Dirty Boots [Paperback]

That's what it says on the back cover of Mike E. Purfield's new book DIRTY BOOTS, a title that has no relation to the story whatsoever. In this day in age, that in itself is something hard to come by.

The bare bones description sounds pretty standard, like a thousand novels that have come before. The formula dictating that the two come together, fall in love after a rather reluctant and rocky courtship, and the in the end the man saves the woman from whatever horrors they're up against. Yes, that is most assuredly is how the formula would play out in the corporate-ran publishing world where next week's best sellers have to be guaranteed.

Mike E. Purfield could care less what the formula says makes up the rules as he goes. By doing so, he probably passed up his shot at the big bucks. Or maybe not, Mike is publishing DIRTY BOOTS through ... a print on demand service allowing any writer to tell their story and have it see the light of day.

Digital printing hasn't taken off just yet, but more and more companies are showing up everyday on the Internet to give deserving writers like Mike that all to elusive chance at being published. With more books on the way that cast off the shackles of formulaic confinement, it should be just a matter of time before discerning readers take notice of authors like Mike E. Purfield and give them the chances that have been wasted on intellectually devoid corporate lapdogs programmed to cater to pop-culture demands.

I would much rather read someone like Purfield who's out to create the demand rather than kowtow to it.

So, if the back cover offers no insight into DIRTY BOOTS, exactly what is the book about?

That's a good question, and I'm glad I asked it!

DIRTY BOOTS is a brisk road movie of a supernatural horror novel fueled by truly likable heroes and downright loathsome villains who would make the likes of John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer step back in trepidation.

The heroes, Page and Sam, are brought together for reasons that fall somewhere between fate and necessity. There lives are lies and aren't going any place any time soon. Realizing that existence itself is passing them by, they both set out to find betterment.

Then Page accidentally hits Sam with her car. Figuring it's better to enjoy nothingness together, the two share a ride while all hell breaks loose around them.

Told in a lean cinematic style, I was reminded of a less-Texan Joe R. Lansdale. The writing is meat and potatoes; it's never bogged down by overly wordy content. I was able to wiz right through the 235 pages in a single sitting.

It's no surprise that Purfield originally wrote DRITY BOOTS as a screenplay when he was a teenager. Tone and mood are set by reference to bands rather than emotional descriptiveness. A decade ago, when I was Page's age, I too conveyed my thoughts and feelings through song rather than verbal ramblings. The likes of Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cure, and Siouxie and the Banshees always said seemed to say everything I wanted to much more eloquently than I ever could.

Purfield and Page both seem to delight in the same era of music I grew up on. While not told in great prose, with DIRTY BOOTS, Purfield captures an era of my life through music better then he could with the most selective choices of words. That alone could be the reason I enjoyed the book as much as I did.

Either that or the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to the action that traverses genre lines, blending everything that teenage genre fans find cool and interesting. Elements of science fiction, horror, romance, and action, are thrown together and give the reading audience an experience that truly defies description.

Hmm, on second thought, maybe that back cover really does say it all.

Purfield writes like Laymon from the teenage perspective and the psycho's out to mutilate and murder. He has a keen eye for action and it is fast and furious here. He keeps it coming from all angles and makes the pages fly by.

While interesting and a good read, the typos kill it at times. However it's a great story and thickly layered plot that has a couple plotlines going at once. Don't know where the title came from, but this is good stuff from a self-published author who is really quite good.

Recommended reading for fans of Little, Laymon, (Edward) Lee and Jack Ketchum.