined by its grim reputation as the world's most infamous "Suicide Forest" at the base of Mount Fuji, driven by ancient folklore of ubasute and yūrei, cultural stigmas, and sensationalized modern media.
Vying With Vile Vortices: Examines Ivan T. Sanderson’s theory of twelve geometric anomaly zones spanning the globe where reality systematically breaks down.
II. Wretched Waters
Bermuda Triangle: Catalyzed by E.V.W. Jones's 1950 report on the 1945 vanishing of Flight 19 and its rescue plane, launching decades of theories ranging from rogue methane bubbles to sunken Atlantean ruins.
Lake Lanier: Triggered by the 1958 disappearance of two women in a submerged Ford sedan ("The Lady of the Lake"), compounded by the dark legacy of the Cherokee Trail of Tears and the drowned, ethnically cleansed town of Oscarville resting below the surface.
Roopkund: Sparked in 1942 when a British forest ranger stumbled upon roughly 800 ancient human skeletons scattered across the bed of a remote, high-altitude Himalayan glacial tarn.
Salton Sea: Born from a catastrophic 1905 canal engineering blunder that diverted the Colorado River into a desert basin, transforming a mid-century resort paradise into an apocalyptic morass of toxic dust, algal blooms, and millions of rotting fish.
Manchac Swamp: Centered on the prophetic death of local healer "Aunt Julia" Brown on September 29, 1915, whose funeral coincided with a monster Category 4 hurricane that wiped out entire bayou settlements.
Tangling With Devil’s Triangles: Explores why regional paranormal anomalies across the globe invariably adopt the three-sided geometric moniker established by Bermuda.
III. Insane Islands
Charles Island: Beset by a trifecta of curses: the displacement of the Paugussett Nation, Captain William Kidd’s buried hoard (guarded by a headless shade), and a shipment of looted Aztec gold.
Isla de las Muñecas: Begun when hermit Don Julián Santana Barrera discovered a drowned young girl in the canals of Xochimilco and spent decades stringing thousands of decaying, weather-worn dolls across the island to appease her restless spirit.
Poveglia Island: Haunted by its historical use as an 18th-century Venetian plague quarantine lazaretto featuring mass ash-filled burial trenches and the legend of a sadistic asylum doctor driven over the bell tower ledge.
Eilean Mòr: Triggered by the December 1900 vanishing of three seasoned keepers from the Flannan Isles lighthouse, leaving behind stopped clocks, cold hearths, and an unrecorded storm.
Gaiola Island: Defined by the "Gaiola Malediction," an unbroken string of bankruptcies, murders, drownings, and family tragedies afflicting every owner of the Roman-era island estate.
Seeking the Least Scary Places: Investigates why open grassland biomes—unlike oceans, swamps, and forests—fail to harbor supernatural menace.
IV. Deadly Deserts
Skinwalker Ranch: Sparked in the mid-1990s by Terry and Gwen Sherman’s harrowing encounters with sky portals, bulletproof wolves, blue orbs, and cattle mutilations, which prompted decades of billionaire- and military-funded surveillance.
Nevada Triangle: Framed by the 2007 aviation disappearance of record-setter Steve Fossett and the violent atmospheric "mountain waves" blamed for downing thousands of aircraft in the Sierra Nevada.
Mapimí Zone of Silence: Ignited by the errant 1970 crash of an American Athena missile carrying radioactive isotopes, which spawned legends of radio dead zones, meteor magnets, and peaceful Nordic beings.
Lop Nur: Rooted in Marco Polo’s thirteenth-century warnings of deceptive desert phantoms, ancient mummies preserved in salt crusts, atomic bomb tests, and the mysterious 1980 desert disappearance of Chinese scientist Peng Jiamu.
Superstition Mountains: Centered on the elusive, lethal lore of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine and the treacherous Sonoran terrain that claims modern prospectors.
***
What sets Don’t Go There apart from typical compendiums of the paranormal is Ocker’s exceptional ability to balance the credulous romance of folklore with rigorous investigative curiosity. He approaches each location with the eye of an intrepid journalist who has actually stood in the mud and felt the chill in the air. When recounting the bizarre "bioplasma" documented by Alexandru Sift in Romania's Hoia-Baciu forest or the eerie silence of the Flannan Isles after three lighthouse keepers vanished into the Atlantic mist, Ocker lets the specifics do the heavy lifting. He does not re-summarize urban legends; he tracks their evolution from historical records, newspaper archives, and firsthand accounts.
