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Good, Clean Dirt
"His great aunt twice removed would be rolling around in her grave if she weren’t freshly dead and also completely fictional." Why is small-time crook Reuben Weller following around a florist in a remote mountain town? For the money, of course! But things get weird when he stumbles, quite literally onto a very big secret. Watch out for those mountain-dwelling hipsters: they believed in the old gods before it was cool.
- GenresFantasy
196 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 12, 2017
5 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Lee Bradford
7 books28 followersLee Bradford is known to be spotted between the regions of Illinois and Pennsylvania, as far north as Detroit, but rarely further south than Kentucky- apart from one instance in Tennessee, when food was scarce and human influence drove them from their natural habitat.
Their diet consists originally of nuts and berries, but they have become dependent on humans and often rummage through dumpsters for scraps. In this, they are a valuable member of the ecosystem- despite being considered a pest.
Though similar to the Sasquatch in build and structure, Bradford is more closely related to corvids- despite lacking feathers, a beak, or hollow bones to facilitate flight.
Lee Bradford was once a legion of the undead, as it is rumored in central Indiana folklore, and as such have been avoided by most humans unless destiny necessitates their company.
If Lee Bradford emerges from their home and sees their shadow, it means six more months of winter.
Their diet consists originally of nuts and berries, but they have become dependent on humans and often rummage through dumpsters for scraps. In this, they are a valuable member of the ecosystem- despite being considered a pest.
Though similar to the Sasquatch in build and structure, Bradford is more closely related to corvids- despite lacking feathers, a beak, or hollow bones to facilitate flight.
Lee Bradford was once a legion of the undead, as it is rumored in central Indiana folklore, and as such have been avoided by most humans unless destiny necessitates their company.
If Lee Bradford emerges from their home and sees their shadow, it means six more months of winter.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 17, 2017
Lee Bradford is partly known for writing clever, hysterically funny blog posts about life as a retail worker in a craft store. Fortunately, Lee's fiction writing is just as nuanced and full of life as any tale of "slime crafting horror". Good, Clean Dirt reads as a mildly suspenseful tale of cryptids and old legends passed down through the generations, as happens in small towns.
The prose of Good, Clean Dirt is wonderfully illustrative, as Lee not only expertly paints a picture of the events described but also fleshes out each character into a fully realized person. Despite the comparatively short length of Good, Clean Dirt, by the end there's no doubt about the nature of each character and each feels like, if not a friend, then at least a well-known acquaintance.
Lee also has a masterful control over turns of phrase, and it's delightful to see common writing idioms flipped on their head. "If he knew a thing or two about farming he might just sell vegetables, but he didn't know the first thing about farming, let alone the second."
Overall, Good, Clean Dirt is well worth the time spent reading it, and I highly recommend it not only to fans of tall tales and stories of cryptids but to anyone who desires a solid story with a sense of voice a cut above the usual fare.
The prose of Good, Clean Dirt is wonderfully illustrative, as Lee not only expertly paints a picture of the events described but also fleshes out each character into a fully realized person. Despite the comparatively short length of Good, Clean Dirt, by the end there's no doubt about the nature of each character and each feels like, if not a friend, then at least a well-known acquaintance.
Lee also has a masterful control over turns of phrase, and it's delightful to see common writing idioms flipped on their head. "If he knew a thing or two about farming he might just sell vegetables, but he didn't know the first thing about farming, let alone the second."
Overall, Good, Clean Dirt is well worth the time spent reading it, and I highly recommend it not only to fans of tall tales and stories of cryptids but to anyone who desires a solid story with a sense of voice a cut above the usual fare.
February 3, 2023
Why are we here tonight?
The answer is simple: Lee Bradford has a gift for words.
There's absolutely nothing about this that should work, but it does and it does so with gusto. From Reuben's constant search for quick money and easy escapes to Lou's laidback ambiguity and Jane's guardedness, the cast of this book are a thrill to read as these three become a somewhat dysfunctional family.
That's not to say that the plot is lacking though. It's a quick fun romp into a con/mystery that leaves you wondering how magical it can get. amazon lists it as horror but it's funnier than it is scary and the conclusion is like a punch in the heart to make it grow.
The answer is simple: Lee Bradford has a gift for words.
There's absolutely nothing about this that should work, but it does and it does so with gusto. From Reuben's constant search for quick money and easy escapes to Lou's laidback ambiguity and Jane's guardedness, the cast of this book are a thrill to read as these three become a somewhat dysfunctional family.
That's not to say that the plot is lacking though. It's a quick fun romp into a con/mystery that leaves you wondering how magical it can get. amazon lists it as horror but it's funnier than it is scary and the conclusion is like a punch in the heart to make it grow.
June 30, 2022
Interesting
I shall have to update on this later I think; I stopped for a long while so think some of the confusion I have is because of this.
—
I put this down cos I found it hard to read on kindle - that’s a me problem with ebooks. Then i found that I had forgotten some of the backstory (why was Reuben here again? What’s the history of this old god that I have missed - was I meant to have remembered for this twist to work?) but then when I got back into it I enjoyed it - the writing style and characterisation especially. Good read! Happy that there is now a sequel :)
I shall have to update on this later I think; I stopped for a long while so think some of the confusion I have is because of this.
—
I put this down cos I found it hard to read on kindle - that’s a me problem with ebooks. Then i found that I had forgotten some of the backstory (why was Reuben here again? What’s the history of this old god that I have missed - was I meant to have remembered for this twist to work?) but then when I got back into it I enjoyed it - the writing style and characterisation especially. Good read! Happy that there is now a sequel :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely a page turner! It made me laugh, and made a dark day brighter :)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews