This book is intense, difficult, and brilliant in many ways.

Stephen Graham Jones takes on old tropes and reimagines them to explore powerful and important themes. Vampire mythology works very well as a frame to explore the violence of colonization and its effect on identity, language, and community. My favourite parts were probably the periods where Good Stab's narrative becomes increasingly dreamlike and mythological in tone. The fact that Good Stab's story, told through oral tradition, is only recorded in print by a decidedly unreliable narrator, reinforces themes in the novel around who gets to write history and what version of history gets held up as "Truth." There is so much going on in this one to explore and savor.

Although I very much appreciate what Stephen Graham Jones accomplished with this one, I did not always have an easy go with this. I feel like it could have been tightened up a bit and some of the most effective, visceral passages were followed up with anticlimactic repetitive sections that, in my opinion, could have been condensed (particularly Arthur's narrative and some of Good Stab's roaming). I am also, admittedly, not a fan of Westerns, and not a typical reader of historical fiction, so this may be a case of "this style is not entirely for me."

I was also both impressed by and at times exasperated by the language, particularly Arthur's sections. This is less a flaw and more a testament to Jones' skill at writing "of the period." I had an easier time with Good Stab's diction, even with the inclusion of many Blackfoot terms and turns of phrase, than Arthur's. At the same time, with the combination of narrators here, Jones really shows great skill at crafting distinctive voices. Arthur's style of speech/writing is a huge contrast to Good Stab's. I found myself rolling my eyes at Arthur a lot and just wanting to get back to Good Stab's story, which was much more engaging.

Overall, incredible work. Reminder to potential readers to check out content warnings as this one is a doozy. Thanks for the ARC!

I was pleased to receive the ARC through Netgalley and the publisher. The premise sounded appealing. It combines the worst slaughter of native people in American history, the Marias Massacre of 1820, carried out by the US Cavalry. Over 200 indigenous Blackfoot were killed in the attack, mostly the elderly, children and women. To this historical atrocity, the author has added a vampire revenge tale. This is a gruesome, bloody story, with the deaths of people and animals. The killing of buffalo, leading the vast herds to near extinction, resulted in the starvation of many natives. I can read violence in books, and usually have no problem with a challenging writing style, but regret this book was not for me.
Esty is a woman hoping to achieve tenure by publishing. She is an engaging character, and in recent times, she has been in possession of documents written by her great-grandfather, a pastor, in 1912. He described a man as an "Indian gentleman", who attended a couple of his church services. The man, Good Stab, wore clerical garb and sunglasses. He narrated his life as a form of a confession to the pastor, who transcribed his story. The author, Stephen Graham Jones, skillfully writes in a style that I believe reflects how the pastor would have expressed himself in 1912. I struggled with Good Stab's narration. He spoke in English, but many of his native terms were difficult to follow when translated into English. He referred to many animals, but I could only guess his meaning. I struggled to follow, and found myself rereading passages, skimming the pages, or skipping. It was a slow, tedious process, and the writing style interfered with what was basically an interesting, strong story.

I urge you not to be deterred in reading the book based on my misgivings. Many people gave positive reviews.

I really wanted to like this - I found the premise really interesting. Historical vampires and a theological game of cat and mouse between an ancient vampire and a Lutheran priest with secrets sounded like it was right up my alley.

However, the style and pacing detracted from the overall atmosphere, and it was a struggle for me to finish. There was a certain level of detachment from the characters, and I found it really difficult to care about the plot unfolding because I wasn't rooting for either of them, really. The narration was really verbose, particularly in Good Stab's sections, and the style of those sections was exceedingly hard to follow.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

This book was incredible. I was concerned because of the historical fiction element, as it's not a genre I typically enjoy. However, the story was so well-developed that it felt entirely fitting for the time period in which it unfolds.

I believe horror literature plays a crucial role in conveying important narratives, and this book does just that. Full of so many emotions I loved every second of it.

My hope is that everyone who has the opportunity reads this book as soon as it becomes available.

I have loved Stephen Graham Jones’s works for a very long time, particularly his novels. So when I heard he was doing a vampire novel, I was exuberant and overjoyed. “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter” starts off in July 2012 with Etsy Beaucarne — “single, white, 42,” with an Indigenous ancestor. She works in a Communications department teaching undergraduate level courses. There’s a very old diary that the protagonist says was started by their great-great grandfather. A patient librarian tries to help them with it. The person’s ancestor is said to have disappeared in 1912. There’s talk of the Yellowstone River and Sunday Creek. Montana, and something about salvaging hides from calves. It has a very “settling the Old West/pioneer frontier” vibe and a Lutheran church. there’s a memory of the Battle of Little Big Horn. The novel then mostly becomes an epistolary of the diary entries. Even though the author is mostly known for contemporary horror, I’m a huge, HUGE fan of historical horror, so it was very cool to see him go in that direction. It’s a highly readable book.

I am a big fan of Stephen Graham Jones's books, so I knew I had to pick up "The Buffalo Hunter. Hunter." It took a while for me to get my footing. It started slow for me, taking me a bit of time to become accustomed to the language used and begin to understand what was happening. I wanted to stop reading it a couple of times, but I am glad I didn't!

Around the halfway mark, something clicked. The narrative tension tightened, the characters’ motivations became clearer, and the creeping dread I’d been sensing finally exploded. Jones's signature blend of visceral body horror and psychological unease truly took hold. There are scenes in this book that are genuinely disturbing, and they'll stick with you long after you've turned the final page.

This isn't an easy read. It's challenging, often uncomfortable, and demands patience. But if you're willing to stick with it, the payoff is substantial. Jones crafts a bleak and haunting vision of the American West, one that's steeped in both historical trauma and supernatural terror. The writing is sharp and evocative, and the characters, while flawed and often unsettling, are undeniably compelling.

While the slow start prevented me from giving it a full five stars, "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" ultimately delivered a powerful and unforgettable reading experience. It’s a testament to Jones's ability to craft truly unsettling and thought-provoking horror. Be prepared to be disturbed, be prepared to be challenged, and be prepared to be rewarded.

A diary, written by a Lutheran priest, is discovered within the walls of an old, broken down property. Contained within its pages is the story of Good Stab (great name), a Blackfeet vampire who traveled the plains of Montana at the turn of the 20th century seeking revenge against his oppressors.

I feel some readers are going to have a difficult time with parts of this novel. In unburdening himself of his past, Good Stab uses a lot of Pikani terminology that isn’t quite explained. I did have to look up certain names so I could follow where the story was going, but once I got a handle on that, I was more or less OK moving forward. However, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. I thought the novel did at times get quite bogged down in trying to present two main characters in that of Good Stab and Arthur Beaucarne (the aforementioned priest). I get how they are both integral to the story that Stephen Graham Jones is telling, but I think I would have rather eliminated Arthur and reworked it in such a way that it was just about Good Stab.

The author’s approach when it came to vampire mythology felt very fresh and interesting. Good Stab’s description of a “cat man” to describe what he became truly captured my imagination – especially with the depictions of hissing, pointed fangs and running at full speed on all fours; completely naked and covered in blood no less.

It should go without saying that this story is not for those who do not have an easy time with either animal death or just gore in general. However, if you’re picking up a book about a Indigenous vampire seeking revenge against those who murdered his people and also tried to exterminate their food source in all of the Buffalo, what did you expect? In fact, there is a specific scene at about the halfway mark that is without a doubt one of the most uncompromisingly brutal depictions of a vampire attack I have ever read. It completely blew me away to the point where I went back and read those pages multiple times.

As I get older, the more attracted I am to stories taking place during the “wild west” period of American history. The atrocities against the Indigenous population should never be forgotten and stories like these are important. Obviously there were no actual vampires dishing out their own brand of justice, but many of the events herein that formed the backdrop of the story actually did happen and they’re increasingly difficult to read.

