Skinwalker Ranch: Path of the Skinwalker Paperback – December 9, 2013

Skinwalker Ranch has held my fascination since I first heard about it. If you tell me then that the land was purchased by the NIDS National Institute for Discovery Science founded by aerospace millionaire Robert Bigelow who funded research scientists in an ongoing effort to find the answers to the paranormal events occurring there, well, now I know something's really going on there! So, first I read Hunt for the Skinwalker and wished there was more info out there about the goings on. Then I see there's a book out there written by a young man who had the guts to go and see first hand the Skinwalker and other unbelievable events happening on the ranch. And, see things he did. A braver soul than I am by far. I picked up his book Skinwalker Ranch: Path of the Skinwalker and didn't put it down until I finished the very last page. Ryan's book takes us farther into the creepy world of the Skinwalker with his first hand accounts of what happened to him there. Ryan has been seen on Joe Rogan's show and with Jesse Ventura talking about Skinwalker Ranch and is one of the very few people that I have ever heard of who is out there on his own at the ranch conducting his own personal research into the phenomena. If you don't believe anything is going on at Skinwalker Ranch then ask yourself why an aerospace millionaire would purchase the land and place scientists and armed guards there. I highly recommend Ryan's book for his personal account of events that happened to him as he bravely stepped into another world.

I read "Hunt for the Skinwalker" by Kelleher and Knapp a few years ago and found it fascinating, so of course, I wanted to read this book. It did not go into nearly as much detail as the former book, but the author had some valuable insights into his own experiences. However, I suppose what bothered me the most was the incorrect grammar and misspellings throughout (especially) the first part of the book. That, and my opinion that a lot of the book did not really pertain to the subject matter. I do hope that this young author continues his research and has further contributions to this subject because it is a fascinating story.

I love the show! This book is good! I had to read it during the day, I tried at night but scared me too much lol

A man filled with anticipation and a hunger for adventure set out on an intrepid journey in hopes of researching one of the most controversial places in Utah. He began to delve deep into the clandestineness of this area shrouded in mysteries; mysteries that perhaps no man will ever be fully privy to. He was on a purposeful mission searching for answers and proof of what lies within the basin.As he continued along the foreboding path, he was unaware that something already had him in its sight, watching insidiously and luring him into its kingdom. Nonetheless, he embraced the duality of the mystery as well as the rush he experienced from the terror. Little did he realize the high-strangeness he would encounter that would change his life forever.Throughout the duration of his journey, he related his story in such a manner that one might believe they were experiencing it too. At times, one might even feel they were in his head experiencing that rush of adrenaline.One thing is for certain; the anomalous phenomena and other-worldly beings traversing the space time-continuum will forever be a part of him luring him back along the forbidden path of the Skinwalker.

