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Thomas Rydder

The Clearing Kindle Edition

by Thomas Rydder (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

38 ratings

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After twenty years in the Marine Corps, Major Frank Cutlip comes home to the quiet hills of his beloved Pennsylvania to take up a new life as the sheriff of Allegheny County.

Professor Beth Lowe took up a post at Paxton University because she became enamored with western Pennsylvania’s charms, a more enduring love than she thought she would ever feel for a man.

When Beth’s dog is savaged by wolves, their peaceful lives are shattered, and their fates entwined. On the brink of death, the dog not only survives but grows larger… and more vicious. A thousand-year cycle of carnage is reaching its climax once more, and the peaceful wooded hills will soon be smeared with blood.

Sheriff Cutlip leads his community in a hunt for the hidden terror, but then his own brother is bitten, his blood corrupted by the ancient evil. The sheriff must confront terrible choices, and he can’t do so alone.

‘The Clearing’ — a novel of ordinary people thrown together in extraordinary circumstances.

Print length

232 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

February 27, 2013
File size

2657 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BMEVA0W
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Greyhart Press; 2nd edition (February 27, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 27, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2657 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 232 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1481077686

Best Sellers Rank: #2,515,809 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,059 in Werewolves & Shifters Suspense
- #2,074 in Werewolf & Shifter Thrillers
- #49,535 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
38 ratings

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Thomas Rydder

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I was born in 1957 in a small town in Western Pennsylvania that had - and still has - one traffic light. There wasn't a whole lot to do there, and we had few neighbors, so I learned to play quite a bit of make-believe - soldiers, cowboys and Indians, that kind of thing. At the same time, I loved to read and watch old movies. On Saturdays, my dad played in a country western band, and I stayed up to wait for him. It was during that stretch that I discovered the horror movie. You know the ones I mean. Karloff, Chaney, Lee. The masters, right?

Since then, I've been fascinated with the supernatural, particularly werewolves, and one day, I decided to take a shot at writing about them. So I sat down and found a writing site called Hubpages. Nice little site, and I started getting the basics of writing a little from some of the inhabitants. I wrote a short story, and everyone liked it. So, I wrote another one. Except it kept growing, I kept getting more ideas, and it lengthened to 20 thousand words, then 30, then 40. By the time I sat back, I had the rough draft of my first novel, then called "Werewolves and Flapjacks". I submitted my work to a small press near London, Greyhart Press. The gentleman who runs that fine organization, Mr. Tim Taylor, decided to take a chance on me, and for that, I will be forever grateful.

So. Now my debut novel is called "The Clearing". I don't know where I came up with the idea. Some shred of one of those old delightful movies perhaps, superimposed on modern times. It just came, and I just typed - simple as that. I do know that I modeled the story's location after my little one-lighted home town. And every one of the characters in my book shares either a first or last name from my life in the sleepy burg of Apollo, Pa.

I do hope you decide to pick up my book. And if you do, I hope even more you enjoy it. If you do enjoy it, rejoice, because I'm working on the sequel! Even though I make wise cracks about all of it, this is all like living a dream - and I don't plan on waking up for a very long time.

Thomas Rydder - writer of spooky stuff

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5

38 global ratings

5 star		37%
4 star		30%
3 star		20%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		13%

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Morongo Molly

An intelligently written Scarey Book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 4, 2013

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I saw this on Goodreads today, downloaded it and read it in a sitting. It is not my usual kind of book. but the sample drew me in. I am not into horror stories, (I write historical fiction) and I have a thing about werewolves, but this one was so well crafted that I confess to having enjoyed it. From the first few pages, I was as caught up in the story as Frank and Beth were. I would have given it a five, but I have a 'thing' about books that leave the storline dangling. This book almost but not quite stands alone. As to this debut, I found no flaws. I will look for many other books from ThomasRydder in my Kindle Library. I especially thank the author for telling a gripping story without having to put Liz at risk. The story was tense enough without it.

2 people found this helpful

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Mikaela Nadeau

An Entertaining Read, but Could Do With Some Improvements

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 11, 2014

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Review Published Originally on cookandbooks.com

This was a nice reprieve from the previous book I read, and it was also a quick one. Thomas Rydder's The Clearing is a story that is centralized on a small Pennsylvanian town's problem in which werewolves are the culprits. Rydder focuses the majority of the book on Sheriff Frank Cutlip's expeditions trying to repress the werewolf killings.
The four most prominent characters in this book are Frank Cutlip, Adam Cutlip, Beth and the werewolves. I found that some of the characters fell a bit short of fully developing, however there was still enough development to make them worthwhile. Frank Cutlip I found endearing because he reminded me of a true old-fashioned gentleman. (A rarity nowadays if I can be so blunt.) It really showed through too because of his interactions with other individuals throughout the book, which Rydder truly showed how much he was true to character. I was a tad disappointed in how Beth was sort of tossed aside from any further development, and instead reverted from strong to dependent upon Frank. In some circumstances I can understand the reasoning, but not when Rydder spent the beginning part of the book on her independence. I suppose though that the feature of the werewolves had much to do with her growing dependency.
In focusing on the werewolves the way Rydder did, he gave them depth without taking too much space. In a way I'm glad they were more of an object than characters when mentioned, and yet their obvious desires were clearly portrayed without being overly done. I especially love the way Rydder tied Adam Cutlip into the revolutions from himself to that of victim, and from there his character established itself well.
There are however some flaws in the ways that Rydder wrote The Clearing, he had moments that shone through in some passages - however in others he fell short. I find that he started this book with the intention of following Beth and then became more interested in Frank Cutlip, therefore following him without properly trying to create more of a link. Granted he did try, but I would've appreciated a further effort on his part to show more development between the two characters first.
In the end The Clearing was written well, it could've done with a few changes before it hit the shelves however it was a great read for the season. To be honest it reminded me of a crossbreed between Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and Stephen King's Cujo. (Never quite a bad thing.) This is a book that I'm glad I read, and I'll be likely to read it again on a blustery fall day.
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars.