Equally commendable is Ocker’s refusal to sacrifice truth for cheap sensationalism. He gives full weight to the uncanny—such as the bizarre high-tech and cryptid madness documented at Skinwalker Ranch or the ancient mummies resting beneath the arid expanse of Lop Nur—while remaining grounded enough to highlight practical, scientific, or historical realities.
In a compelling chapter on the Salton Sea, the horror is entirely ecological: a breathtakingly vivid autopsy of a man-made environmental apocalypse lined with millions of bleached fish bones and toxic dust clouds. Similarly, in exploring the deadly reputation of the Nevada Triangle, Ocker gives equal room to the elusive allure of Area 51 and the terrifying, physical reality of atmospheric mountain waves capable of smashing aircraft out of the sky.
Ocker’s prose is sharply paced, wry, and darkly witty. He possesses an enviable knack for evocative phrasing, describing the tangled roots of Aokigahara spreading like "surfacing serpents" across volcanic bedrock and noting how fragile human civilizations feel when contrasted against the cold indifference of the Earth.
The interlude chapters—such as his tongue-in-cheek exploration into why the paranormal world is so obsessed with geometric "devil’s triangles" or why flat grasslands seem uniquely immune to ghost stories—provide delightful, thought-provoking pauses between the harrowing main accounts.
Ultimately, Don’t Go There works because it respects the reader's appetite for genuine wonder and dread. It captures the liminal, unsettling thrill of realizing that the world is far stranger, older, and less domesticated than our daily routines let us believe. Whether you read it safely from the comfort of an armchair or keep it in your glove compartment as a catalogue of places to steer clear of, Ocker has delivered a masterclass in dark geography. It is a thoroughly entertaining addition to the bookshelf of any dark tourism enthusiast, armchair cryptid hunter, or lover of atmospheric nonfiction.
As a reader of nonfiction, I prefer experiencer anecdotes about events in the spirit of Blackwood, James, and Machen.
Ocker is right there with me in Don't Go There.
From the opening pages, Ocker establishes a refreshing and sardonic departure from standard, sunshine-soaked travel writing. Rather than curating a bucket list, Don’t Go There operates as an anti-travelogue—a guide dedicated not to the places we ought to visit, but to the perilous, uncanny corners of the globe we should avoid at all costs. In doing so, Ocker taps into the classic tradition of weird fiction masters who understood that atmosphere and landscape are often the truest conduits of dread.
The book is neatly arranged across six hostile landscapes: Fearsome Forests, Wretched Waters, Insane Islands, Deadly Deserts, Risky Ruins, and Spooky Snowscapes. Within each section, Ocker presents deep dives into legendary vile vortices and localized hotspots of high-strangeness. We wander through the pitch pines of New Jersey's Pine Barrens, stalked by both the Jersey Devil and mob executioners; across the boggy expanse of Massachusetts's Bridgewater Triangle, where Algonquin puckwudgie folklore intertwines with modern UFO sightings and true-crime horror; and along the shores of Georgia’s Lake Lanier, where drowned history and genuine tragedies generate persistent apparitions.
Chapter Summaries;
I. Fearsome Forests
Pine Barrens: Spurred by the 1735 legend of Mother Leeds birthing the winged Jersey Devil and the sudden outbreak of flying creature sightings across the snow in January 1909, alongside the woods' dark history as a mob dumping ground.
Bridgewater Triangle: Formalized in 1980 by Loren Coleman after tracking high-strangeness across 200 square miles steeped in the bloody history of King Philip’s War, featuring Bigfoot encounters in Hockomock Swamp, Algonquin puckwudgies, and ritual murders.
Hoia-Baciu: Ignited internationally by Emil Barnea’s 1968 daylight UFO photograph over the Poiana Rotundă clearing and botanist Alexandru Sift’s four-decade documentation of invisible, reality-bending "bioplasma".
Nahanni National Park: Rooted in the sudden, unexplained disappearance of the indigenous Naha tribe and the grizzly 1908 discovery of the McLeod brothers' headless skeletons while prospecting for lost gold.
Haynesville Woods: Driven by a lethal, ice-prone 40-mile stretch of Route 2A that claimed dozens of truck drivers—immortalized in Dick Curless’s 1965 country song—and spawned recurring sightings of the spectral Haynesville Hitchhiker.
Aokigahara: Defined by its grim reputation as the world's most infamous "Suicide Forest" at the base of Mount Fuji, driven by ancient folklore of ubasute and yūrei, cultural stigmas, and sensationalized modern media.
Vying With Vile Vortices: Examines Ivan T. Sanderson’s theory of twelve geometric anomaly zones spanning the globe where reality systematically breaks down.
