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Other Places #1
Shortcuts
Nothing is as you think.
Fifteen years ago a young boy was stolen from his home in Wisconsin, coming back sixteen months later with no memory of what happened. It was a traumatic event that left him insane, but functional. If barely.
Now, Zack Hartley has to find a job or face starvation as the Christmas season approaches, which leads him to take a very special shortcut through a rift in space, to a very unusual shopping center. A place filled with supernatural creatures and dangers that he would never have imagined being in his own home town.
If he can keep his job things might just work out though, even if he is the only human being in existence that can walk the Nodes that connect places without penalty. Luckily he has some friends to help him out. Like his roommate Troy, the strange and interesting girl that works at the shop across from his...
And the voice in his head.
Fifteen years ago a young boy was stolen from his home in Wisconsin, coming back sixteen months later with no memory of what happened. It was a traumatic event that left him insane, but functional. If barely.
Now, Zack Hartley has to find a job or face starvation as the Christmas season approaches, which leads him to take a very special shortcut through a rift in space, to a very unusual shopping center. A place filled with supernatural creatures and dangers that he would never have imagined being in his own home town.
If he can keep his job things might just work out though, even if he is the only human being in existence that can walk the Nodes that connect places without penalty. Luckily he has some friends to help him out. Like his roommate Troy, the strange and interesting girl that works at the shop across from his...
And the voice in his head.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2012
24 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
About the author
P.S. Power
190 books295 followersP.S. Power works in fiction, mainly focusing on Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror genres, with brief forays into other things just to keep life interesting. He averages 1 to 2 books monthly and has several series going. He lives in an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere, as a recluse, yet still manages to find time to talk to people online, in a positive and delightful manner. Not one of those creepy hermit types though, you understand. It's more of an isolated farm style thing. Or ranch really. He's also interested in three dimensional photography, and long moonlit walks on the beach, sometimes with vampires. When he can find time he also does writing and voice work for scripted online programs. Anyway, feel free to drop him a line.
Or visit his forum:
http://pspowerbooks.com/phpBBF/index.php
http://pspowerbooks.com/phpBBF
A place to get together and discuss the books, and other topics.
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Tue, 28 Jul 2015 19:01:08 -0500
http://pspowerbooks.com/phpBBF/blog.p...
http://pspowerbooks.com/phpBBF/blog.p...
Hello Everyone!
In chatting with Dale over the past few weeks, it was decided that he was interested in blogging to you, his readers. The blog he had within the main site was not going to be a viable solution and there were thoughts of just creating a Forum where only he could post and everyone else could reply. This MOD is a nice meeting of the two for what will hopefully be a highly successful blog!
Hoping this first (and only) post by me will kick off a nice method of interaction with Dale's readers!
Brent / Argy / ArgyrosfeniX
p.s. - Also going to try and get the feed that comes with this to feed into Amazon and Goodreads. Good luck to one and all!!
]]>
Tue, 28 Jul 2015 01:41:58 -0500
Or visit his forum:
http://pspowerbooks.com/phpBBF/index.php
http://pspowerbooks.com/phpBBF
A place to get together and discuss the books, and other topics.
]]>
en
Tue, 28 Jul 2015 19:01:08 -0500
http://pspowerbooks.com/phpBBF/blog.p...
http://pspowerbooks.com/phpBBF/blog.p...
Hello Everyone!
In chatting with Dale over the past few weeks, it was decided that he was interested in blogging to you, his readers. The blog he had within the main site was not going to be a viable solution and there were thoughts of just creating a Forum where only he could post and everyone else could reply. This MOD is a nice meeting of the two for what will hopefully be a highly successful blog!
Hoping this first (and only) post by me will kick off a nice method of interaction with Dale's readers!
Brent / Argy / ArgyrosfeniX
p.s. - Also going to try and get the feed that comes with this to feed into Amazon and Goodreads. Good luck to one and all!!
]]>
Tue, 28 Jul 2015 01:41:58 -0500
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 7, 2019
Rating 4.0 stars
I am not sure how many of my friends would like this book. To be honest, not a lot happened in this story. There was no large plot or evil bad guy that everyone spent the entire story fighting. There was none of that character building to get stronger storyline or trying to figure out why the main character was so different storyline. It was basically about a young man who could do some weird stuff and needing a job so he didn't starve. Along the way he met some really interesting supernatural people and made some friends. That is the basic story in a nutshell without any of the specifics. I really liked the story though. I am definitely a "journey is more important than the destination" kind of person. I enjoyed the day to day telling of the story, even if nothing very exciting actually happened on most days.
