This is my first full dive into Stephen Graham Jones and what a start. I have been meaning to read his books for a while now and will definitely be reading more. My only "negative" is the book to me felt over long but the payoffs were so worth it I can't really knock it for the length. His take on the vampire is wholly unique and mixture of other cryptids and folklore type monsters that blends incredibly well. A lot of the situations you knew were coming or how they would go but at the same time incredibly original and surprising in payoff. Its historical backing also makes it all the more terrifying. In its quite moments it is tense and contemplative. In its loud moments it is bloody and brutal. This book tears you open and curls inside where it will stay for many years to come.

I want to preface this review with my {strong} belief that not every book captivates every person. More specifically, not every person loves every book. And, quite honestly, that is okay. There now, I have conveyed my belief and can proceed with my most honest review of The Buffalo Hunter. I gave this book two stars and stand by that rating. I found this book to (here goes...) strange. At face value, the plot was interesting. However, I really struggled with how the author used, and convey meaning for, Indian names for animals, places, people, and things. I do not have any problem with those names occurring, especially in a historical fiction book whose origin lies in Indian lore. However, names were often introduced without explanation of translation into English. Translation did not occur until pages, or even chapters later, and often required inferences as to what was being discussed. Overall, I felt that this add an element of confusion to the story that I struggled to overlook.
I did feel that the book’s slow point occurred during the first 250 pages but gradually improved in both speed and overall enjoyability. Enjoyability also improved as I begin to learn and associate the words used by Good Stab during his confessions. Overall, I would caution any reader before picking this book up to be willing and ready to undergo a literally challenge by taking on this book. Is it a bad literally challenge, no... but it is a challenge.
Thanks to the Stephen Graham Jones, the publisher, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

I am absolutely enamored with this book! I found the layout and storytelling to be amazing, though my only issue is that I feel that it took a bit too long to truly get into the story.

I really struggled with this one! The premise and the story were so good, but I found the writing really hard to get through. It was written like it was from the 1800s and a lot of indigenous words were used that I didn’t understand. It took me a long time to finish because of that. But it was really good otherwise.

“What I am is the Indian who can’t die. I’m the worse dream America ever had.”

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a chilling historical horror novel set in the American West, where a Lutheran priest transcribes the life of a vengeful vampire haunting the fields of the Blackfeet reservation. The narrative is rooted in the real Marias Massacre of the Blackfeet in 1870, during which the U.S. Army killed 217 members of the Blackfeet nation - primarily women, children, and elderly men suffering from smallpox.

“We just wanted to live…how could you shoot us in our winter lodges?”
“You weren’t even there,” I told him.
“The best part of me was,” he said."

Written in an epistolary format, this is an unflinching tale of revenge (possibly the most brutal revenge arc i’ve ever read - like that ending??!) that unravels over the course of 100 years. Pretty sure my heartrate was steadily increasing throughout the course of the story, and once I passed the ~250 page mark, I could not put the book down. The tale is immersive, disturbing, gut wrenching, and thrilling all at once, and I wish I could experience it for the first time again.

I particularly liked the way that The Buffalo Hunter Hunter offered a haunting reinvention of vampire lore - I won’t spoil the details, as the surprise is part of the thrill, but as someone who is often drawn to stories of immortality, this one stands out as perhaps the best I’ve read. SGJ captures the emotional depth of Good Stab's heartbreak so vividly, as the immortal Indigenous vampire is forced to live through the gradual erasure of his people, culture, and homeland. The narrative also so masterfully subverts the conventional notions of monstrosity, and is just a brilliant story overall.

This is definitely a book that I will be thinking about for a long time (it's already getting better and better the more that I think about it) - that said, please note that this book gets extremely dark and graphic at times, so please proceed with caution.

“This is my telling for today. The pipe is empty.”

DNF @ 50%

I was listening to this one on audio and found my mind wandering the majority of the time. It’s a slower pace and just not what is going to hold my attention with my current reading mood. I gave this one to the halfway point and decided I was doing myself a disservice and stopped listening.

4.75 stars

Thank you to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Shuster, and Netgalley for the free copy to review.

This book is so incredibly crafted and cleverly plotted. I did struggle a little bit to become sucked into the story at first, but it didn’t take long for me to find it hard to put down. Cover to cover this book is filled with history, horror, and humor. Good Stab is one of the best antiheroes I’ve read in a long time. He was the villain of the story, yet I feel like everything he did was definitely well deserved. This is only my second SGJ book and I cannot wait to read more by this author.

