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The Only Good Indians

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Member Reviews

I was very excited to read this one. The plot sounded super intriguing. I am sad to say I was pretty disappointed though. I found myself lost more than once in the book. I think the writing style is unique, but I kept having to re-read lines and I had a hard time following the story because of it. I think the synopsis is great, but I am sad that I couldn't quite get into this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery / Saga Press for this ARC.

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Wow, ok, so this is an unusual book. It took me a few days after I finished it to really stew on… well, basically everything that happened. Not in a bad way! There are just so many layers to this story, that it really took me a little bit to unpack everything and really think about how it made me feel.

I’ll start off with what I didn’t like. There is a lot of animal deaths. And I’m not talking about a short paragraph or two, or a mention in passing sort of thing. They were drawn out and nasty. I hate violent animal deaths. It didn’t ruin the book but it almost did for me. It was a little much, but all the violence is part of the story, so it’s not a complaint about the author…. I just wanted to put it right up front that if you are an animal lover or someone else who hates to see the pets get killed, here is your warning.

This book is really good, BUT, it does take a little bit of time to get fully invested. Don’t give up on it! It’s got a great plot, but it takes a while for you to feel like you understand what is going on. The first character we really get to know is Lewis, and the way the story starts, we have a very hard time following if Lewis is haunted by a ghost or if he is crazy. For a good chunk of the book, it just looks like Lewis is totally bananas and there is nothing haunting him, or his friends, except for their stupid life choice when they were young.

In a way, these characters are haunted both by an entity looking for revenge and also haunted by guilt and shame they feel for their past mistakes. Even though the beginning felt like it started a little rocky because you aren’t fully aware of what is going on, I really like this blending together of the two different things haunting the friends- the ghost and their shame / guilt. Some how the author makes it two different types of haunting yet also the same haunting. Very smooth touch.

I thought that was really cool because the author did a very good job of showing how differently people react to something terrible that they played a role in. Even though we have the first half of the book from Lewis’ point of view, I didn’t really feel like he was the main character. The point of view switched often between the friends, their family members, and the entity out for revenge. It felt like I got to know each character, even if they were only there briefly, the author really gave them a defined personality with surprising depth. Now, at the very end, the switching between the last survivors and the entity did begin to get a little muddled and it was hard for me for a few seconds to realize we had switched point of views to the entity. (Sorry for the repeated use of the word entity. I don’t want to call it anything else because of spoilers! 😛 )

Normally… I’m not one who feels bad for the people who get killed off in a book (unless it is a series and you kill off a main character!). Not saying I enjoy it or anything, but I just don’t always care too much. Normally I feel like as long as you don’t hurt the pets or the wildlife, do whatever you want with the people! >.> Surprisingly… I ACTUALLY felt bad for basically everyone in this book. Honestly, I found it hard not to feel a connection with them. It may be a different culture, and I don’t know much about Native American way of life, but… everyone has made stupid mistakes. Everyone has anger at a past hurt, a grudge where they felt like they’ve been wronged. Who hasn’t felt like they made the wrong choice on a crossroads decision of their past? Have you ever had something taken away from you, and you feel so much anger you want to lash out whoever or whatever hurt you? To get revenge or to retaliate.

These friends did a stupid thing when they were young. They messed up. I hated what they did, the unneeded disrespect and violence made me so angry 😡 ….but there was a small part of me that had this… stabbing sadness at what happened with the way their lives turned out. Just…… sad. 😦 I was really impressed that the author could actually make me feel empathy for everyone, even the killer, when I normally have a heart of ice! 😮

I don’t want to give a spoiler about the entity, but I thought it was pretty awesome. I saw several reviewers complain about it, that it was a lame idea… but I loved it. I don’t know anything about the folk lore of this entity, but I thought it was beautiful in this book. UGH! I wish I could say more but I can’t without giving anything away! 😡

There are some insane kills in The Only Good Indians! 😮 Seriously crazy and creative. Now, if you are not a fan of violent deaths / squeamish with lots gore, you might have a little bit of trouble getting through some of these deaths? I do not have a problem with violent deaths and I’m not squeamish with gore, so I thought these were pretty epic kills. You knew something was going to happen, but when it finally did you were just like :O OMG!! The motorcycle one…. :O Whoa…

I listened to The Only Good Indians audiobook narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett. He really did a decent job. I thought his accents were good. I’ve seen a small amount of reviewers complain about the dialog being too stereotypical Indian accenty in the racist way. I don’t agree with that at all. If you listen to the author talk in interviews, he does have an accent just like what the dialog and narration of this book sounded like. I didn’t find it stereotypical at all… there was no broken English or choppy speech like back in the old westerns. A lot of Native Americans do have an accent. Some of those complaints just felt kind of ignorant to assume how Native Americans talk or don’t talk.

