Cover Image: The Only Good Indians

The Only Good Indians

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Member Reviews

A night in a place reserved to elders of their tribe , results in an event that continues to haunt four young men. Long after the death and destruction of that night men are tormented to see things they know are not there. Ghosts are appearing and not taking no for an answer. Riveting, gory, heart stopping. All words apply here. A tale of lives changed by the focus of youth.

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This book is a horror story from a unique perspective that haunts a group of friends from their adolescence, through adulthood, and for some to their deaths. Investigating how the actions of our youth can haunt and shape us is something that Graham Jones does so well, and this story is no exception. I hope for many, many more scary stories from Graham Jones to come.

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This was one of the best things that I read last year. I can’t wait to read more from this author. I have already purchased a couple other works from this author. This lived up to all that was said about it.

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I've heard so much about this book since it was published and had been looking forward to reading it.
I'm not sure what I expected, it's a story of four Blackfeet Indians who did a stupid thing when they were young and now it has come back to make them pay. The idea was fascinating and there was a degree of suspense and dread all through the book.
But it moved so slowly I actually found myself wanting to stop reading it, regardless of how well written the book was. There were good horror points, blood and fore to make any horror fan happy but for me the story did not become compelling until the final stand, the last 50 pages or so. If the entire book could have been as page-turning, nail- biting as the ending was I would have given 5 stars.
Thanks to Gallery/Saga press and @Netgalley for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BOOK REVIEW – THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS by STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES – General Fiction (Adult) / Horror

Four young men committed an offense against a herd of elk and contrary to their tribe. Ten years later, they've scattered, as if they can hide from their demons by putting distance between themselves. But curses don’t work that way; they can’t avoid a face-off with their past and woe to anyone standing in the way–like someone’s daughter?

Stephen Graham Jones writes scenes so vivid and full of meaning they rebound on me, returning at odd moments. And I consider why. Am I meant to look for deeper meaning? Is there a lesson for me in that scene? Yes. Of course, there is. SGJ does nothing by accident.

Some find SGJ's writing style "different." They may complain the story has moments of slow pacing. Those moments signal watch out—brace yourself—as I said, he does nothing by accident. There is something angry coming for revenge—on the way to kill every last one of them. And then the twist.

I found The Only Good Indians refreshing, terrifying, thought-provoking, and packed with images that I may recall as I die.

Thanks to Gallery/Saga Press, Pocket Books, #NetGalley, and the author of #TheOnlyGoodIndians for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback, this is it!

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There's a King quality to this, where psychological torment envelops and undoes the characters, mixing heavy gore with more human-facing horror. The structure introduces something of an inequity that means certain sections shine more, and there's a sort of confused metaphor that informs everything, but it ends strongly. So sure, why not.

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This story was frea-ky with a capital F. I've never in my life read anything like this. Every summer, I'm always looking for the one horror novel that will be my fun read for vacation so I was looking forward to reading this one based on all of the kudos it's gotten.

The first couple of chapters were kind of slow because I was trying to wrap my head around what was going on and had to adjust to the writer's style of writing, but by the third chapter, I was hooked.

Even after I got into the story, I was thinking, "many this story is dumb - I don't know how long I'll stick with it" I mean come on, a story about an elk who is out for revenge? Really, how scary can that be? But I was wrong. I was spooked. This was the kind of story that you really don't want popping into your head when you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Was this my great summer horror read? I think so!

Overall, I'm glad I read it.

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I enjoyed the first section of this book and getting to learn more about the characters and this crazy story. It really had me whirling as to what this was about and where it was going. The second portion of the book lost my interest. I had heard great things about this book and was excited to pick it up. Unfortunately the plot and writing weren't enough to keep me interested all the way through.

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Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. I didn't care for this book. I have no issues with the content and am not bothered by horror or otherwise. I really didn't care for the author's writing style, it really didn't have a sense fluidity to me. I know I am the minority opinion and for that reason I would definitely try another book by this author.

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Some excellent horror from Stephen Graham Jones. Tough at times with the many different characters. Crazy story of revenge and karma. Great for horror fans

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It's official: I'm a fan of literary horror.

Especially when, as is the case with The Only Good Indians, there is humor woven in amongst the blood & gore, and the reader is never quite sure who's "good" versus who's "bad."

The tension throughout the story is palpable and perfect, and I loved the choices Jones made with regards to narration. It allows you to feel as if you're constantly slipping in & out of various characters' perspectives, which gets you into the headspace of a collective identity that our four main characters are trying so hard to embody while also keeping it at arm's length.