II. Wretched Waters
Bermuda Triangle: Catalyzed by E.V.W. Jones's 1950 report on the 1945 vanishing of Flight 19 and its rescue plane, launching decades of theories ranging from rogue methane bubbles to sunken Atlantean ruins.
Lake Lanier: Triggered by the 1958 disappearance of two women in a submerged Ford sedan ("The Lady of the Lake"), compounded by the dark legacy of the Cherokee Trail of Tears and the drowned, ethnically cleansed town of Oscarville resting below the surface.
Roopkund: Sparked in 1942 when a British forest ranger stumbled upon roughly 800 ancient human skeletons scattered across the bed of a remote, high-altitude Himalayan glacial tarn.
Salton Sea: Born from a catastrophic 1905 canal engineering blunder that diverted the Colorado River into a desert basin, transforming a mid-century resort paradise into an apocalyptic morass of toxic dust, algal blooms, and millions of rotting fish.
Manchac Swamp: Centered on the prophetic death of local healer "Aunt Julia" Brown on September 29, 1915, whose funeral coincided with a monster Category 4 hurricane that wiped out entire bayou settlements.
Tangling With Devil’s Triangles: Explores why regional paranormal anomalies across the globe invariably adopt the three-sided geometric moniker established by Bermuda.
III. Insane Islands
Charles Island: Beset by a trifecta of curses: the displacement of the Paugussett Nation, Captain William Kidd’s buried hoard (guarded by a headless shade), and a shipment of looted Aztec gold.
Isla de las Muñecas: Begun when hermit Don Julián Santana Barrera discovered a drowned young girl in the canals of Xochimilco and spent decades stringing thousands of decaying, weather-worn dolls across the island to appease her restless spirit.
Poveglia Island: Haunted by its historical use as an 18th-century Venetian plague quarantine lazaretto featuring mass ash-filled burial trenches and the legend of a sadistic asylum doctor driven over the bell tower ledge.
Eilean Mòr: Triggered by the December 1900 vanishing of three seasoned keepers from the Flannan Isles lighthouse, leaving behind stopped clocks, cold hearths, and an unrecorded storm.
Gaiola Island: Defined by the "Gaiola Malediction," an unbroken string of bankruptcies, murders, drownings, and family tragedies afflicting every owner of the Roman-era island estate.
Seeking the Least Scary Places: Investigates why open grassland biomes—unlike oceans, swamps, and forests—fail to harbor supernatural menace.
IV. Deadly Deserts
Skinwalker Ranch: Sparked in the mid-1990s by Terry and Gwen Sherman’s harrowing encounters with sky portals, bulletproof wolves, blue orbs, and cattle mutilations, which prompted decades of billionaire- and military-funded surveillance.
Nevada Triangle: Framed by the 2007 aviation disappearance of record-setter Steve Fossett and the violent atmospheric "mountain waves" blamed for downing thousands of aircraft in the Sierra Nevada.
Mapimí Zone of Silence: Ignited by the errant 1970 crash of an American Athena missile carrying radioactive isotopes, which spawned legends of radio dead zones, meteor magnets, and peaceful Nordic beings.
Lop Nur: Rooted in Marco Polo’s thirteenth-century warnings of deceptive desert phantoms, ancient mummies preserved in salt crusts, atomic bomb tests, and the mysterious 1980 desert disappearance of Chinese scientist Peng Jiamu.
Superstition Mountains: Centered on the elusive, lethal lore of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine and the treacherous Sonoran terrain that claims modern prospectors.
***
What sets Don’t Go There apart from typical compendiums of the paranormal is Ocker’s exceptional ability to balance the credulous romance of folklore with rigorous investigative curiosity. He approaches each location with the eye of an intrepid journalist who has actually stood in the mud and felt the chill in the air. When recounting the bizarre "bioplasma" documented by Alexandru Sift in Romania's Hoia-Baciu forest or the eerie silence of the Flannan Isles after three lighthouse keepers vanished into the Atlantic mist, Ocker lets the specifics do the heavy lifting. He does not re-summarize urban legends; he tracks their evolution from historical records, newspaper archives, and firsthand accounts.
Equally commendable is Ocker’s refusal to sacrifice truth for cheap sensationalism. He gives full weight to the uncanny—such as the bizarre high-tech and cryptid madness documented at Skinwalker Ranch or the ancient mummies resting beneath the arid expanse of Lop Nur—while remaining grounded enough to highlight practical, scientific, or historical realities.