Ok, so I really wanted to like this book. I have been following the Skinwalker Ranch phenomena for quite some time. I devour anything I can find about it. I heard Ryan Skinner on a popular paranormal radio show and he sounded interesting enough to convince me to buy the book. Unfortunately I think it was probably a waste of money.First, the spelling and grammar isn't terrible. There are some mistakes here and there but I have seen much worse. So in that respect, the book is ok.Skinner uses WAY too many analogies and metaphors. I get the impression he's trying to sound deep and poetic but it just comes across as cringe-worthy and bloated. If he cut down to a reasonable number of metaphors and analogies, the book would probably be half as long as it is (and it's only a mere 121 pages to begin with).My original impression was that this was a non-fiction account of Skinner's personal experiences at the ranch. Which I assume it is, but the problem is he wrote it like a poorly crafted fiction story with himself as the protagonist. I enjoy a good fiction tale, but what I wanted was information on what happened to him, how events progressed, his personal opinion on the situation and maybe some comments from others involved. You do get a tiny bit of that, but you have to wring it out of a convoluted mess of flowery attempts at spinning a sci fi/fantasy yarn.Another issue I have is the focus the book places on Skinner. Yes, I understand that it's his story so he will feature heavily in it. And that's fine. But I get the impression through the way he talks himself up that he is trying to come across as some kind of "chosen one" by some higher entity. It starts to make me question whether everything happened as he described it or if things have been altered or tacked on to make him appear that way. I guess the "selfie" cover image probably hinted at this, but I was really hoping it just had to do with being an amateur designer or something.It also seemed like Skinner was trying to make it sound like he and his ex-wife separated because of his obsession with the paranormal/Skinwalker Ranch. Yet the way he spoke about her, I really got the idea that it probably would have happened anyway because the marriage sounded more superficial. Right off the bat, the only qualities he seemed to like about her was that she was skinny, blonde and pretty (and I guess spoke English). Normally the author's married life wouldn't factor much into a story like this, but I felt compelled to mention it because I think he was trying to present it as part of his life that changed because of the ranch. I'm not really convinced that is the case.In other instances the author seemed like the type of person you would not want to take with you on a camping trip to explore unknown phenomena. He essentially chose to not go back and check on his brother (who he was responsible for dragging out to the ranch) when his brother sounded distressed on the walkie talkie then suddenly lost communication. He also thought it would be hilarious to pretend that a fence was electrified to screw with someone who was nice enough to guide him to the hidden campsite. I think I probably would have wanted to feed him to the skinwalker myself if I had been there - at least if things went down the way he claimed.And there was one thing I found particularly annoying, though it is somewhat minor. Somewhere in the second half of the book, Skinner talks about something that people can't seem to see when it's close to them (but can be seen from a distance). He claims that he called it the "Not My Problem" principal/theory. This, in my mind, is clearly a rip off of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's "Somebody Else's Problem" (SEP) field. Skinner even goes so far as to abbreviate his version as "NMP". He never mentioned getting the idea from HHGTTG or anywhere else, so it seemed like he was claiming the idea as his own. Nothing wrong with reusing it, but give credit where credit is due. At least say it was influenced by HHGTTG if you're going to mention it.****SPOILER ALERT (sort of)*****I won't get into too many details here, but you might not want to read this book anyway so it might not matter. The end of the book is hands down the worst ending I have ever read in a non-fiction book like this. Absolutely unnecessary, ridiculous, lazy and further confirms my idea that he was trying to write this as some kind of fantastic story purely for entertainment and ego.He essentially returns to his brother who is VERY CLEARLY in serious distress (this is a second time, he didn't return right away the first time). Something appears to be happening to his brother immediately after a weird personal experience, so he decides to go back to camp. And the story literally ends with him opening the tent and coming face to face with his brother. That's it. No information on what his brother said, no description of the condition of his brother or the surrounding area. No overview of what happened afterwards. How did they react? What did they say? You know, all the important stuff that someone who is truly interested in this kind of thing would want to know (and expect to be told in a book that's a non-fiction account). Instead you get abruptly slapped in the face with the ever popular "THE END".I had to fight the urge to angrily throw the book across the room after struggling to read the last half of it. There really is no conclusion and no useful information provided about the aftermath. Anyone who truly wants to learn about this subject will hate the ending if they don't already hate the book before they get to that point.I don't know if he intended on writing a second book to make more money or what. The first one is definitely not worth the price, so that would be insulting to the reader. And if that's just how he plans to leave it, then maybe this really is a work of fiction and should be placed in the fiction category.****End of the SPOILER ALERT*****I really have no idea how this book managed to get a number of glowing 5 star reviews. Maybe they are friends and family of the author or people who really aren't well read in this genre. Even as a fiction story, it lacks substance and the writing is not great. I really do appreciate the time that goes into writing, formatting and designing a book from start to finish. So that's why I didn't give a 1 star review.In conclusion, I am not saying that Ryan Skinner is making all of this up. I have heard many strange tales from the Skinwalker Ranch and much of what happened to him sort of sounds in line with that. My problem is that his ego shows through way too much and the book seems like a way to glorify the author rather than share information about an important paranormal topic. This also brings into question some of what he claims happened. Maybe some interviews with the people involved like his ex-wife or Ian would help lend credibility to the story. For now it seems more like a fiction bestseller wannabe that can't make it in either category.As a side note, I do recommend listening to the author on The Paracast or wherever he appears. That seems to be the only way to extract legit information from him that isn't smothered in over the top metaphors, analogies and ego.