The Ride: 05/18/09
There is an expected flow to time and the powers that be don't like it when the natural order of things
is ignored. Thaddeus A. James gets his chance to break the rules of time and space in the form of a
red truck last seen in 1965 before a fatal crash outside of a gift shop in a rural North Carolina town.
Thus begins The Ride by Tom Brandner, a horror-thriller that crosses time and the realm between the
living and the dead.
A well written horror will have a definite sense of place, a setting that can be rendered as normal,
abnormal and terrifying. The Ride has this quality, being firmly set in North Carolina along winding blue
highways and back roads and later through distorted, sometimes hellish versions of the familiar
landscape.
The Ride had me hooked by the first page, a rare thing for a book. It was a combination of classic cars,
a creepy setting, time travel and memorable characters. Brandner doesn't fall into the trap of loving
his characters too much. If they need to die to forward the story, he kills them. He establishes this fact
early, thus building the sense of danger and suspense as Thaddeus and the other major characters
being their perilous drag race.
When I first finished the novel, I got so wrapped up in the story that I had high hopes for a sappy
ending. I've since then been ruminating over the ending. Though part of me would still have preferred
the tight, romantic conclusion, The Ride isn't a romance. It's a horror novel themed around the
bittersweet tragedies of life. With that in mind, the conclusion is as it should be.
If you like books like Michael Marshall, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft or Daphne Du Maurier and have a
thing for fast cars, you'll enjoy The Ride.
http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_05/ride.html
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ViewFriday, January 30, 2009 3:04:20 PM
Marcia Larsen
Meridian, ID
I just finished 'The Ride' and posted to my blog. Loved the book! Here is the link,
http://printedpage.us/2009/01/30/pondering-the-pages-day-7/
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Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com, 12/08
5 Stars
Horror fans will be thrilled …
After witnessing a fatal car crash, Carl finds himself in possession of a gold key with a warning to
“Hide them.” He restores the 1955 truck and gives it to his father, Thaddeus. The journey takes
Thaddeus back in time where he tries to change his past. A mysterious man, a black truck, and other
creatures threaten him.
Stephen King has a new rival for the title of Master of Horror. I was too frightened to lay this book
down. I had to finish it. Fans of horror put this one on the top of your list.
http://www.reviewyourbook.com/review.cfm?reviewid=1510
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Cheryl rated it: 12/19/08
4 Stars
Read in December, 2008
OK, so I have not read many horror stories though I love to watch horror movies. As I was reading The
Ride, all I could think about was the movie Christine, adapted from a Stephen King novel. Also, I could
help feel some elements of Dean Koontz mixed in as well. A book that infuses both classic Stephen
King and Dean Koontz into the storyline has got to be a good one. I am happy to report that The Ride is
that good. The story started out at a fast pace and kept picking up speed, all the way to the last
sentence. Tom Brandner is a first time author for me but after reading this book, I now want to check
out his first novel, The Rain.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6005027.The_Ride
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December 6, 2008
Tom Brander provides horror fans with a wild ride into a hellish past as Tad and Carl learn about the
gold key, the truck, and nefarious evil essences starting with the seemingly invincible Gray Man.
The story line is faster than the speed the truck was driven at just before the crash. Carl is a
fascinating protagonist who is a caring rogue, but it is Tad with his obstinate need to enter hell for
his heavenly cause that will bring readers along for THE RIDE.
Harriet Klausner
http://www.alternative-worlds.com/2008/12/06/the-ride-tom-brandner/
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Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com, 12/08
5 Stars
Horror fans will be thrilled …
After witnessing a fatal car crash, Carl finds himself in possession of a gold key with a warning to
“Hide them.” He restores the 1955 truck and gives it to his father, Thaddeus. The journey takes
Thaddeus back in time where he tries to change his past. A mysterious man, a black truck, and other
creatures threaten him.
Stephen King has a new rival for the title of Master of Horror. I was too frightened to lay this book
down. I had to finish it. Fans of horror put this one on the top of your list.
http://www.reviewyourbook.com/review.cfm?reviewid=1510
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December 6, 2008
Tom Brander provides horror fans with a wild ride into a hellish past as Tad and Carl learn about the
gold key, the truck, and nefarious evil essences starting with the seemingly invincible Gray Man. The
story line is faster than the speed the truck was driven at just before the crash. Carl is a fascinating
protagonist who is a caring rogue, but it is Tad with his obstinate need to enter hell for his heavenly
cause that will bring readers along for THE RIDE.
Harriet Klausner
http://www.alternative-worlds.com/2008/12/06/the-ride-tom-brandner/
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» Thursday December 04, 2008 - 02:22 pm
New Voice In Horror Takes You On A Chilling Journey
http://www.firstfright.com/horrorpress/horrorpress/new-voice-in-horror-takes-you-on-a-chilling-journe
y/
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