Cover Image: The Only Good Indians

The Only Good Indians

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Member Reviews

'The Only Good Indians' was an amazing read eventhough I struggled with rating this book. On the one hand, the horror elements along with the Native American culture representation got me hooked immediately. On the other hand, the writing or the flow just wasn't my favorite. The story is deceptively straightforward. Four native American men are cursed after they hunt a herd of elk when they were not supposed to and are preyed upon by a malevolent spirit seeking revenge. The plot, though it's simple, is elevated by some great horror moments and the creepy atmosphere where it makes you feel the build-up and the tension with a jump-out-of-your-seat payoff. I even liked that this happens many times throughout the book and none of it feels cheap or repetitive. The let down though is the writing. Something about the flow or the style of the author just didn’t do it for me and made it difficult for me to read personally. Despite this, I really liked the imaginative quality and creativeness of the story, the fantastical quality of it not to mention the fact that the scary bits were actually really scary (trigger warning for animal abuse and graphic death scenes).
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around the 100 page mark this became one of the most tense and viscerally uncomfortable experiences of my life. my jaw was on the floor. i literally turned to my dog and said “oh no.”

also the way second person is used *chef's kiss*

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Thematically, this book was both similar and different to other horror novels I've read. A haunting for revenge is not unusual fare for a reader but this particular kind of cursed haunting is. The pacing is that of a good classic horror- slow and steady, increasing in intensity until you're at the edge of your seat by the end, silently screaming for the finish, whether it's ultimately relieving or eerily unresolved. To an outsider, the Native American lives and culture, as well as the folklore, makes it a particularly interesting read.

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Stephen Graham Jones works magic in this novel about a group of Indian friends, haunted by a youthful mistake. Ten years have passed and Ricky, Lewis, Cassidy and Gabe still owe a debt for hunting on a part of the reservation where they shouldn't.

Humor and horror intertwine along with Jones' unique, easygoing form of storytelling, and, while all of <i>The Only Good Indians</i> is enjoyable (if occasionally horrific), the book's final act is all kinds of heart and fireworks. Fantastic and highly recommended.

Thanks to S&S/ NetGalley for the advance reading opportunity. Thanks to SGJ for this and all the others.

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4.5 Stars, rounding up.

THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS, by Stephen Graham Jones, is a novel that kept my attention throughout most every single page. Whether we were in the present time, exploring past events, or changing point-of-view, I never had any question as to what was happening, or when.

We have a set of main characters--each of whom we get to know intimately--who shared an experience ten years in their past that was to forever alter the course of their futures. The pacing was just about perfect, in my opinion, letting me really get invested in the people and events without feeling rushed or missing any pertinent information.

". . . His whole life he's been looking in the wrong places. Why should tonight be any different?"

The emotions were poignant in each scene. This was a novel in which it was impossible for me not to feel invested in every action taken, every word uttered or thought.

This book made me FEEL.

Whether exploring the . . . inexplicable . . . aspects going on, the day to day relations between the Blackfeet and whites, or even the feelings towards those who moved out of the Reservation, the tensions and societal issues are still relevant.

Yes, there is most assuredly horror. Bloody, impossible vengeful spirits, combined with stereotypes both inside and outside the Reservations, and you have a novel that's both visceral and cerebral in its implications. This is the kind of book that continues to haunt you long after its conclusion.

. . . When the whole world hurts, you bite it, don't you? . . . "

Stephen Graham Jones is an author who knows how to deliver on all levels. I'm looking forward to reading more from him in the near future.

Highly recommended.

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Throughout I repeatedly asked myself why I had waited until now to read Stephen Graham Jones, vowing to read everything in his prolific oeuvre. The simple phrase "new favorite author" is overworked but very true. Stephen Graham Jones is exceptional.


THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS is a painful novel to read. I am ashamed of the Caucasian treatment of indigenous Americans throughout history, and as the case of character Ricky Boss demonstrates (reminding me of the Wyoming Matthew Shepard case), continuing today. Just reading it is painful; living it is unimaginable.


But THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS is not Horror only because of wrong-minded people performing wrong acts, nor the main characters living trapped in a history of sorrow and seeming inescapability. It is also a story of Supernatural Horror: one in which the four main characters make poor choices, driven by their economy, need, and resentment; and all the efforts of one, Lewis, come to no avail for any of them, a decade later, at the anniversary of this event.


This is not a book you read and leave behind. This is a book you live.

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This was different to what I expected, but not in a bad way. The book is split into parts, each part following the story of one of the characters. It was a well written story....I don’t want to spoil anything as it is better reading the book as I did, not knowing much at all, so I won’t write more other than to say it was a horror story unlike anything I’ve really read before. I liked reading about a different race and culture and I recommend giving this book a go, it really is worth it.

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When I started this book I had no idea what I was getting into - a fantastic, mythological, Native American tale that makes me hope there is going to be more like this. Gruesome in parts with a fast-paced story line, this is a recommended read for those who enjoy 'folk-horror'. Roll on another book!

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This horror novel is perfect for fans of The Terror. The story sucks you in before you know it and soon you are as unsure and terrified as the protagonists. The blend of folklore and legend, of myth and supernatural, of real and make believe are what keeps you reading long after it’s given you the creeps.

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The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, is a horror story that will make you realize that past mistakes are never truly in the past.

Four childhood friends made a grave mistake ten years ago, when they hunted for elk in a forbidden section of their reservation. None, but one of them, realized at the time that what they had done was wrong.

Ten years later, the same men find themselves haunted by a supernatural entity that craves revenge more than anything.

Let me start of by saying that the premise for this supernatural horror story was excellent. I loved reading about the Native American culture, and life on the reservation. This book had good horror elements to it, and was at times quite thrilling.

That being said, I felt the novel was too drawn out. I understand basketball was a big element in the story, but it was just too much for me. I felt extremely lost in all the play by plays. Also, the writing style was not for me. Some things made no sense to me, so I had to go back a few times to reread some sentences. I'm not sure why it was that way either. The story itself was pretty straight forward.

I know this book has mostly excellent reviews, so I'm in the minority here. I urge everyone to read the other reviews, and then make up your mind.

3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Gallery for the Arc!

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Will appear in print magazine LOCUS April issue. Cannot post until after publication. I also boosted via Twitter and Facebook on January 21.

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This book didn't quite do it for me. There was a lot to like, but ultimately I just didn't love the plot, plus the story's construction didn't feel like a novel, really. The seams where the book switched to a different point of view just felt too visible and contrived to really work for me.
All that said, this did pique my interest toward Jones as a writer so I fully intend to check out more of his stuff in the future.

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"The Only Good Indians" has been getting superb reviews from horror bloggers, but I'm afraid I found it astonishingly dull and boring, with a writing style so tedious I felt I was walking through treacle. If I bought this book after reading one of these many positive reviews I doubt I would ever trust another review again. One of the most boring books I have ever read.

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Being an Indian and loving horror I was excited to get this ARC. The premise was original and intriguing, it drew me in. It turned out to be a huge disappointment. The writing was flat, banal and confusing. It was slow paced adn just never grabbed me.

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Every horror fan should read THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS. Stephen Graham Jones, but so should a lot of other readers. Jones, a Blackfoot writer, uses a bloody, compelling folk tale as a lens through which to examine the realities of life in a contemporary Native community and argue - subtly, without didactic tactics - for the respect we owe our natural world.

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A pretty compelling story, but the writing style was kind of difficult to decipher at times. There were dozens of sentences and paragraphs where I had to ask myself, “what did I just read?” Or “what was the author trying to say?”

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The gist: This is a book of multiple horrors; spiritual, folklore-esque horrors, as well as real-world horrors of discrimination and racism. It’s a deep hearted book, at times genuinely heart-warming, at others shocking and brutal. Set against the backdrop of growing up as an American Indian, Jones explores life on and off the reservations. He introduces us to the four main characters in turn, and you come to know them like old friends. He shows us a small piece of their lives – a tragic coming of age tale, one that ultimately leads to a vengeful darkness pursuing them into their adult lives. He expertly balances the sense of community, tragedy, friendship and horror.

