Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
New York : Black Dog & Leventhal, 2015.
Description
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.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Stewartry
I love the idea for this book: it's a travel guide to forty places you don't want to find yourself in, because for various reasons – geographic location or man-made catastrophes, literal ghosts or the phantoms of past events – they are "cursed". It will help you avoid that unscrupulous travel
And … But it's not really an atlas. There are maps – they are the primary illustrations in a heavily illustrated book – but they are mostly, if not entirely, antique maps. They're not the only illustrations … but the rest of them are rather randomly placed sinister clip art – skulls and skeletons and so on. Some of the latter take up half a page. There isn't a photograph in the book – and if there had been, if this had been lush with photos of these places ("Wow! Jharia looks just like Mordor!" "Holy cats, look at that cloud of bats in Kasanka National Park!"), and – as the huge majority of other reviews I've seen already have said – it would have been a wonderful book. (It would also have very likely cost more than $24.99.)
But … The writing was often entertaining – but (sorry, can't help it) as another reviewer out there said, there was often very little on the places I was most fascinated by, the places that seemed to fit the cursedness of the title best, and a whole lot on places that neither interested me nor seemed to deserve to be called "cursed". It's intriguing that birds die in their thousands in Jatinga – I can see that fitting into the premise – but does Nuremberg really deserve to be called forever blighted because the Nazis made such use of it? Is Adams, Tennessee forever to be avoided because of the Bell Witch incidents in the 19th century? And so on.
As so many others said first, this was a great idea, and a beautiful book as far as it goes. But …
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
Show More
guide who tries to lead you astray, the introduction says. But … well, there are a couple of buts. One: But are there really very many people who would obliviously let themselves be led into Aokigahara Forest in Japan (also known as The Suicide Forest, also known as the place where Natalie Dormer is going to be haunted in The Forest) without knowing it's a bad, bad place? Or into Jharia, which from Google Images looks a whole scary awful lot like Mordor?And … But it's not really an atlas. There are maps – they are the primary illustrations in a heavily illustrated book – but they are mostly, if not entirely, antique maps. They're not the only illustrations … but the rest of them are rather randomly placed sinister clip art – skulls and skeletons and so on. Some of the latter take up half a page. There isn't a photograph in the book – and if there had been, if this had been lush with photos of these places ("Wow! Jharia looks just like Mordor!" "Holy cats, look at that cloud of bats in Kasanka National Park!"), and – as the huge majority of other reviews I've seen already have said – it would have been a wonderful book. (It would also have very likely cost more than $24.99.)
But … The writing was often entertaining – but (sorry, can't help it) as another reviewer out there said, there was often very little on the places I was most fascinated by, the places that seemed to fit the cursedness of the title best, and a whole lot on places that neither interested me nor seemed to deserve to be called "cursed". It's intriguing that birds die in their thousands in Jatinga – I can see that fitting into the premise – but does Nuremberg really deserve to be called forever blighted because the Nazis made such use of it? Is Adams, Tennessee forever to be avoided because of the Bell Witch incidents in the 19th century? And so on.
As so many others said first, this was a great idea, and a beautiful book as far as it goes. But …
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SheTreadsSoftly
Atlas of Cursed Places: A Travel Guide to Dangerous and Frightful Destinations by Olivier Le Carrer is a compelling, engaging volume that shares the history and insight into 40 different cursed locations across the world.
Le Carrer points out in the introduction that not all places are cursed in the
Much to my surprise and chagrin, one of the cursed places is relatively near where I currently live and is reputed to be the gateway to hell.
The contents include:
At The Heart of Old Europe
Chateau De Montsegur - Satan's Synagogue
Rocca-Sparviera - The Phantom Village
Nuremberg - The Sinister Reverberation of Marching Boots
Between the Mediterranean World and Southern Africa
The Tophet of Carthage - Children Burned for the Gods
Oumaradi - Shipwrecked by Sands
Poveglia - The Island of Death
Charybdis and Scylla - A High-Risk Cruise
Kasanka National Park - The Invasion of the Bats
Valley of the Kings - The Curse of Aten
Gaza - A Territory Adrift
Beirut - Destruction and Construction
Moriah and Golgotha - Spiritual Nightmares
Kibera - An Uncharted Cesspool
From the Barents Sea to the Indian Ocean
Zapadnaya Litsa - The Antechamber of Hell
Gulf of Aden - Hunting Ground of Pirates
Gur-Emir - The Malevolent Mausoleum
Thilafushi - The Toxic Lagoon
Around the Bay of Bengal
Jharia - Underground Inferno
Jatinga - A Plague of Birds
Sunda Strait - The Monster of Krakatoa
Between the Orient and Oceania
Houtman Abrolhos - Massacre of the Shipwrecked
Aokigahara - The Suicide Forest
Cape York - In the Land of the Killer Crocodiles
Takuu - An Atoll Living on Borrowed Time
Nauru - Blighted by Phosphate
America From Coast to Coast
Mavericks: The Big Wave - A Cold-Blooded Monster
Nevada Triangle - A Danger in the Sky
Stull, Kansas - The Forbidden Cemetery
Tonina - The Mystery of the Mayas
Adams, Tennessee - The Bell Witch Lives On
Pine Barrens - The Devil's Offspring
Amityville - the Devil's Lair
Among the Islands of the New World
Cite Soleil - All the Misfortune on Earth
Cape Horn - Sailor's Nightmare
Bermuda Triangle - Empire of Enigmas
Sable Island - A Ship Trap in the Atlantic
Beneath the Atlantic Breeze
Cumbre Vieja - Birthplace of the Tsunami
Eilean Mor - Lighthouse Mystery
Yeun Ellez - The Marsh of the Damned
Tiffauges - Castle of a Killer
Disclosure: My digital edition was courtesy of Black Dog & Leventhal for review purposes
Le Carrer points out in the introduction that not all places are cursed in the
Show More
same way. Obviously, the first meaning is close to the original meaning of the word and based on the mystical, paranormal, or supernatural. The second group of cursed places is based on natural reasons that make the area blighted and present a danger. The third category consists of places that have been rendered inhabitable by human activity. All of the 40 cursed places discussed are organized into 8 different regions. This attractive and entertaining atlas includes vintage maps and illustrations.Much to my surprise and chagrin, one of the cursed places is relatively near where I currently live and is reputed to be the gateway to hell.