There are a ton of social issues all through this book. Lots of other reviewers cover the obvious one- racism. So I’m going to talk about what over all message I got from the book. One of the biggest social issue themes of The Only Good Indians boiled down to respect. Respect for your culture. Don’t be a jerk. Hey, whatEVER culture you come from, if there is sacred land or objects…. How about you don’t mess with it? If it is special for a reason, treat it with respect. Special land, church, temple, ruins, graveyard, family heirloom, whatever it is…. don’t be a jerk. Respect it even if you don’t agree with it. It is literally that simple.

Aside from the violence to the animals in The Only Good Indians, this was a really good book. I still can’t believe I actually felt bad for basically every single character. The author did an amazing job with all the feels in all the right places. You really felt their emotions and pain. Only a talented author can pull off that kind of emotion with every character. Yes, the book does start out a little confusing, but if you stick with it, it turns into a very interesting story of revenge. I loved the ending. Sad and sweet. And a great message of just STOP the violence or you will never escape it.

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The Only Good Indians has been getting some rave reviews, and for good reason; it’s extremely well-written and candid, its themes darkly jarring and intense. Unfortunately though, while the book has all these great points and more, as a horror novel, I confess it failed my expectations. The story was a bit confusing. It was slow. And although Stephen Graham Jones does a fantastic job putting his characters in eerie and disturbing situations, I had a hard time actually feeling frightened or even unsettled.

At the heart of this novel are four young Blackfeet men: Lewis, Cass, Gabe, and Ricky. A decade ago, they ventured off their hunting territory, killing a herd of elk on restricted land. As a result, the group faced some serious repercussions from their community, but little did they know, their punishment was far from over. Many years later, they will be made to answer for their reckless violence and disregard for life by a mysterious, vengeful force.

In the present, the book catches up with the four friends and reveals their fates. All of them have moved away from the Reservation and are experiencing strange and disturbing things, and in fact, one of them meets his end in the prologue. One of the our more prominent protagonists, Lewis, also starts spiraling out of control as he suspects he is being haunted by a malevolent entity, after seeing a terrifying vision of a dead elk so much like the one he killed all those years ago. His paranoia taking hold, Lewis starts to become unraveled amidst the pain, terror, and chaos caused to loved ones and friends by his spiteful demon.

This is my first time reading Stephen Graham Jones and I am in love with his splendiferous writing. He clearly has a way with words, and ironically, I think the smoothness of his prose inadvertently diminishes the edginess and grit of the gruesome, dark scenes he tries to write. In other words, as a literary piece, this book soars, but as a horror novel, I found it somewhat lacking. That’s because reading about the terrifying is one thing, but actually feeling terrified by them is another. While the author certainly knows how to set up nightmare-inducing sequences by employing disturbing imagery and some of the grossest, most blood-soaked provocative descriptions you can imagine, at the end of the day, they are still mere words. As well-written as some of these characters were, as realistically as their terror was conveyed, I simply did not feel any of it in my heart or mind.

Then there was the story. I’ll be the first to admit I sometimes fare poorly when it comes to unconventional plot structures, so many other readers will probably have no problems. The Only Good Indians follows a unique and artful storytelling style, unfolding in a way that emphasizes its distinct sections, giving the overall narrative a disjointed, stop-start juddering feel. In between these sections, we also have a lot of meandering exposition which slows down pacing, disrupting any interest building in the supernatural horror aspect.

That said though, while these exploratory, soul-searching passages might not have done the book’s momentum any favors, they added plenty to the characters and the central themes of the novel, highlighting the struggles of cultural identity and generational anxiety. As detached as I felt from the story’s horror elements, it was the weight of the characters’ malaise and disquietude that really got to me. Threaded through this tale are important reflections on family, community and heritage, the expectations and responsibilities they demand on the characters as seen through a Native American lens.

Ultimately, The Only Good Indians was a book that worked for me on some levels but not on others. Had I not gone in expecting a horror novel, I might have enjoyed it more, but well, that’s what the book is billed as and the risk with expectations, eh? Still, I’m glad I read this; I’ve discovered a new author to watch, and with his strong talent for character development and wordsmithing, Stephen Graham Jones is definitely worth reading again.