The story revolves around Zack who is a 22 year old who is more than down on his luck.
He is a little crazy and talks to a person in his head that he calls the mirror self. He was kidnapped when he was younger and was gone for about 15 months and when he came back he was a little different (hence the voice in his head). The voice never tells him to hurt himself but seems to be sort of a protector/motivator. The other issue with Zack is that he can't lie. Not like the fae in other books in which they can hide the truth with evasion of speech. Zack says whatever is on his mind and sometimes can't stop himself, though he does regret it later. That is the main reason that he is starving, living with a friend with no job and no girlfriend. Zack's mirror self makes him get up and try to get a job so that they don't starve to death. Oh, there is something else I forgot to mention. Zack can also see bends in space called nodes and can walk them. Using these nodes he can pretty much go anywhere using the right combination of them. He goes through a "shortcut" in his neighbor's yard by the big tree and ends up at a mall. The mall is home to all sort of supernatural creatures. In this world though, the human mind can't really wrap their mind around the supernatural until they are ready. So even if they see or hear something that is abnormal, they play it off as being fake. Which makes Zack sound even crazier because he can't stop talking about everything he sees, and nobody believes him. He gets a job at the mall at a yogurt shop and then at a candle shop. The yogurt shop is run by vampires and the candle shop is run by mages. Zack is technically still a mage, though since his kidnapping, he hasn't been able to perform any magic. He is able to travel the nodes though which is a very rare gift apparently. A vampire comes to his shop with a newly turned vampire being chased by the police and Zack helps out by traveling the nodes to hide the body. This is shocking to the vampire since what he did so casually is not something that anybody but a demon can do. This also makes the vampires feel that they owe Zack a debt. Zack tends to try to help people out as much as he can traveling the nodes, not thinking it is a big deal but everyone else gets really scared that they owe him because of what traveling the nodes normally costs. There is talk of giving him slaves or territory to pay for their debt and meanwhile, he is just happy he can eat real food and not roman noodles anymore. Besides the vampires, there are weres, succubi and a number of other creatures featured that I am not sure I have heard about before. I like Zack as a character, he is pretty socially inept but is a pretty good guy. He is a little crazy, but again which his history who wouldn't be. While women do like honest men there is a point where being too honest is a real turn off and some of the conversations he finds himself in with women are very amusing. His mirror self is kind of awesome. I imagine him as both the angel and devil on his shoulder. He talks like the devil, but he is always looking out for his best interest just like an angel.
I really enjoyed the little things in this story like Zacks conversation with the women and his interaction with his friends. I liked learning about the other supernatural creatures. Even though overall not a whole lot happened, I did enjoy the journey and I am looking forward to the next book.
I am not sure how many of my friends would like this book. To be honest, not a lot happened in this story. There was no large plot or evil bad guy that everyone spent the entire story fighting. There was none of that character building to get stronger storyline or trying to figure out why the main character was so different storyline. It was basically about a young man who could do some weird stuff and needing a job so he didn't starve. Along the way he met some really interesting supernatural people and made some friends. That is the basic story in a nutshell without any of the specifics. I really liked the story though. I am definitely a "journey is more important than the destination" kind of person. I enjoyed the day to day telling of the story, even if nothing very exciting actually happened on most days.
The story revolves around Zack who is a 22 year old who is more than down on his luck.
He is a little crazy and talks to a person in his head that he calls the mirror self. He was kidnapped when he was younger and was gone for about 15 months and when he came back he was a little different (hence the voice in his head). The voice never tells him to hurt himself but seems to be sort of a protector/motivator. The other issue with Zack is that he can't lie. Not like the fae in other books in which they can hide the truth with evasion of speech. Zack says whatever is on his mind and sometimes can't stop himself, though he does regret it later. That is the main reason that he is starving, living with a friend with no job and no girlfriend. Zack's mirror self makes him get up and try to get a job so that they don't starve to death. Oh, there is something else I forgot to mention. Zack can also see bends in space called nodes and can walk them. Using these nodes he can pretty much go anywhere using the right combination of them. He goes through a "shortcut" in his neighbor's yard by the big tree and ends up at a mall. The mall is home to all sort of supernatural creatures. In this world though, the human mind can't really wrap their mind around the supernatural until they are ready. So even if they see or hear something that is abnormal, they play it off as being fake. Which makes Zack sound even crazier because he can't stop talking about everything he sees, and nobody believes him. He gets a job at the mall at a yogurt shop and then at a candle shop. The yogurt shop is run by vampires and the candle shop is run by mages. Zack is technically still a mage, though since his kidnapping, he hasn't been able to perform any magic. He is able to travel the nodes though which is a very rare gift apparently. A vampire comes to his shop with a newly turned vampire being chased by the police and Zack helps out by traveling the nodes to hide the body. This is shocking to the vampire since what he did so casually is not something that anybody but a demon can do. This also makes the vampires feel that they owe Zack a debt. Zack tends to try to help people out as much as he can traveling the nodes, not thinking it is a big deal but everyone else gets really scared that they owe him because of what traveling the nodes normally costs. There is talk of giving him slaves or territory to pay for their debt and meanwhile, he is just happy he can eat real food and not roman noodles anymore. Besides the vampires, there are weres, succubi and a number of other creatures featured that I am not sure I have heard about before. I like Zack as a character, he is pretty socially inept but is a pretty good guy. He is a little crazy, but again which his history who wouldn't be. While women do like honest men there is a point where being too honest is a real turn off and some of the conversations he finds himself in with women are very amusing. His mirror self is kind of awesome. I imagine him as both the angel and devil on his shoulder. He talks like the devil, but he is always looking out for his best interest just like an angel.
I really enjoyed the little things in this story like Zacks conversation with the women and his interaction with his friends. I liked learning about the other supernatural creatures. Even though overall not a whole lot happened, I did enjoy the journey and I am looking forward to the next book.
August 2, 2016
P.S. Power seems to enjoy writing about terminally flawed characters. He also seems to enjoy writing about characters who are quite obsessed with sex. The constant whining of the main character gets old quite quickly. This series isn't nearly as bad though as the authors other series "The Young Ancients" when it comes down to the main character acting like someone from a mental institution. Sadly though if you have read "The Young Ancients" you can pretty much say you have read this series also.
This series is not kid friendly it is NOT YA. How some people can think it is appropriate for under 18 is beyond me. What with the Multiple references of Rape, sexual Slavery, Pedophilia etc.
This series is not kid friendly it is NOT YA. How some people can think it is appropriate for under 18 is beyond me. What with the Multiple references of Rape, sexual Slavery, Pedophilia etc.
October 10, 2024
Enteretaining book, as the other version of it in alternative places this one has all the good aspects of the other, it just that the character here is a little more dull, but great build up of the supernatural community and their interactive relationships. Great pletora of characters and the diversity of them.
January 28, 2014
Mmmm cheesy cheese.
Book junk food, cant read just one!
Book junk food, cant read just one!
October 7, 2018
So this was one of those stories that seemed to be about a crazy guy trying not to be crazy. Overall it was quite humorous. Zack is a guy who had some insane stuff happen to him only to find out at the end that it wasn't an accident. And the craziest part about all of this is the fact that he's perfectly ok with everything that has happened. Zack has a split personality. The funny thing is that his second personality seems to know more about him than Zack does. His second personality also seems to be a bit of pretentious dick, but really has Zack's best interest at heart. The witty banter back and forth between the two of them is quite hilarious and it shows you the stark difference between the two of them. Where Zack is laid back Mirror Zack (what he's called) is a bit more hands on and direct. This coupled with the fact that he is friends with a slew of demons that can quite literally take over the world at any given time has him in a weird place in life. The shoe dropping moment is what happens at the end when he finds out the truth about his parents and what really happened to him to shatter his mind.
December 13, 2012
I really enjoyed Shortcuts. A different view of Keeley's world was done well. The characters were much more varied than Keeley's. I liked the better insight of the other races in the world and their cultures. Of course having Keeley show up was an added bonus. She was great example of the different power levels in this world.
I would strongly recommend it for any Power's fans or to just about any readers that enjoy occult stories!
I would strongly recommend it for any Power's fans or to just about any readers that enjoy occult stories!
November 23, 2014
Not as good
I unfortunately read the first three books of alternate places,which are a revamp of this story. I will say that they are a 5 star compared to this,p.s Powell did amazing job rewriting it and the Zack Hartley character is different but not too much. I will read they other two books just to see the difference compared to the better written version. but I won't reveiw them it won't be fair since I am biased.
I unfortunately read the first three books of alternate places,which are a revamp of this story. I will say that they are a 5 star compared to this,p.s Powell did amazing job rewriting it and the Zack Hartley character is different but not too much. I will read they other two books just to see the difference compared to the better written version. but I won't reveiw them it won't be fair since I am biased.