Helpful

Armand M. Inezian

Like an old fashioned roller-coaster ride.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 9, 2013

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The Clearing of Thomas Rydder's novel is the place of battle. A stretch of Pennsylvania backwoods where a group of determined men squares off with a pack of savage, supernatural wolves. It's a proving ground of sorts that epitomizes a the plot of the novel, a blend of tactical combat and a chess match played out between the sturdy Sheriff Frank Cutlip and the monstrous leader of the wolf pack.

And there's a lot at stake. The Sheriff stands to lose his brother and possibly watch his home town descend into chaos. The wolves, on the other hand, are pressed for time. They must complete a sinister, primal ritual or face losing their powers. The struggle between man and wolf can only become lethal.

There are many shades of lethal however, and The Clearing's has an old fashioned, thrill ride sensibility to it, like climbing onto one if those iconic wooden roller coasters from the early 1900's and holding on tight while your teeth rattle .

In fact, the entire book has an old-fashioned sensibility to it. It is colored with an undertone of Americana and nostalgia, part John Wayne/ John Ford and part Norman Rockwell magazine cover, it evinces a strong feeling of a more innocent past.

The men of The Clearing - to a man- display valor and honor. They are gritty, handy with guns, and gentle to women. This might be one small downside to the novel, they're all cut from the same cloth, and I kept hoping at least one of them would be a jerk or a coward. Or maybe even a cowardly jerk. The women are resourceful and super helpful. Romance falls decidedly into the sphere of the chaste. In terms of horror, it reminds me more of the horror novels of the 1960's, novels that used suspense and tight plotting to scare. And while there is violence and blood, The Clearing is refreshingly free of the post-90's preoccupation with micro-reporting pain, torture and cruelty. Nor does The Clearing exhibit the kind of smarmy, sarcastic tone of so many horror stories about teenagers.

Overall, I found The Clearing to be a vintage roller-coaster ride, a solid, well-told tale of wolves and men, and I look forward to more work from Thomas Rydder.

One person found this helpful

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D. J. Duran

Werewolves and mayhem!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 2, 2013

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I enjoyed this book and like the different view of the werewolf. There was enough thrills to go around. I have a slight issue with Beth who is raising her dead sister's child and working as an Etymologist at a local school. She seems very independent and sure of herself and toward the book she turns into a dependent suzy homemaker. Over all i enjoyed the story and would recommend it. I want to read the next book to see if Beth regains her self assurance and what happens further with the werewolves.

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Top reviews from other countries

Simon

a great debut with bite

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 16, 2013

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The Clearing by Thomas Rydder is an excellent horror novel by this first-time author. He has deftly re-invented the tired old werewolf genre giving it a new twist - whatever the wolves leave alive after an attack will become a werewolf or werecreature might be a better word. The small rural Pennsylvania town of Hemingway is the setting for this exciting tale and Thomas has lovingly described the area with deep affection. Every scene is vivid, almost like a movie and this book would make one hell of a movie. The two main characters, Frank the Sheriff and Beth the local entomologist are believable and make a great team as they investigate the strange events - missing pet - slaughtered cattle - missing human - that lead to the incident at the Clearing. I actually had that cosy feeling I get when I read a Stephen King novel that sends me to a small town under siege from supernatural creatures. Thomas is most adept at keeping the pace rattling along and knows when to slow down for us to catch breath.
This is a FIVE STAR HORROR and would not look out of place next to any Stephen King novel, so all I can recommend is get off your butts and download it now.

Amazon Customer

Pleasant read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 28, 2015

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I would not consider myself comprehensive of werewolf fiction, but i have read a few novels. Most of the stories feature the common theme when it comes to applying the bane to.the beast.

The exception here is the equivalent quandry of trying to stop the man of steel without kryptonite. That certainly kept things Interesting here.

I found the main characters quite likeable although not contrasting in personality, but in all honesty that wouldn't have done the setting of the story any favours.

i couldn't help but question the total lack of common sense of Elizabeth, when faced with a pet growing abnormal from day to day. That one is difficult to work around.

I will certainly be keeping an eye out for the follow up.

M. Brookes

A howling good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 22, 2013

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It's been a while since I last read a werewolf story and this was a good one. I was pleased to see that it didn't try and explain the existence of werewolves, it just got on with the story. Although it did provide some historical context which helped reinforce the ancient evil.

Another aspect I liked was that the characters just got on with it. In that regard it reminded me of Dog Soldiers (one of my favourite werewolf films). They freaked out (as you would), but got on with the job.

The writing is good and the story is well paced, pulling you along until the last page.

There is apparently a sequel on its way, which is good news as this was an excellent read.

Lorna Dounaeva

Charming Werewolf Thriller

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 21, 2013

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I enjoyed Thomas Rydder's writing style every bit as much as the plot. The story itself is fast-paced and imaginative, sometimes dream-like and sometimes just a little gory. I found myself routing for the hero and heroine, but also shocked and excited as the book took on twists and turns I hadn't anticipated. Well worth a read!

Anne

A must read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 2, 2013

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I am an avid book worm, I read the expert for the beginning of this book and just had to finish reading it... I couldn't put it down, it held my attention the whole way through. Thomas has done a great job on this first book of the series and I can not wait to read the next book... If you are into Werewolves and the likes then this book is most definitely for you...
Thomas I can't wait for your next book. Keep writing

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