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Great book and plot twist. I’m not usually a horror fan, but this one had be in it until the very end.

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No tension. Not much of a plot. No character development. No horror. Did not like this novel, very disappointed.

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I'm a big, big horror fan and I was really interested in the premise of this book. The Only Good Indians starts off strong with a good, dramatic, shocking hook, but kind of lost me somewhere in the middle. It's more of a straight-forward revenge slasher than I was anticipating, so maybe my expectations were off.

I just couldn't get INTO it for one reason or another. The characters felt a little flat, which was probably part of it. They didn't have very distinguished personalities. I was also put off by the dog-death(s). If animal violence bothers you, skip this one.

Once the pace picked back up in the last third, it was easier to read. And I did like the ending! It goes out with a bang. I recommend this to genre fans, but if you don't like horror, there's not else much for you in this one.

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Stephen Graham Jones is doing what he does best in this book. He fills you up with a sense of dread and wonder as you turn pages in his new book The Only Good Indians. As you dive into the main character's life you start to wonder how many different ways the past can come back to haunt a person and what it can take to overcome such things.
SGJ wrote what could easily be called one of the best horror novels of the year.

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Finally got around to reading this—it’s a good one! Ten years after an ill-chosen, fairly fruitless hunting trip, four friends are hunted down one-by-one by something quiet, cruel, and willing to wait for a proper revenge. <i>The Only Good Indians</i> is a gripping narrative with graphic, visceral detail, set in the far northern reaches of Montana. I hesitate to add much more, since I think being pulled in without too many preconceptions is the best way to read this one.

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Fantastic new horror. Readers will really appreciate the depth of emotion, the insight to Native culture and the pacing of this book. A great read that our library has added to our collection.

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The Only Good Indians was one of my most anticipated reads for the summer and it did not disappoint. The story follows four friends who we learn had a unique experience while hunting elk in their past. Throughout the story we learn what really happened that day and what is actually following these friends while learning about life for these four young men. This is definitely more literary horror than simply straight-up horror and I loved how seamlessly Stephen Graham Jones integrated the experiences and lives of the four American Indian characters in with the more traditional horror elements. The characters were well developed and as the story shifted between the men, I was able to fully understand the characters and see into lives and circumstances that depict the culture of these men. This book is different from other horror books in its literary take and social commentary and a truly unique villain/monster. Jones' writing is almost conversational so it is quick to hook readers and draw them in to the story. My favorite parts of the book were the writing style and the character development. I also enjoyed the horror aspects but there was a lot of graphically described violence that at some points in the book made it hard to read. I would recommend this book to any horror fan or those who want to read a more literary take on horror from an own voices author. I will definitely pick up more books by this author because this is a book that has stayed in my thoughts long after finishing.

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Okay so it took me FOREVER to get into this book. I was so excited to receive it, and then I was so confused and bored until about 1/4 of the way through when it started piecing together and I really loved it. I also listened to the audiobook which differed from the NetGalley one just slightly.

I really love books with multiple perspectives, and this book definitely delivered the multiple perspectives! I also enjoyed the suspense of wondering what was real and what wasn’t. Which leads me to lean towards it being suspense versus a horror novel. It was a great read with a very different take than I’ve ever read before and I will definitely be looking into future books from the author. I have it 4/5 stars since it did take me a bit to get into, and once I finished I had to swing back to the front and reread the prologue a second time!

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Four native American men stumble across a cluster of elk whilst hunting, what happens next angers something primal yet powerful. Ten years pass and a supernatural entity wants vengeance for their transgression and decides to turn the tables on these men.
The writing in The Only Good Indians is stunning, we're provided a view of into the lives of modern Native Americans and their struggles with cultural identity. This is a great book, although the pacing was a bit slow at times it was still engrossing, heartfelt and unforgettable.

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It took me a while to get rolling with this book, but once I did, I was hooked! It felt like old school horror mixed with a fresh perspective. Highly recommend for fans of classic Stephen King.

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Fabulously creepy horror revenge story! I kept putting this off for a sunny day, because I knew it would be creepy! As it happens, I finished it late one night. In it a group of four friends try to outrun a transgression from their youth and the traditions of their culture only to have it catch up to them one by one. It’s heart-breaking, disturbing, and an insightful look at cultural identity. It’s the best blend of traditional chilling horror and contemporary social commentary.