Book: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
Author: Steven Graham Jones
Publisher: Saga Press
Pub Date: March 18, 2025

Let me start by saying that I have never read this author and he is a very well-loved horror novelist. But I could not get into this book at all. I really struggled and I tried. To sum it up – short version – I didn’t feel smart enough to read this book. This is essentially a story within a story within a story and told from three different points of view – Etsy, Arthur and Good Stab. I didn’t understand one word of Good Stab’s point of view – it was as if it was in a foreign language. Also, if the summary hadn’t told me that this was tracing the life of a vampire who was haunting the fields of the Blackfeet reservation I would have never known. I love the cover of this book and I so wanted to love it. I may pick it back up later and try to slowly get through it and see if I can better understand it.

Thank you Saga Press and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is March 18, 2025.

Thank you to Saga Press and Netgalley for my advance e-copy and Aardvark Book Box when I was too impatient for a physical copy.

This is my 7th Stephen Graham Jones book so there's no doubt here that I'm already a fan of his. Not everyone connects with his rambling style but I'm fully invested in this man's work not just because of how he writes, but what he writes about and how he approaches the genre of horror.

This particular story is a new take on vampire lore. This is a historical fiction book about a horrific period in history where buffalo were being hunted to extinction and native tribes were being massacred - both by white settlers. This is a revenge story about one man with a curse he didn't ask for figuring if he can both satiate his hunger and maintain his identity. This is about another man hiding behind virtue and religion to avoid addressing his role in the horrors. It's about how history informs the present and how we look at the harm caused by our ancestors.

There's layers upon layers of good shit here. Endlessly impressed with this man's work and I do think this one is masterful.

Something about Stephen Graham Jones's writing style occasionally irritates me. Not always. I have enjoyed a few of his works (Mongrels, Night of the Mannequins).

This isn't one of those.

I was bored early on, and he never hooked me. But I'm sure everyone will disagree, and this will win all of the awards again.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a fantastic historical fiction horror story from one of my favorite authors. It has a pacing similar to his other work so I found myself flying through this to find out what happens. In the beginning, I had a little trouble with all the different names but got used to it soon enough. I wish I had read about the events this book is based on, it would have given me a heads up to who was who in the story and what was being avenged. This is a great story and the ending will blow you away. Loved it!

Thank you to Saga Press for the digital ARC and Libro.fm for the ALC prior to release!

This was my first five-star read of 2025 and a book I will be thinking about forever!!!
Stephen Graham Jones is absolutely brilliant. He wrote this book in 10 weeks, and I am afraid of his brain, truly.

This novel is told in epistolary format from three different narrators—each with their own voice actor on the audiobook, which I HIGHLY recommend for a very rich experience.

In 2012, Etsy Beaucarne is contacted about a journal hidden in a church house wall, written by her ancestor, Arthur Beaucarne, a Lutheran pastor. Dated in 1912, Arthur’s journal describes his experience preaching in rural Montana and his encounters with a Blackfeet man named Good Stab, who claims he is an immortal vampire. But in listening to Good Stab’s story, Arthur reveals some secrets of his own…

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is rich with so many things, but above all, this novel is a story about revenge and justice and REAL horror—not rooted in the mystical, but in racism, murder, vices and guilt. Good Stab’s tale is full of Blackfeet culture and legend, but he also describes the way white settlers destroyed Indigenous communities’ native grounds and the people and animals dwelling there, like the buffalo. Having this story recounted by Arthur—and paired with his biases and offhand comments about Native Americans—showcased the tensions of the time period and the terrors inflicted upon the Blackfeet.

“What I am is the Indian who can’t die. I’m the worst dream America ever had.”

The mystical is primarily the framework for the story, but wow is it great. I loved SGJ’s take on vampirism and the ways Good Stab survives and evolves as he learns about his fate. He feels so many things about what happens to him—guilt, shame, regret, power, vengeance—and we see them all acted on over the pages.

The voices in TBHH were very rich but at times challenging. Arthur’s sections, in particular, were rambly (the man loves a tangent about food) and dated, while he postured as “educated” and “high-brow.” Good Stab’s voice was much more grounded, even though he uses Blackfeet terms for animals. These were unfamiliar to me at times, but context helped a lot. The way the POV shifts between Arthur and Good Stab’s chapters kept me engaged, and I was eager to push through slower parts to discover what happened to this small but intense cast of characters.