In a compelling chapter on the Salton Sea, the horror is entirely ecological: a breathtakingly vivid autopsy of a man-made environmental apocalypse lined with millions of bleached fish bones and toxic dust clouds. Similarly, in exploring the deadly reputation of the Nevada Triangle, Ocker gives equal room to the elusive allure of Area 51 and the terrifying, physical reality of atmospheric mountain waves capable of smashing aircraft out of the sky.
Ocker’s prose is sharply paced, wry, and darkly witty. He possesses an enviable knack for evocative phrasing, describing the tangled roots of Aokigahara spreading like "surfacing serpents" across volcanic bedrock and noting how fragile human civilizations feel when contrasted against the cold indifference of the Earth.
The interlude chapters—such as his tongue-in-cheek exploration into why the paranormal world is so obsessed with geometric "devil’s triangles" or why flat grasslands seem uniquely immune to ghost stories—provide delightful, thought-provoking pauses between the harrowing main accounts.
Ultimately, Don’t Go There works because it respects the reader's appetite for genuine wonder and dread. It captures the liminal, unsettling thrill of realizing that the world is far stranger, older, and less domesticated than our daily routines let us believe. Whether you read it safely from the comfort of an armchair or keep it in your glove compartment as a catalogue of places to steer clear of, Ocker has delivered a masterclass in dark geography. It is a thoroughly entertaining addition to the bookshelf of any dark tourism enthusiast, armchair cryptid hunter, or lover of atmospheric nonfiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My thanks to NetGalley and Quirk Books for this new travel companion to places and locations of high weirdness, areas where angels fear to tread, but UFO's, cryptids and spooky others have made their home, places both familiar and forgotten, around the corner, and around the world.
I grew up in a small New England town that had a haunted house. The place had a name and a story, one that grew in the telling. Built around the Civil War, it had long been deserted, a home fought in custody battles, decaying as the court cases dragged on. Depending on the teller and the day the body count fluctuated, haunted by slain servants long in the past, to kids from my own school, a grade or two ahead disappearing, but the town never mentioning them, because of fear. The place is a senior retirement center now, but I always get a chill passing it. A chill of regret for never going in, seeing the insides of the murder house, a chill for the atmosphere still present, the psychic energy given to the place from all the ill thoughts. Places have auras, places are given power by what people believe, even when what the believe are mostly legends. And for these people J. W. Ocker has written the perfect guide of places that have these feelings, these legends, this weirdness and more. Don't Go There: A Tour of the World's Most Sinister Spots by J. W. Ocker is in a way an anti-travel manual, a Fodor's of the forbidden, a Stern's book of the Satanic, a list of places with reputations for the odd, the weird, the paranormal, and even visitors from beyond the stars.
The book features a variety of places, all around the world, and broken down by environment. Lakes, triangles of land and sea, deserts, mountains, and even a lost city or two. Each entry begins with a little information, where the places are, what one can find there, and what might be wrong with it. There are man-made lakes with high body counts in the United States. Lost cities in China and South America, triangles, Bermuda and Massachusetts. My home state of Connecticut has a haunted village. Lakes full of bones. And the top of Everest, filled with bodies of lost climbers, Yetis and tons and tons of human waste, again from climbers. Ocker discusses the history, what makes them haunted, why the legends started, and how many of these legends became truth.
A really fun book, one that I expect from Ocker. This is the fourth book I have read by Ocker and I enjoy the way Ocker treats the subject matter. Never making fun, never talking down, presenting the facts, the myths, any busting that might have gone on. Even scientific explanations for say a lake of bones, or the many lost cities in South America. Ocker does a lot of research, traveling to spots, which makes for fun reading. Ocker has a very god style, one that keeps the reader engaged, and makes one wonder what else is out there and why.
A fun book for burgeoning cryptid fans, fans of the X-Files and for writers this is a perfect prompt book for story ideas. Also role players will get a lot of material for adventures. As I wrote I have read quite a few books by Ocker and have enjoyed them quite a bit. I look forward to more adventures into the unknown.
I grew up in a small New England town that had a haunted house. The place had a name and a story, one that grew in the telling. Built around the Civil War, it had long been deserted, a home fought in custody battles, decaying as the court cases dragged on. Depending on the teller and the day the body count fluctuated, haunted by slain servants long in the past, to kids from my own school, a grade or two ahead disappearing, but the town never mentioning them, because of fear. The place is a senior retirement center now, but I always get a chill passing it. A chill of regret for never going in, seeing the insides of the murder house, a chill for the atmosphere still present, the psychic energy given to the place from all the ill thoughts. Places have auras, places are given power by what people believe, even when what the believe are mostly legends. And for these people J. W. Ocker has written the perfect guide of places that have these feelings, these legends, this weirdness and more. Don't Go There: A Tour of the World's Most Sinister Spots by J. W. Ocker is in a way an anti-travel manual, a Fodor's of the forbidden, a Stern's book of the Satanic, a list of places with reputations for the odd, the weird, the paranormal, and even visitors from beyond the stars.