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I love the horror genre, but this book just didn’t do it for me.

The storyline is good, but it just didn’t come together for me. It took me a while to get through this book. I had trouble connecting with the characters, and then when I finally started connecting with one, he was killed. I think with some rewriting this could be a great story. The end was pretty good.

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This was an amazing book and really does qualify as a masterpiece. Jones' story follows what happens to a group of four Native American friends several years after a hunting trip went awry. The first section here, focusing on Lewis, is a tour-de-force, showing a man gradually breaking down and descending into madness. It reminded me of some of the best work of Ramsey Campbell, who seems to specialize in this sort of thing. The later parts of the book are equally strong, showing each character and how his life has gone along since that fateful day. Some are more successful than others. Some have embraced their heritage, while others seem to be running away from it as fast as possible. But the doom that is coming will seemingly affect them all, good or bad. Really great, three-dimensional characters, with great descriptions of the desolate wild country of the Blackfeet reservation in Montana. This is a gripping book that is an excellent horror novel as well as a meaningful exploration of identity. Strongly recommended, even if you don't normally gravitate toward the horror genre.

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I read SGJ's Mapping the Interior late last year and was very impressed.  So impressed in fact, that I went through and added just about everything he'd ever written to my TBR.  So of course I was very excited to read this.

The premise is this: ten years ago, four friends embarked on an illegal hunting trip.  They knew what they did was wrong.  They did it anyway.  Now, something evil is hunting them back.

The story started out very strong.  I heard the term literary horror for the first time last year in reference to another book, and that phrase kept popping up over and over again in my head while I was reading this.  There was symbolism, biting social commentary, the imagery and tone were perfect.

There were times in reading this I was genuinely unsure if I wanted to continue- not because the book was bad, but because it was just that dark.  I cherished every single word I read in that first fifty percent.  I cared about the characters, I cared about Lewis's marriage.  I cared about their friendships and their pets.  If this had been a novella, and had ended after Lewis's part, I think it would have been damn near perfect.

However, after Lewis's part, we shift POVs.  And while I enjoyed those parts too, I think the problem was that I was already so attached to Lewis I wasn't ready to leave him.  I do wonder if I would have enjoyed this a little more if those parts had been switched around.  I don't think either Gabe or Cass came across as sympathetic as Lewis did, so it was difficult to become reinvested in their story lines after finishing Lewis's.

There's a lot of basketball in this story - so the parts of this that talked about basketball I sometimes drifted off.  I'm less than five feet tall and have always been more inclined towards mental gymnastics then physcial ones, so it's just not my thing, though I think it was used very well here.  Basketball seemed to make up a decent chunk of the second half, so the pace felt inevitably slower, hence the 4 stars instead of 5.

This is very much a supernatural story with a very supernatural ending, so if that's not your thing this may not be for you.  The horror aspect is brutal and visceral - so consider yourself warned.  It won't be for everyone.

But if you think you can cope with it- I highly recommend trying this out.  I was even more impressed with this than the last SGJ book I read, and I'm eager to read his other works.

The Only Good Indians released on July 14, 2020 and can be found on GoodReads or Amazon.  Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

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Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for an ARC of The Only Good Indians! This book was different than my usual reads, and I enjoyed stepping out into the horror genre.

The book focuses on a group of friends who make a dire mistake while on an elk hunt that affects their lives for years to come. The setup of the event was a bit meandering, and I had to re-read parts to really understand what had happened. It took awhile for me to get into the author's writing style, but once I did, I began to enjoy the story. The horror scenes came out of nowhere at first, and I was a bit blindsighted, but also intrigued. The book weaves in a bit of cultural identity and how the main characters grew up understanding their American Indian heritage. I quite liked this aspect, but the rest of the book was just okay and I wanted more character development. Since the book was set up as short stories, it was hard to get to know each character. I thought that Lewis' character was the most developed, but I still didn't understand the intricacies of why he acted in a certain way.

The Only Good Indians was a decent book with many enjoyable parts, but unfortunately it wasn't a favorite.

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I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started this book and it truly blew me away. It is a horror book in every sense of the word, I often had to put the book down at times. It is chilling, eerie, and so well written. Would definitely recommend for anyone in the market for a scary story.

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This is a fantastic book that avoids easy categorization. The story is incredible--fast paced and well told--at the same time as it evokes ancient tales and deep horror and sorry. A nearly perfect tale.

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