TBHH is historical, terrifying, shocking and funny all at once. It has a very different tone to some of SGJ’s other books (for example, I was not a huge fan of Teenage Slasher, but devoured this one). It’s simply an outstanding, gruesome, slow-burn read that, like Good Stab, you can really sink your teeth into.

I am a huge SGJ fans so I am very grateful to Saga Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a historical horror fiction novel. The story follows a diary written by a Lutheran Priest transcribing the life of a vampire set our for revenge.

Rating: 4/5 stars ⭐️

Historical fiction and horror are two of my favorite genres so I was excited to dive into this book. I was not disappointed. The historical elements mixed with horror were incredible and had me on the edge of my seat. This book is devastating in the best ways.

This novel speaks on historical events and it’s devastating to read but it’s incredibly important to be educated. It definitely gives more understanding to Good Stabs motives.

The pacing is a bit slow, so there were times my mind did wonder while reading, but I was always drawn back in.

I am a huge Stephen Graham Jones fan! I have read numerous books of his and loved them all! So I couldn’t get Buffalo Hunter Hunter fast enough! I even preordered the special edition. However, it just did not work for me. I’m not sure if this is more of a timing thing, or if it’s just not for me. Which is fine, because I know not every book will be! But I wanted to love it so much. It’s more historical fiction and was too slow for me. I couldn’t stay in the story and found my mind wandering. I will absolutely continue to read Stephen’s books and can’t wait for what’s next for him.

Historical fiction horror... vampire lore in the old west. Two of my favorite genres but with vampires- I'm hooked! The historical information, based on the Marias Massacre, in this book was very interesting. It was something I knew little about but was intrigued to know more. Stephen Graham Jones is a master of horror. This book, while intriguing, was also very disturbing to me. It was a no night reading book for me! Thank you to Saga Press and Net Galley for the advanced copy!

Stephen Graham Jones continues to be one of the hardest working writers, and one of the best, in his genre. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is an incredibly dark, challenging read set in the American west against the backdrop of our very real genocidal history - particularly the massacre of Piegan Blackfeet Natives peoples by the United States Army, and the near extinction of the buffalo.

The horror novel is told in alternating points-of-view; the story follows a Lutheran priest who transcribes the life of a vampire stalking the fields of the Blackfeet reservation seeking revenge and justice.

I know that Jones is not everyone's cup of tea - this is a difficult book from start to finish that ultimately satisfies and rewards the reader. It's also a deeply entertaining and absorbing informative piece of historical fiction.

A very special thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for the advanced copy - The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is now available for purchase.

Love, love, love Stephen Graham Jones. This book is no exception. Thank you for the ARC and the opportunity to read! If you’re already a fan, purchase and enjoy! If you’re new to Stephen Graham Jones, purchase and, once finished, gobble up the rest of his books!

Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a western with dark fantasy elements. What I loved about it is that it captures the spirit of a western without the problematic components of celebrating colonization over indigenous people. It is emotionally difficult to read because Stephen's eloquent prose emotionally cuts to the core.

This book definitely touched some really tender places of my heart in the best possible ways. I am grateful I obtained a review copy through Netgalley. You can't go wrong with anything by Stephen Graham Jones!

I'm so pleased to see what Stephen Graham Jones is doing for horror right now, getting it on the shelves at big box stores, bringing it to a wider audience, making them check out obscure slasher movies from the 70s. All that and more. Thing is, it might just be time to accept his work doesn't agree with me. I'd like it to, like when you eye up an ad for a spicy burrito, and think maybe this time it'll work out. Alas.
The epistolary nature of this one is intriguing, and some of the ideas revolving around how vampires change depending on their food source, and choices that must be made, treatment because of it, they are as unique as they are fascinating. For me, what it comes down to is execution. I found the book murky and bloated, hard to follow at times, and even when it wasn't, not riveting to make me want to pick it right back up. I recognize that some of these issues are there very thing Jones's regular readers eat up, so if you enjoyed The Only Good Indians or I Was a Teenage Slasher, you might absolutely fall in love with this book. It just wasn't for me, and that's okay.

This is a brilliant, unique take on vampires, with the potential to become a future classic. I will start off by stating that you have to be in the right mindset for this if you are not used to reading historical fiction, with a very unique execution. This is told in an epistolary structure, from a pastor in the early 1900s whose dialogue is old fashioned and long winded. This was heartwrenching, brutal, eye-opening, and terrifying. The descriptions were vivid, allowing the reader to capture the atmosphere and imageries throughout. This wasn't just a horror story. This was a beautifully written tale of injustice and retribution. Four and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Saga Press, for this ARC.