The contents include:
At The Heart of Old Europe
Chateau De Montsegur - Satan's Synagogue
Rocca-Sparviera - The Phantom Village
Nuremberg - The Sinister Reverberation of Marching Boots
Between the Mediterranean World and Southern Africa
The Tophet of Carthage - Children Burned for the Gods
Oumaradi - Shipwrecked by Sands
Poveglia - The Island of Death
Charybdis and Scylla - A High-Risk Cruise
Kasanka National Park - The Invasion of the Bats
Valley of the Kings - The Curse of Aten
Gaza - A Territory Adrift
Beirut - Destruction and Construction
Moriah and Golgotha - Spiritual Nightmares
Kibera - An Uncharted Cesspool
From the Barents Sea to the Indian Ocean
Zapadnaya Litsa - The Antechamber of Hell
Gulf of Aden - Hunting Ground of Pirates
Gur-Emir - The Malevolent Mausoleum
Thilafushi - The Toxic Lagoon
Around the Bay of Bengal
Jharia - Underground Inferno
Jatinga - A Plague of Birds
Sunda Strait - The Monster of Krakatoa
Between the Orient and Oceania
Houtman Abrolhos - Massacre of the Shipwrecked
Aokigahara - The Suicide Forest
Cape York - In the Land of the Killer Crocodiles
Takuu - An Atoll Living on Borrowed Time
Nauru - Blighted by Phosphate
America From Coast to Coast
Mavericks: The Big Wave - A Cold-Blooded Monster
Nevada Triangle - A Danger in the Sky
Stull, Kansas - The Forbidden Cemetery
Tonina - The Mystery of the Mayas
Adams, Tennessee - The Bell Witch Lives On
Pine Barrens - The Devil's Offspring
Amityville - the Devil's Lair
Among the Islands of the New World
Cite Soleil - All the Misfortune on Earth
Cape Horn - Sailor's Nightmare
Bermuda Triangle - Empire of Enigmas
Sable Island - A Ship Trap in the Atlantic
Beneath the Atlantic Breeze
Cumbre Vieja - Birthplace of the Tsunami
Eilean Mor - Lighthouse Mystery
Yeun Ellez - The Marsh of the Damned
Tiffauges - Castle of a Killer
Disclosure: My digital edition was courtesy of Black Dog & Leventhal for review purposes
Show Less
LibraryThing member Welsh_eileen2
This one atlas some might hesitate to use as a travel book!
The locations mentioned are various, both mythical and actual.
There are monsters, burning ground, bats and disappearing aeroplanes!
A great read.
This digital book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest
The locations mentioned are various, both mythical and actual.
There are monsters, burning ground, bats and disappearing aeroplanes!
A great read.
This digital book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest
Show More
unbiased review. Show Less
LibraryThing member murderbydeath
I saw this book in the bookshop and it was the perfect storm of "buy me": Gorgeous cover, a title with Cursed in it, and content focused on the unusual.
The cover is still gorgeous. Cursed didn't mean exactly what I thought it meant, though it was still very interesting. I flashed on the simplest
The writing is good, but the editing was disappointing; in a book that was obviously so carefully put together, these word-order errors were jarring. The author, La Carrer is unapologetically sarcastic at times, and not for humorous effect; I got my edginess, but not in the way I was expecting. There are small touches of humor here and there, and the entry for Point Cook, Australia is hilarious; he makes it sound like the mecca for animals who are only here to kill you.
It's a quick, easy read and I learned a lot; I didn't feel like he chose run of the mill places on the map. Amityville and Gaza aren't going to be new to anyone but for me at least, most of these were almost or completely new. Kibera has almost completely squashed my desire to see the Maldives, but I'm now incredibly interested in seeing the Kasanka National Park (spoiler alert: it involves bats).
The cover is still gorgeous. Cursed didn't mean exactly what I thought it meant, though it was still very interesting. I flashed on the simplest
Show More
definition: a hex conjured by really pissed off people. The author used the word in the broader context: places that seem eternally destined for strife, challenges or difficulties; an area prone to high death rates, but because of geography as opposed to the wrath of an individual or group. Still great stuff, just not quite as edgy.The writing is good, but the editing was disappointing; in a book that was obviously so carefully put together, these word-order errors were jarring. The author, La Carrer is unapologetically sarcastic at times, and not for humorous effect; I got my edginess, but not in the way I was expecting. There are small touches of humor here and there, and the entry for Point Cook, Australia is hilarious; he makes it sound like the mecca for animals who are only here to kill you.
It's a quick, easy read and I learned a lot; I didn't feel like he chose run of the mill places on the map. Amityville and Gaza aren't going to be new to anyone but for me at least, most of these were almost or completely new. Kibera has almost completely squashed my desire to see the Maldives, but I'm now incredibly interested in seeing the Kasanka National Park (spoiler alert: it involves bats).
Show Less
Language
Physical description
142 p.; 27 cm
ISBN
9781631910005