lindseycstraub's review
4.0
Well written, witty, and genuinely interesting. Although I may be biased, as Ocker more than once references 'Pee Wee's Big Adventure' (one of the greatest movies in the history of cinema).
binxthinx's review
4.0
This book is a fun look at different New England locations with dark, tragic, or weird associations. Some of the places are dull or a bit of a stretch to understand their merit in the collection, but some are really interesting to read about. Even for seemingly dull placards, however, Ocker does a great job supplying history, controversy, or whatever pertinent details justify inclusion in this book. Most of these sites I wouldn’t waste my time visiting, even if I was in town, but they’re still interesting to read about. The book offers short blurbs that are written with just enough detail to pique interest, and are also written in a way that encourages the reader to research the topic further elsewhere.
For the most part I enjoy Ocker’s style, but occasionally his jokes or blithe, cynical remarks fell flat or didn’t come across as I assume he intended. His writing is definitely not as good as his later books, and comes across as very “bloggy” (and are often taken from his blog). Despite the faults, it’s still very readable, and interesting, and far superior to the writing in most regional dark tourist travel guides.
Only other major qualm is he had odd choice of photos. Sometimes his photos get the point across but some are really odd choices that don’t really show the cool parts.
For the most part I enjoy Ocker’s style, but occasionally his jokes or blithe, cynical remarks fell flat or didn’t come across as I assume he intended. His writing is definitely not as good as his later books, and comes across as very “bloggy” (and are often taken from his blog). Despite the faults, it’s still very readable, and interesting, and far superior to the writing in most regional dark tourist travel guides.
Only other major qualm is he had odd choice of photos. Sometimes his photos get the point across but some are really odd choices that don’t really show the cool parts.
More...