It’s the sort of book that etches images into your mind, leaves pictures sure to revisit you in your dreams. The power and character Jones portrays for the elk is genuinely impressive, the sense of place is brilliantly done, and the pacing draws you in – the book creeps up on you and refuses to let you go.

The Only Good Indians, with its blend of horrors but tinged with hope, proves to be the sort of read that stays with you long after the last page has turned. Hauntingly good stuff.

Favourite line: “Like they’re kids again, learning to break-dance.”

Read if: You want a horror that sends chills down your spine but has a strong, beating heart to it that cuts tenderness through the horrors.

Read with: Definitely no plans to go hunting any time soon.

I'll be posting the review on my website www.thedustlounge.com closer to the publication date

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Well this book just wasn't for me. I could not get on with the style of writing and some leaps that just got in the way of my enjoyment. I know that others have loved this and I usually enjoy horror stories but even more unusually for me I couldn't make it to the end and just gave up. I loved the idea of native indian perspective in a way I hadn't seen before but this was not enough. I read for enjoyment, for NetGalley I will always finish a book but this one I just thought no, enough is enough. So my view is personal but that is what you want.

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THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS, the latest novel by author Stephen Graham Jones, is that rare novel that comes along once in a while and feels like a blast of fresh, crisp cool air for the genre.

Reading it, I likened it to an A24 Horror Film - an independent psychological horror with a fresh perspective, a different idea, an exciting approach to horror. One that shatters my expectations and takes me, a seasoned horror fan, for a ride.

The story goes like this: Four American Indian men from the Blackfeet Nation find their quiet lives disrupted when something from their past comes back to haunt them. Something relating to what these friends did ten years ago.

Beyond the unique perspective that the setting and characters lend to the story, there’s a darkness to The Only Good Indians. One that builds slowly. Like a pot set to boil, it crackles and spits in increasing intensity the more you turn the page. There’s something disquieting at work, something bleak behind the curtain. You can feel that in its opening prologue and you can feel it in the beginning chapters. It only increases this pressure as the novel unwinds.

This tension, this disquieting dread, explodes here or there in fits of gore, as nasty and horrific as any Stephen King or Jack Ketchum novel, as seemingly excessive as an Evil Dead Movie, before dropping back to a more slow and foreboding pace. The end result, for me, was that I was caught off guard. I thought I had the novel figured out but I was often wrong. Which is a nice feeling.

Stephen Graham Jones’ writing takes the style of the stream of consciousness, flowing like a lucid nightmare. Since we’re with the characters every thought, we’re also with their mind when they think reality is shifting and cracking, when their world starts to unravel.

The writing feels effortless, powerful (Where has this man been all my life? I’ll need to dive into his work) and there’s a dreamlike feel that seeps into Jones’ passages. He has an eye for detail, he sets the stage in a way that feels cinematic.

The most interesting aspect of this novel is that it could’ve been a conventional genre piece from start to finish - and that could’ve still been an enjoyable treat - but the novel went beyond my expectations, telling a larger story with a bigger scope. One where you could peel back the layers of these characters and disappear into these worlds.

There are some parts - sections, developments - that feel a little too fast paced for me. I must admit I’m conflicted with this aspect because while it does move at a break neck pace, some developments felt a little rushed to get to a major point. It doesn’t detract from overall enjoyment, I just feel certain aspects - without being too spoilery - could’ve been developed a bit more to draw every bit of tension out.

As it is though, THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS brought me back to a time and place where I was a young horror fan and looking for something unlike anything I had seen previously. It’s a feverish nightmare, a thrilling psychological horror and the first horror novel in a long while that left me with its images long after evening came for me.

If you’re a fan of Clive Barker, Lucky McKee, Stephen King or even David Lynch, I think you’ll be as pleasantly entertained and surprised as I was with this novel.

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This is my first book by Jones and I think I may have found a new author! This book was super engrossing and kept me on my toes. Highly recommend!!

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