September 4, 2013
I was lent this book by a fellow book reader who correctly guessed I would enjoy it. I loved the original plot of the line walker and the mostly lighthearted tone reminded me of the Betsy the Vampire Queen series. This is the first book I've read by Mr. Powers but after reading this book and the review referencing his other books I think I'll add some more of his books to my collection.
June 21, 2013
Shortcuts is my favorite book set in Keeley's world. Zack is my favorite character in the set of books. He is so awkward almost always telling the truth and so different from any idea of a hero. But he works as an unexpected hero because he cares for the people around him.
May 7, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. I found it a little odd at first, but I was drawn in and very engaged.
August 7, 2013
Zack's first book. Great
January 17, 2025
Mildly confused, but wonderful story!
PS Power writes a wonderful universe. Or multiverse. Demonverse? Anyway, I read the Mr Hartley series prior to this series….which is set in a different universe or plane of existence mimicking this universe, with my personal favorite Greater Demon, Keeley. So, if you’ve started that series, read Other Places first, the other second. Characters are wonderful, plot thickens and I am off to the next book
PS Power writes a wonderful universe. Or multiverse. Demonverse? Anyway, I read the Mr Hartley series prior to this series….which is set in a different universe or plane of existence mimicking this universe, with my personal favorite Greater Demon, Keeley. So, if you’ve started that series, read Other Places first, the other second. Characters are wonderful, plot thickens and I am off to the next book
October 13, 2018
Disclaimer: I did not finish the book. Even in a fantastic story, I look for a fixed point in reality to anchor the story and did not feel that I found it here. Even if the major plot twist is that everything I thought was wrong, I want stories to have anchors. The summary on this site offers it, but the text does not.
December 11, 2021
Good what off of alternate places
I enjoyed alternate places and this is a good variation on it. It still makes me a little mad that he is so kind and pretty much everyone else is careless. Sometimes people tear up , but no one ever really does anything kind for him. It is all transactional for everyone else, and they still do almost nothing.
I enjoyed alternate places and this is a good variation on it. It still makes me a little mad that he is so kind and pretty much everyone else is careless. Sometimes people tear up , but no one ever really does anything kind for him. It is all transactional for everyone else, and they still do almost nothing.
April 8, 2023
Interesting & Totally Unique read!
A most unusual story of a young man involving vampires, demons and three dimension travel. Lots of everyday drama mixed with Other Worldly intrigue. A truly one of a kind storyline. Enjoy!
A most unusual story of a young man involving vampires, demons and three dimension travel. Lots of everyday drama mixed with Other Worldly intrigue. A truly one of a kind storyline. Enjoy!
May 7, 2018
3.75* Unusual but I liked it!
July 29, 2014
I love the Keeley Thomson series and this ties into that series a bit, shared world etc.
The main character is likable with just enough mystery to make him interesting. There are a couple of facepalm moments where you as the reader have to wonder about Zack and why by the end of the book he hasn't figured out to at least charge a significant sum for the user of his 'gift'. Personality wise and his injury, I can see the disinclination to profit from what he considers simple, but with everything he is going through needing a job to pay for a place to live and have food it would seem obvious to charge for the use of his transportation ability.
The main character is likable with just enough mystery to make him interesting. There are a couple of facepalm moments where you as the reader have to wonder about Zack and why by the end of the book he hasn't figured out to at least charge a significant sum for the user of his 'gift'. Personality wise and his injury, I can see the disinclination to profit from what he considers simple, but with everything he is going through needing a job to pay for a place to live and have food it would seem obvious to charge for the use of his transportation ability.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2022
Great intro to world(s) of Mr Hartley
Zach Hartley (in all his personas) is such an endearing person. If only there were millions like him in the real world... I must admit it, this is my third or fourth reading of this book and the first “Mr. Hartley” book. (Have read entire collection of books). P.S. Power books in this series are always interesting,fun, and exciting.
Zach Hartley (in all his personas) is such an endearing person. If only there were millions like him in the real world... I must admit it, this is my third or fourth reading of this book and the first “Mr. Hartley” book. (Have read entire collection of books). P.S. Power books in this series are always interesting,fun, and exciting.
April 10, 2017
**** downgraded to *** because of the lack of editing. This is listed as the first in series, but it jumps into a world without any backstory beyond the back cover blurb. The setting frequently changes without much description, so it can be hard to follow at times.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews