What do you think?
Rate this book
Paths
Derek is living the perfect life. Great job, big house, two beautiful children, designer dog. He even married his high school sweetheart, just like everyone thought he would. But…what if he hadn't? What if he hadn't done what everyone thought he should do and instead, took a much different path? The one he relives in his mind time and time again. In this short, contemporary, sci-fi meets supernatural mystery, Derek gets his answer to "What if?"…whether he's ready for it or not.
Paths is the second book written by modern portrait artist, Dean Skinner. Described by one reader as "It's a Wonderful Life meets Twilight Zone," Paths has a surprising spin that you won't see coming. It follows Dean's first book, Broken, which continues to receive 5/5 ratings on Amazon reviews and has climbed as high as #134 on Amazon's list of 90-Minute Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Short Reads. If you enjoyed Broken, you will definitely love Paths.
Paths is the second book written by modern portrait artist, Dean Skinner. Described by one reader as "It's a Wonderful Life meets Twilight Zone," Paths has a surprising spin that you won't see coming. It follows Dean's first book, Broken, which continues to receive 5/5 ratings on Amazon reviews and has climbed as high as #134 on Amazon's list of 90-Minute Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Short Reads. If you enjoyed Broken, you will definitely love Paths.
- GenresFiction
53 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2020
2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 3, 2023
Alternative life..the journey
Derek takes us on a journey with reality and who wishes he were or had been. This journey takes us on who is and he often wishes he was. However one day something extraordinary happens. After the airport, life takes on a new thing. There is an unexpected surprise at the end..
Derek takes us on a journey with reality and who wishes he were or had been. This journey takes us on who is and he often wishes he was. However one day something extraordinary happens. After the airport, life takes on a new thing. There is an unexpected surprise at the end..
October 30, 2020
A journey into coming to terms with your own reality...
I don't usually read novels. I tend to rely on readings that “relate to what I should be doing” at least in my mind.
But I did read this one—and it’s exactly what I needed (to do).
A blend of “Sliding Doors” meets “Rudy” meets “Twilight Zone” meets “It’s a Wonderful Life”... PATHS(S) grabs you—and won’t let go.
It takes you through time and the path(s) of your own life through the path(s) of others; Derek — and Derek.
The author expertly drops f-bombs in exactly the right places... where we often hear them most —i.e., when we’re talking to ourselves, quite often about ourselves. Or when we’re talking about others when they remind us of ourselves.
The sights, you will see... and the sounds, you will hear... in this book... indeed. From chewing tobacco on your face to the annunciated “p” at the end of a sarcastic affirmative-statement; that I now know is spelled “yep-pah”.
Dean’s writing takes you “there” through his descriptive yet plain language. No fluff-writing for showing off. Rather, he talks with the reader like the reader might talk with himself.
As you read, you hear the unforgiving language we often deliver to ourselves as we ponder the choices we’ve made—or the ones we haven’t... forever questioning “What could have been...”
Yet at the same time, you get to be a superhero... jump fences—and become Superman.
Take a ride through your own life-review and meet yourself in unexpected places.
And, if at times you feel like you’re “losing your s#*t” reading this book— don’t worry, it’s not dementia, it’s you coming to terms with your own reality.
Read PATHS(S).
I don't usually read novels. I tend to rely on readings that “relate to what I should be doing” at least in my mind.
But I did read this one—and it’s exactly what I needed (to do).
A blend of “Sliding Doors” meets “Rudy” meets “Twilight Zone” meets “It’s a Wonderful Life”... PATHS(S) grabs you—and won’t let go.
It takes you through time and the path(s) of your own life through the path(s) of others; Derek — and Derek.
The author expertly drops f-bombs in exactly the right places... where we often hear them most —i.e., when we’re talking to ourselves, quite often about ourselves. Or when we’re talking about others when they remind us of ourselves.
The sights, you will see... and the sounds, you will hear... in this book... indeed. From chewing tobacco on your face to the annunciated “p” at the end of a sarcastic affirmative-statement; that I now know is spelled “yep-pah”.
Dean’s writing takes you “there” through his descriptive yet plain language. No fluff-writing for showing off. Rather, he talks with the reader like the reader might talk with himself.