The book features a variety of places, all around the world, and broken down by environment. Lakes, triangles of land and sea, deserts, mountains, and even a lost city or two. Each entry begins with a little information, where the places are, what one can find there, and what might be wrong with it. There are man-made lakes with high body counts in the United States. Lost cities in China and South America, triangles, Bermuda and Massachusetts. My home state of Connecticut has a haunted village. Lakes full of bones. And the top of Everest, filled with bodies of lost climbers, Yetis and tons and tons of human waste, again from climbers. Ocker discusses the history, what makes them haunted, why the legends started, and how many of these legends became truth.
A really fun book, one that I expect from Ocker. This is the fourth book I have read by Ocker and I enjoy the way Ocker treats the subject matter. Never making fun, never talking down, presenting the facts, the myths, any busting that might have gone on. Even scientific explanations for say a lake of bones, or the many lost cities in South America. Ocker does a lot of research, traveling to spots, which makes for fun reading. Ocker has a very god style, one that keeps the reader engaged, and makes one wonder what else is out there and why.
A fun book for burgeoning cryptid fans, fans of the X-Files and for writers this is a perfect prompt book for story ideas. Also role players will get a lot of material for adventures. As I wrote I have read quite a few books by Ocker and have enjoyed them quite a bit. I look forward to more adventures into the unknown.
August 25, 2026
Many thanks to Quirk Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of J.W Ocker’s latest entry into eerie-themed tourism Don’t Go There: A Tour of the World’s Most Sinister Spots. I’ve previously read Ocker’s The United States of Cryptids, where he explores each state’s unique creature or cryptid, and Cult Following, where details some of the most notorious cults from recent times, and explores the psychology of those who joint the cults. Don’t Go There is like both books in that Ocker explores areas and locations around the world and dives into the history, events, and culture that have created a sense of fear, dread, and curiosity about some of these spaces. Ocker’s writing is more than just informational in that he provides detailed descriptions and narrative like insight into the events that led to these areas becoming cursed or haunted, adapting the history to something more entertaining and engaging, while also keeping a skeptical perspective on the rational explanations behind the mysteries and unexplained phenomena related to these places.
Ocker organizes the areas into different groups: Fearsome Forests, Wretched Waters, Insane Islands, Deadly Deserts, Risky Ruins, and Spooky Snowscapes, and provides a useful list for further reading. I appreciated this organization as he is able to draw some parallels between the environments or conditions that helped lead to these issues. I really appreciated the fact that he’s writing about some of the places that I’ve always wanted to visit, including Centralia, PA, which I’ve been obsessed with since first reading about it more than 20 years ago. This was one of the places that Ocker has actually visited, so it was interesting to read about his own experiences and observations while visiting this town famous for its underground fire that continues to burn. While Centralia has a natural explanation for its infernal reputation, other places remain the subject of public curiosity because of mysterious events tied to their location. These include places like The Pine Barrens in NJ, Skinwalker Rance in Utah, Mount Shasta in CA, and the Bermuda Triangle. Ocker details the legends, myths, and strange events associated with these places, and often offers rational explanations for the events. Other possibly lesser known places are also of interest including Aokigahara, the Bridgewater Triangle, Isla de las Muñecas, and Dudleytown. I loved learning about these places, and since I’ll probably never be able to visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, it’s interesting to read more about it and how the nuclear accident has created interesting conditions for new plants and animals to grow, and fueled urban legends and a new kind of tourism industry in exploring this site. I also recently visited Paris and was disappointed to learn that the catacombs were closed when we visited. Not that my family would join me in exploring this underground necropolis, but Ocker’s reporting and descriptive history provides some further insight into how and why these bones were moved underground and arranged in such a manner. It was also fascinating to learn that groups of individuals were using the catacombs for secret parties until they were eventually busted.
This is a great book for those who are interested in mysterious places. I’m always interested in unexplained phenomena, and Ocker’s book not only provides insightful research into these areas, but also offers rational explanations that allow us to remain skeptical and offer plausible reasons for these irreputable retreats. Although Adam Parata provides great illustrations throughout the book that contribute to its eerie feel, I wish there were some real photographs of these places that were included in the book. Nevertheless, this is a fun and insightful read, especially for getting some travel ideas and possibly ignoring Ocker’s plea to Don’t Go There. Highly recommended!