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I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this book! The author took me on a ride! Lewis made a choice that has haunted him for many years and now it’s back for justice. This is a story of guilt, justice and remembering that really connected me to my Native American ancestors. The Only Good Indians is a heart breaking horror story that I will return to again and again.

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A few starkly brutal horror set pieces are contained within. Jones ventures close to nihilism before finally withdrawing. The structure, which floats from one character to the next, is both a surprise and a barrier to consistent engagement, as we're repeatedly asked to enter new minds and new terrain. An addendum: there are many, many, many commas in this book.

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I haven't read this genre in years but when I read the description of the book, well, it kept haunting me. I requested it before it came out and didn't get it until way after, gifted by Net Galley and Gallery, thank you. This is nothing like any horror I've read before. If you want a cookie cutter horror story, well, this isn't for you. If you want something refreshingly different, grab it and read. At times, hair raising, no perfect characters, a creepy read that my mind will revisit frequently I believe. This book is not for the faint of heart. Takes a lot to 'creep' me...yup it did.

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In case you haven't been paying attention to horror fiction for the past 5 years or so, Stephen Graham Jones needs no introduction.

So, I will assume you've been paying attention.

I've recently read and reviewed his newest release, My Heart is a Chainsaw (out on August 31st), and I feel the same way about that one as I did for this one: Basically, it's more smart than fun. Depending on your point of view, this is either a compliment or a detriment.

As usual with Jones's books, it's conceptually great, and for a patient reader I understand how it can be a rewarding experience. It just doesn't work for me. There are long stream-of-consciousness style passages that bog down the narrative. Over the course of a full-size novel, it wore me down.

To be fair, I am very much in the minority with this opinion. The Only Good Indians is essentially universally praised and has also recently won the coveted Stoker award.

So, am I wrong? Maybe. But I'm just here to be honest.

This review will appear at www.horrordrive-in.com

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What an absolute triumph of a horror novel. This novel kept me up more than one night, either from contemplation or reading it, begging to know what happens next.

The plot itself is told from a dizzying array of perspectives, this I feel is no accident. It keeps you at the best of times on your toes and at the worst scrambling trying to find your footing but all in a good way if that makes sense. It completely immerses you in the theme, the content, the horror, causes you to feel.

The horror is built into the shadows around you then unleashed in a rush of ichor and gore before retreating yet again, where you know it exists biding its time, and you curl up on your couch just waiting for the surfeit of blood and terror to burst forth and consume the world around you.

The moral, the point of the story, is subtle, drawn out, allowing the reader to put the gray puzzle pieces together creating a sense of satisfaction at the end. Allowing you to feel that you were a part of the tale and the teaching. A much more effective approach than bludgeoning one over the head with a line drawn neatly between good and evil.

Excellent, excellent tale, writing, plot, feeling, and pacing.

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A wonderful, literary Native American horror novel that is incredibly empathetic to both the hunters and that which hunts them.
The characters are real, the gore is just right and the end had me holding my breath until the last page.⁣
This is one of the best horror stories that I’ve ever read!
Thank You NetGalley and New Press for this ebook copy!

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After requesting this book, I learned that there was gruesome animal abuse and death. These descriptions are incredibly hard for me to read and cause significant distress. Had I known that the book included this, I would not have requested the book. I will not be reviewing this book.

I wish the publisher would have included a trigger warning or content warning in their description of the book to prevent this from happening.

I will not be publishing anything to Goodreads, Amazon, or BN.

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While impressed with the story, I did not enjoy some of the gorier details of the "Elk Lady's" revenge. The writing is vivid and definitely paints a picture. However, having never read another Stephen Graham Jones novel, I have no way of knowing if this is standard or just to invoke horror. I also felt a lot of the revenge was unnecessary.
A crime against nature was committed when this particular group of men was just a bunch of kids. Yes, definitely old enough to know better but I just felt like it escalated pretty quickly.

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I'm not a reader of scary books, but this got such good reviews and is written by an Indigenous author so I picked it up...and when the first gory thing happened about a third of the way in, I nearly hung it up...but I was really drawn in by the representation of the Native American characters, and (once I got used to it) the writing, so I slowly picked my way through some more pages. Thankfully, the gory stuff is well spaced out and mostly there's a feeling of impending dread, but also, ultimately of power and triumph.

I'm really glad I finished this book, though I don't think I'm a convert to the genre just yet.

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