I have found SGJones to be an author I have a weird relationship with. I like some of his books, and others, not so much. I found this book hard to get into. I found it was a slow burn, and I couldn't get into the vamires and historical nature of the story. Great author, but miss for me.

ARC Review Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

This just surpassed The Only Good Indians as my favourite Stephen Graham Jones book. A historical fiction, literary horror novel that is original and compelling and defies genre.

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

Deftly combining the history of the slaughter of the Indigenous people as the government tried to clear the land for settlement including the Marias Massacre, with an avenging Pikuni atupyoye (person-eater or vampire) seeking revenge from the napikwan (white people). The rage extends to the white trappers once they begin slaughtering whole herds of buffalo taking only the hides and tongues, leaving all the meat to ruin, but poisoning it so it can’t be used by others.

His thirst for revenge becomes complicated when GoodStab realizes that consuming the blood of his enemies alters his physical form, making him resemble the very people he despises and losing his Pikuni instincts. Horrified by losing even more of his race and culture than he already has, but not wanting to kill from his own community he is forced to wrestle with what is more important to him.

GoodStab’s story is told through weekly confessions to the Arthur Beaucarne, a Lutheran Minister. Following his first confession a skinned body is discovered with his tongue cut out. He doesn’t think the two are related and isn’t believing of the tale he is being told. However, this soon starts to change.

There is a lot of foreboding as you learn gradually why the Minister has been targeted to hear the confession. The questions of morality, Christianity, identity and the truth are examined within this relationship and the confessions of both men.

The second narrative of this story involves Etsy, who is the great, great, great granddaughter of Arthur. When his diary is discovered she is contacted. She hopes she can parlay this find into a publication and get the tenure she is desperately seeking. But after reading the story she is transfixed and not sure what to believe.

This is such an incredible story blending tragedy, horror and history together seamlessly. GoodStab is a haunting character that will tear your heart out and linger with you long after you finish reading. This book far surpasses his previous work in both originality and emotion and is a must read if you love his work or to introduce yourself to him.

Thank you to Net Galley and Saga Press for the ark for The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. This is my first book by Stephen Graham Jones .It was super well written with a great plot and good characters .Looking forward to reading more books from this Author.

a dark, gorey, disturbing historical supernatural story of native american vampire mythology and lore
in 1912 western america a Lutheran Priest turned Vampire's Diary is found within a wall
Haunting the Blackfeet region, a slow massacre leads to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow
told in interviews by a Blackfeet named Good Stab who shares his life over a series of confessional visits

I go into reading a new Stephen Graham Jones knowing that he is usually a hit or miss author for me. I have loved some of his releases and others have simply gone over my head. There is a part of me that feels both happened with The Buffalo Hunter Hunter .

The historical setting in this book is based on the Marias Massacre of 1870 where the US Army murdered over 200 innocent Blackfoot people. American settlers then hunted buffalo nearly to extinction causing mass famine among the Pikuni Native Americans whose land they stole. This history alone makes for a gruesome, devastating and unbearable read. Jones then added in the vampire lore to give us a great revenge arc.

On paper, this sounds like the perfect horror novel for me. And in a lot of ways, when the plot was moving and we were experiencing Good Stab's backstory, I was really engaged. But it felt like the story almost came to a complete stop when we shifted back into the Interview with the Vampire style narrative where Good Stab is telling his whole story to Arthur Beaucarne, the local pastor in this small town. Arthur's POV suffered from a lot of the usual shortcomings I've found from Jones' other works (namely the Indian Lake trilogy) in which we're stuck in a POV where the character is being "fleshed out" without actually adding to the story, and in fact many pages and pages end up detracting from the story as a whole. Eyes glaze over and you find yourself skimming until the end of the page. I found his journal entries really removed me from the overall reading experience and could not wait to be back in the action, learning about the Cat Man turning Good Stab and how vampirism works in this world.