Ocker organizes the areas into different groups: Fearsome Forests, Wretched Waters, Insane Islands, Deadly Deserts, Risky Ruins, and Spooky Snowscapes, and provides a useful list for further reading. I appreciated this organization as he is able to draw some parallels between the environments or conditions that helped lead to these issues. I really appreciated the fact that he’s writing about some of the places that I’ve always wanted to visit, including Centralia, PA, which I’ve been obsessed with since first reading about it more than 20 years ago. This was one of the places that Ocker has actually visited, so it was interesting to read about his own experiences and observations while visiting this town famous for its underground fire that continues to burn. While Centralia has a natural explanation for its infernal reputation, other places remain the subject of public curiosity because of mysterious events tied to their location. These include places like The Pine Barrens in NJ, Skinwalker Rance in Utah, Mount Shasta in CA, and the Bermuda Triangle. Ocker details the legends, myths, and strange events associated with these places, and often offers rational explanations for the events. Other possibly lesser known places are also of interest including Aokigahara, the Bridgewater Triangle, Isla de las Muñecas, and Dudleytown. I loved learning about these places, and since I’ll probably never be able to visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, it’s interesting to read more about it and how the nuclear accident has created interesting conditions for new plants and animals to grow, and fueled urban legends and a new kind of tourism industry in exploring this site. I also recently visited Paris and was disappointed to learn that the catacombs were closed when we visited. Not that my family would join me in exploring this underground necropolis, but Ocker’s reporting and descriptive history provides some further insight into how and why these bones were moved underground and arranged in such a manner. It was also fascinating to learn that groups of individuals were using the catacombs for secret parties until they were eventually busted.
This is a great book for those who are interested in mysterious places. I’m always interested in unexplained phenomena, and Ocker’s book not only provides insightful research into these areas, but also offers rational explanations that allow us to remain skeptical and offer plausible reasons for these irreputable retreats. Although Adam Parata provides great illustrations throughout the book that contribute to its eerie feel, I wish there were some real photographs of these places that were included in the book. Nevertheless, this is a fun and insightful read, especially for getting some travel ideas and possibly ignoring Ocker’s plea to Don’t Go There. Highly recommended!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4 stars
Most readers are going to have one of two distinct responses to this title: (1) "Okay! No worries! I wouldn't dare!" or (2) "Don't threaten me with a good time!" I quickly learned I fell in the latter group as Liz Lemon's words, "I want to go to there!" haunted me with every new detail.
I experienced this book in two formats: an ebook, which I recommend for the moody visuals and an audiobook, which I received from Libro.fm. I enjoyed listening while I read by sight and advise prospective readers to do the same if they appreciate visual appeal (mostly decorative).
I loved the concept - learning about 30 distinct locations that are said to be haunted, dangerous, and/or just plain creepy in some ways - and the way this material is organized is both palatable and engaging. If you like creepy lore, learning about the connections between a place's reputation and its reality, and thinking about possibilities beyond what most of us encounter in daily life, you'll have a blast reading this. I know I did!
*Special thanks to NetGalley, Quirk Books, and Libro.fm for this arc and alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Most readers are going to have one of two distinct responses to this title: (1) "Okay! No worries! I wouldn't dare!" or (2) "Don't threaten me with a good time!" I quickly learned I fell in the latter group as Liz Lemon's words, "I want to go to there!" haunted me with every new detail.
I experienced this book in two formats: an ebook, which I recommend for the moody visuals and an audiobook, which I received from Libro.fm. I enjoyed listening while I read by sight and advise prospective readers to do the same if they appreciate visual appeal (mostly decorative).
I loved the concept - learning about 30 distinct locations that are said to be haunted, dangerous, and/or just plain creepy in some ways - and the way this material is organized is both palatable and engaging. If you like creepy lore, learning about the connections between a place's reputation and its reality, and thinking about possibilities beyond what most of us encounter in daily life, you'll have a blast reading this. I know I did!
*Special thanks to NetGalley, Quirk Books, and Libro.fm for this arc and alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
August 21, 2026
This unique travel guide explores thirty places infamous for hauntings, disasters, paranormal activity, and more, including: Pine Barrens, preferred burial ground of the Italian mafia and possible home of the Jersey Devil; Japan's Aokigahara, nicknamed "Suicide Forest;" and Skinwalker ranch, a Utah hotspot for UFO sightings, crop circles, and poltergeists. My personal favorites, however, were the chapters on Dyatlov Pass (where nine experienced hikers were found dead among unsettling conditions in 1959) and Thomas Bay (an Alaskan inlet rich with gold...and devils).