As you read, you hear the unforgiving language we often deliver to ourselves as we ponder the choices we’ve made—or the ones we haven’t... forever questioning “What could have been...”
Yet at the same time, you get to be a superhero... jump fences—and become Superman.
Take a ride through your own life-review and meet yourself in unexpected places.
And, if at times you feel like you’re “losing your s#*t” reading this book— don’t worry, it’s not dementia, it’s you coming to terms with your own reality.
Read PATHS(S).
October 14, 2020
This book was great! I love the storylines. The meeting in the airport. And the time travel by the wife at the end was the icing on the cake. Great job, Dean! Can't wait to read the next one!
January 2, 2024
A really good "grass is greener" story.
March 6, 2022
Paths is the third book I’ve read from Dean Skinner, after Healed and Broken. I must admit, it didn’t resonate with me as much as those other two.
It’s a profound story about a man who imagines how different his life could be if he’d just made one or two decisions differently. And on that score, I think we can ALL relate, because we’ve all got regrets. Or, if not regrets, let’s call them curiosities, at least.
The reason it didn’t resonate so much with me is no fault of the author or the story itself; it’s just that it’s about American Football, which is a sport I know nothing about and have almost no interest in.
Paths is also not as overtly Christian as Healed, or even Broken. Towards the end of the story, there’s a brief mention of the narrator thanking God for something, but other than that, God’s name doesn’t even come up except in vain.
In my reviews for both other books, I mentioned “shoddy editing”. Either the editing in this one is much better, or I’m just getting used to the author’s style. It’s still riddled with redundancies, to be sure: things happen at the “exact same” time as other things, for example, and the narrator still “thinks to himself”. But I think by now I’ve resigned myself to the fact that this is the author’s personal style. And it sort of works anyway, seeing as this is a story told in the first person.
Dean Skinner can definitely tell a story, as I’ve said before, and all his stories have deep meaning and are meant to be prayed over, contemplated, and used to teach us something. This one’s no different, and even if you’re not into American Football, you will get something out of it.
Click here to find out where you can get your hands on a copy: https://books2read.com/u/mvWJK6
* Note: That's an affiliate link, so if you click through to a store and end up buying anything, I might earn a commission from your purchase.
It’s a profound story about a man who imagines how different his life could be if he’d just made one or two decisions differently. And on that score, I think we can ALL relate, because we’ve all got regrets. Or, if not regrets, let’s call them curiosities, at least.
The reason it didn’t resonate so much with me is no fault of the author or the story itself; it’s just that it’s about American Football, which is a sport I know nothing about and have almost no interest in.
Paths is also not as overtly Christian as Healed, or even Broken. Towards the end of the story, there’s a brief mention of the narrator thanking God for something, but other than that, God’s name doesn’t even come up except in vain.
In my reviews for both other books, I mentioned “shoddy editing”. Either the editing in this one is much better, or I’m just getting used to the author’s style. It’s still riddled with redundancies, to be sure: things happen at the “exact same” time as other things, for example, and the narrator still “thinks to himself”. But I think by now I’ve resigned myself to the fact that this is the author’s personal style. And it sort of works anyway, seeing as this is a story told in the first person.
Dean Skinner can definitely tell a story, as I’ve said before, and all his stories have deep meaning and are meant to be prayed over, contemplated, and used to teach us something. This one’s no different, and even if you’re not into American Football, you will get something out of it.
Click here to find out where you can get your hands on a copy: https://books2read.com/u/mvWJK6
* Note: That's an affiliate link, so if you click through to a store and end up buying anything, I might earn a commission from your purchase.
August 3, 2021
This novelette was a great escape from daunting current events when released in 2020, and continues to be today. Dean Skinner quickly immerses readers into Derek's story, allowing us to imagine what life could have been (for Derek, and for ourselves). The reading makes us contemplate life as we know it; evaluating how differently our paths could have aligned if we had a chance to live out our childhood dreams and start life over again. A thoughtful read, Dean's second novelette puts life into perspective and gives us a much needed lesson about gratitude and the grass being greener on the other side.
June 4, 2023
Cleverly woven speculative fiction with a very satisfying ending. I can't say much more without adding any spoilers. You might as well just read it rather than reading this review. It won't take much longer to read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews