The Town That Shouldn’t Exist, a terrifying trap

I remember how the television series From completely blew my mind. It features a terrifying town that simply refuses to let you leave once you stumble into it against your will. There are strange monstrous creatures that hunt you down on the streets at night, and the whole situation is a massive deadly puzzle the protagonists are desperately trying to solve just so they can finally go back home. The show is absolute madness, and you can actually find an article about it on our website: right here.

The show is so incredibly good that I was absolutely certain it had to be based on a novel, so I went searching for the source material. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon some Reddit threads and discovered that the series is not actually a direct adaptation. Instead it seems heavily inspired by a few different works, and the one that most closely mirrors the creeping dread and the impossible geography of the show is The Town That Shouldn’t Exist by Boris Bacic. Bacic is highly appreciated in the indie horror community for his atmospheric tension and gripping suspense, and I was thrilled to find out that this story is actually a complete trilogy.

Just like the TV series, the narrative is incredibly complex and goes way beyond the simple idea of a trapped small town. There are deeply unsettling things happening on the dark outskirts, and even in the surrounding wilderness. The author masterfully builds a sense of psychological claustrophobia that makes you feel just as isolated as the people in the story. The final act wraps everything up beautifully, and the compelling characters will force you to keep turning the pages. You will only set the book down willingly when your eyes finally shut from sheer exhaustion late into the night, making it the perfect companion for those quiet hours when you just want to get lost in a dark mystery.

Petru Stratulat

Radio Personality, Voice Actor & Puppeteer in love with Science.
Experience: Radio – Europa FM, Radio Guerrilla, Radio Deea | TV – Kanal D2 | Puppeteer – Lightwave Theatre Company

thisvoice.rocks