Take a photo of a barcode or cover
barefootmegz 's review for:
Atlas of Cursed Places: A Travel Guide to Dangerous and Frightful Destinations
by Olivier Le Carrer
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.