I found this book to be intriguing, well-researched and nicely organized. The book is divided into sections that group places by type ("Wretched Waters," "Insane Islands") and each section is punctuated with a reflective essay that dives deeper into a specific aspect ("Vying with Vile Vortices," "Searching for the Spookiest City"). Ocker does not back away exposing scientific explanations for much of this phenomenon.
If I have any complaints here, it's that exposing the science drains these stories of their spookiness. But maybe that's not so much of a complaint as it is a comfort. I don't think I'd actually want to meet a yeti.
I found this book to be intriguing, well-researched and nicely organized. The book is divided into sections that group places by type ("Wretched Waters," "Insane Islands") and each section is punctuated with a reflective essay that dives deeper into a specific aspect ("Vying with Vile Vortices," "Searching for the Spookiest City"). Ocker does not back away exposing scientific explanations for much of this phenomenon.
If I have any complaints here, it's that exposing the science drains these stories of their spookiness. But maybe that's not so much of a complaint as it is a comfort. I don't think I'd actually want to meet a yeti.
August 4, 2026
Thank you to @librofm for the ALC of Don't Go There by J.W. Ocker, published by Simon & Schuster. This book was such an easy, fun, and delightfully quirky read. I saw it described as “a travel guide for those of us who like spooky, risky, and eerie,” and that alone hooked me. If you’re drawn to the strange and unsettling, this is absolutely your travel guide. And if you’re like me — a certified scaredy cat — it’s still perfect, because now I know exactly which places to avoid.
I listened to the audiobook, and each chapter felt like its own mini podcast episode, something you can dip in and out of without losing the thread. I was halfway through when my husband joined me on a day of errands, and I assumed I’d have to pause since he hadn’t heard the beginning. Instead, he jumped right in and was instantly invested.
The biggest surprise? How many of these eerie, bizarre locations are right here in the United States. It made the book even more fascinating — and a little unsettling. I learned plenty of strange, memorable facts without ever having to set foot in these places myself. Overall, it was a fun, engaging read that’s absolutely worth picking up.
I listened to the audiobook, and each chapter felt like its own mini podcast episode, something you can dip in and out of without losing the thread. I was halfway through when my husband joined me on a day of errands, and I assumed I’d have to pause since he hadn’t heard the beginning. Instead, he jumped right in and was instantly invested.
The biggest surprise? How many of these eerie, bizarre locations are right here in the United States. It made the book even more fascinating — and a little unsettling. I learned plenty of strange, memorable facts without ever having to set foot in these places myself. Overall, it was a fun, engaging read that’s absolutely worth picking up.
July 24, 2026
J.W. Ocker’s Don’t Go There: A Tour of the World’s Most Sinister Spots is such a fun travel companion for anyone who likes a little mystery to their adventures. As a travel writer, Ocker presents an informative (I learned a lot!) compilation that covers all famously creepy grounds, spots, and environments across the world, both real and supernatural. As a dark history expert, he perfectly mixes familiar favorites and some of the world’s best kept secrets to create an entertaining compendium of international fears. In addition to its truly interesting writing of regional legends, creepy cryptids, and haunting atmospheres, Don’t Go There is wonderfully illustrated by Adam Parata adding a layer of visual care and spooky imagery. Ocker has certainly inspired my future travel plans. Don’t Go There is a great guide for all the places in the world you want to avoid… or all the places you might just want to visit… if you dare.
August 12, 2026
In this enjoyable romp, Ocker takes the reader on a guided tour of 30 of the most dangerous, haunted, and sinister places in the world. Some of these places I knew, the Bermuda Triangle, Area 51, and some I had no idea about, The Salton Sea, Centralia. Some were haunted while many are clearly natural phenomenon. Ocker does a nice job of telling the stories attached to each location as well as the scientific explanations.
I enjoyed this book. I live in Connecticut where several of his sinister spots are. Because he does such a nice job explaining what is happening, the spooky stuff wasn't that spooky. Nevertheless, I recommend this to folks who enjoy such tours.
I enjoyed this book. I live in Connecticut where several of his sinister spots are. Because he does such a nice job explaining what is happening, the spooky stuff wasn't that spooky. Nevertheless, I recommend this to folks who enjoy such tours.
August 26, 2026
I love any exploration of ghosts, mysteries, or the unexplained, so I was immediately drawn to this book. The author gives mid-depth histories of locales all around the world in an accessible, easy-to-read format. I love a book that I can pick up and read in pieces, which this book is made for since each topic can stand alone. I recommend reading it while eating breakfast, as I did. The author covers many well-known areas while exploring others I have never heard of, so it was cool to learn about so many new mysteries I can delve further into if I want. I recommend this for anyone who loves stories of the weird and supernatural.