This is where this book really shines. Blending Native American myths into an already established monster lore like the vampire, creating a wholly new creature. Some really great ideas that feel fresh and new in an otherwise overly saturated genre (and this is coming from a girl who loves vampires!). By the time we reached the 80% mark, I was pleased with the narrative shift and thought the ending was very strong. It shot for the fences and it won't work for everyone, but this is the kind of risk taking in modern horror that I look for as a reader. Overall, I am very happy to have read this new book by Stephen Graham Jones, I think a lot of the truly grizzly horror scenes will live rent free in my brain for a long while.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for providing me with an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Haunting. This was a slow-paced horror novel, told through the recently discovered journal of a Lutheran pastor named Arthur Beaucarne who documents the confession of a Blackfoot man named Good Stab. The atmosphere, tension, and twists were top-notch, and I couldn't put this book down.

This would've been a 4.5 stars, but I didn't think that the 2010s/present-day portions of the book were nearly as strong as the rest of the novel. Still a fantastic read that I'll be handselling left and right.

This book is a slow burn terror, but pays off in spades! There are so many layers to this story, and the underlying threat to the narrator keeps the potential horror in the background, but gives hints at what's to come in an enjoyable way. While it took me a bit to get into the writing style, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

This book is written as a diary written by Arthur Beaucarne, a Lutheran pastor in 1912. The journal contains chapters of his life in Miles City, and is interspersed with the confessional tale of Good Stab, an Indigenous man that visits his church to tell his life's story and confess to his indiscretions. As Good Stab tells his story, the horrors of colonization of North America are woven with the resilience of the Indigenous people, specifically the Blackfeet. Good Stab slowly reveals his becoming a nachzehrer, comparable to a vampire, and his desire to get revenge on the people responsible for the Marias Massacre, where many of his band were killed. As Good Stab tells his tale, Arthur starts to question why he's being told this story, and begins his descent into the world Good Stab resides in, filled with rage and revenge.

This book was a slow burn revenge story at its best! The hints into the history of these characters give enough dread to the story, with the additional flashes of gore and horror at what Good Stab becomes. The moments where Arthur tries to reach out to the town sheriff, trying to explain the why certain townsfolk are disappearing, add to his despair and possible madness. This book was a wild ride into the past, with an enjoyable mix of horror and rage.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is predominantly comprised of a 1912 journal written by a pastor that is, in the present day, discovered and provided to the pastor’s great great granddaughter. The events of the novel have their roots in an actual historical event – Marias Massacre – and interwoven with the pastor’s journal are his transcriptions of the oral accounts of Good Stab, a Blackfeet man who appears to have supernatural abilities. Stephen Graham Jones’ writing is incredible as always, the plot gripped me beginning to end, and I found myself simultaneously unable to put the book down and questioning whether reading it right before trying to go to sleep was a good idea. Three Persons / Pastor Beaucarne and Good Stab are both such fascinating POVs, and the alternation between them is really effective. Definitely recommend this novel with my only caveat being that the content warnings it warrants definitely mean it won’t be for every reader.

Content warnings: colonialism, racism, violence, gun violence, murder, torture, death, grief, animal cruelty, animal death, death of a child, death of a parent, rape, child abuse, gore, blood, body horror, injury detail, forcible confinement, genocide – the violence and gore in this book is graphic, on-page, and pervasive.

I've always been a vampire girl, so I was beyond delighted to see that one of my favourite authors was coming out with a vampire story. Every vampire is more than just a vampire, and Jones truly made them his own in The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Thematically, this book is a five star and it's laden with layers of meaning. The magical realism and almost surrealist moments were sufficiently trippy, which I mean as a compliment. I always admire how he's able to blend genres so well. Additionally, all the best Jones stories have at least one moment, either so tragic or so beautiful, that I am (or nearly) moved to tears and this was no exception. However, I do think something was missing for me pacing wise. I almost forgot at times that I was reading a manuscript and that there was a present day narrative happening, since we spend so much time away from Etsy. We do already alternate (mostly) between Good Stab and Three Persons, and she certainly has her say in the end, so I can't be too mad at it. I just think more of her presence would've tied the stories together throughout the book and helped propel the narrative forward in my mind.

I love vampire stories so much. I don't care if they vampires in question sparkle, or can shape shift, or are complete psychopaths, something about them always draws me in. But vampire stories that are full of blood, and gore, and the struggle to hold onto humanity are the best, and this book was full of all those elements.

It's always interesting to see the unique spin an author will put on a creature who has been written about for hundreds of years. And I was happy to see some of the classic traits attributed to vampires present here, I was also pleased with the way vampires were portrayed, and the unique powers they got. Not only was it a cool twist on vampires, but it really lent itself to the story, and made it even more heartbreaking.

It wasn't an easy book to read, there was a lot of violence, and it was super gory. But the most heinous acts weren't even committed by supernatural creatures, and even worse, they were real. I love books where you are rooting for the "monster" to win, and as their acts become more heinous, you start questioning if they really deserve to win.

Overall, an excellent vampire story, that didn't skimp on the gore or story. It was full of lots of history that I wasn't previously aware of and was horrified to learn, and it was woven perfectly with a classic vampire revenge tale.

Going into this after having read the blurb I was like "oh, ok, so like a prairie vampire revenge story. How fun!" and in that first section of the book was ready to yell at Beaucarne, like one does to Jonathan Harker in Dracula, "dude, he's a vampire; all the warning signs are there!" But it was so much more (as always with Stephen Graham Jones).

I was engrossed by the multidimensional depth of Good Stab and of Arthur Beaucarne as characters, and the fullness and roundness of what I would say is an atmospheric story and and the emotions within.

It gave a lot to reflect upon: the western genre and the boosterism-like storytelling of westward expansion; what reconciliation means on a personal level as a settler in 2025; and on a wider societal level isolation and alienation and the epidemic of loneliness that we're hearing about.

Reading The Buffalo Hunter Hunter made me think of my experiences reading The Hunger by Alma Katsu, and Little Big Man by Thomas Berger. Not necessarily read-alikes, but there are similar vibes.

3.5*
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is my second Stephen Graham Jones book that I have read. While I truly enjoyed I was a Teenage Slasher, this one was far less enjoyable to read. While it is not a boring read, it is a very slow and quite tedious book to get through, particularly when Good Stab narrates his story. Here is a sample of his nouns, which refer to people, places and things in the Pikuni world:

Good Stab = Pikuni Vampire (main character)
Otter Goes Back
Kills for Nothing
Never Laughs
Tall Dog
Sun Chief= the sun
Running Eagle Lake
Small Robes
Three Persons =The white pastor
White Teeth
Cat Man= first vampire in the story
Blood Clot Hills
Wolf Calf
Blackhorn =buffalo=bison
This list goes on and on. I had a hard time keeping things straight.

This novel tells the story about the near extinction of the Blackhorn due to napikwans (white people) actions to control the Pikuni (clan of Blackfeet tribe). There is much slaughter, death, blood and gore from actual historical events woven with his fiction, and much truth about Native American vs white man, particularly concerning the slaughter of wild buffalo. The main part of the story comes from a journal written by a pastor in the early 1900's and later found by one of his descendants. American history buffs would probably be the target audience for this novel. I will round up since, although not quite to my taste, this is still a spectacular version of a specific time in American history.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In The Buffalo Hunter Hunter Stephen Graham Jones proves, ONCE AGAIN, why he's a master of his craft.
I sometimes feel silly with how much I yap about SGJ to everyone who will listen and he's quickly become a favourite author of mine.
In this one we've got a vampire story wrapped up in historical fiction. It's gruesome and violent and difficult to read at parts but it's also full of heart and the writing is so solid and so beautiful. An incredible story.

For a more in depth review you can check out my spoiler free youtube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GobQMYS21Fs&t=313s