September 2, 2026
This one is a keeper. A travelogue of places you probably don’t want to go, this is a hugely entertaining work, snappily written and not TOO serious. A lot of these places you’ll have heard of (Bermuda Triangle, Chernobyl, Skinwalker Ranch) but some of them were new to me and I’ve been following this sort of thing for most of my life. It’s got just enough gruesome details to keep you interested, and maybe, by the time you finish, you might be intrigued enough to visit a few of these mysterious locales. Just don’t say you weren’t warned! Another winner for the Quirk Books imprint, already (in)famous as the publisher of the inimitable Grady Hendrix. If it’s got Quirk on the spine, I’m buying.
August 12, 2026
This author is an autobuy for me, and this book was another winner! J.W. Ocker has a real talent for making the macabre both fascinating and incredibly fun. There’s plenty of creepy folklore and strange history, but it never feels like a dry history lesson. I always learn something new from his books while having a great time reading them. The stories are weird, unsettling, and sometimes pretty bizarre, but Ocker’s writing is always so entertaining. Another excellent read from an author who never disappoints! Now, on to my next J.W. Ocker read, The New England Grimpendium.
September 8, 2026
I enjoyed this book (similar to his previous books) but I didn't love the organization of this one. The "theme" of the book didn't hold too strong and it more felt like generally creepy or dangerous places around the globe but very few that seemed "sinister" or even that would be a sure fire "don't go there". There are some more famous ones like the Bermuda Triangle and Centralia, as well as many lesser known locations. If you like creepy locations, then you'll enjoy this one!
Disclosure: I received a gifted ALC from Libro.fm. No review was required and all opinions are my own.
Disclosure: I received a gifted ALC from Libro.fm. No review was required and all opinions are my own.
September 14, 2026
This isn’t a groundbreaking book. It’s not even super scary. For someone who can write Twelve nights at Rotter House, which lives rent free in my head, this is so quaint. It’s a fun little ride with cool stories about places that you may have not heard of before. Largely I knew the places he focused on but found a few new ones, and new legends to look into. It gets 4 stars not because it’s amazing, but because it’s very good for what it is. Let’s also just admit the self-referencing and humor is great.
August 28, 2026
One section, and one page of that section, knocked off a star. I love this book, and have read all of the author’s works. Except….except…. The Dudleytown section. John Dudley didn’t marry Jane Grey himself; he married one of his sons to her, installing them as Queen and Prince Consort of England.
That’s what got his head shut off. Well, his, his son’s, and eventually Lady Jane’s.
That’s what got his head shut off. Well, his, his son’s, and eventually Lady Jane’s.
never-finished
July 3, 2026I did not get very far in this one. I started listening to it, but it just seemed like a somewhat encyclopedic listing of bad things or associations connected to a particular place. I just didn’t find it that interesting. Thanks to Libro FM for a free educator copy of the audiobook.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I love Ocker’s books, they are always fun introductions to so many stories. I often wish he would dive a bit deeper into cultural impacts but his fast-paced introductions allow you to decide what stories you want to pursue. If you want a fun nonfiction beach read, I definitely recommend this book.
July 22, 2026
This was pretty mediocre. I liked United States of Cryptids better; I think this one suffers from a lack of focus. The places seemed to be chosen just at random, and a few are lifted straight from entries in that book or wikipedia. I still learned some things, though.
August 11, 2026
Enjoyable collection of travel/history essays about some dangerous and haunted locations around the globe! There’s a lot packed into this book but the presentation made it easy to read a chapter or two at a time. Learned a thing or two about some new weird locales!
Review of advance copy
3.75
"The World" appears to be 80% USA
"The World" appears to be 80% USA
July 29, 2026
Informative and fun.
August 5, 2026
An enjoyable tour of the world's weirdest spots!
August 28, 2026
Fun little nonfiction book that has decent politics.
Thank you Libro.fm for the gifted ALC!!
Thank you Libro.fm for the gifted ALC!!
September 2, 2026
Informative, fun and just the right amount of snark. I suggest the audiobook (but then, I usually would do)
Did Not Finish
September 10, 2026DNF 70% and there are only 96 ratings at this point with a four star average and I just can't bring myself to write a review that others will see.
September 23, 2026
I picked this up thinking it would be spooky for the Halloween season. Unfortunately, I found it to be textbook dry.
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