Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Canada, Saga Press, and Stephen Graham Jones for the ARC.
Pub Date: March 18, 2025

Stephen Graham Jones cements his legacy as a master of genre-bending horror with The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, a haunting, blood-soaked masterpiece that merges the Western frontier with the supernatural dread of vampirism. This is easily one of the most original vampire tales I’ve ever read—intense, unrelenting, and filled with a searing undercurrent of grief and fury.

At the heart of this story is Good Stab, a Blackfoot man turned vampire, grappling with the loss of everything he’s ever loved. Stripped of his family, culture, and land by the hands of settlers, Good Stab finds himself cursed with eternal life and a hunger that mirrors the relentless greed of those who have destroyed his world. His journey is one of vengeance, survival, and reckoning with the true horrors of colonization—horrors that no fangs or claws could rival.

Told through journal entries as a confession to a Lutheran priest, the narrative weaves past and present in a way that feels both intimate and epic. Good Stab’s voice is unflinchingly raw, delivering moments of vindictive satisfaction while also exposing the crushing weight of his unending pain. Jones captures the brutality of the Wild West with unflinching precision, painting a landscape soaked in blood, betrayal, and broken spirits. The addition of vampirism heightens the horror, transforming Good Stab into both predator and prey in a world that offers him no sanctuary.

This isn’t just a story of revenge—it’s an exploration of the wounds inflicted by colonization and the resilience required to face them. Jones’s writing is as sharp as the teeth he describes, delivering gut-punch after gut-punch as the story unfolds. The violence is visceral, the rage palpable, and the sorrow deep enough to drown in. And while there’s an odd vindication in Good Stab’s vengeance, there’s also a sobering reminder that some wounds never truly heal.

Trigger warning: This book features graphic violence, including extensive animal deaths.

Big thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for this ebook via NetGalley.

WHERE DO I START.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is an incredibly well-written novel that explores oppression, vampirism, integrity, loyalty, moral rightness & how all of these things affect us as humans. I didn't know until after this novel that the massacre we learn of actually happened. The way SGJ orchestrated the conversations and interactions between the two main characters ( the pastor and Good Stab ) was so well done, I was constantly trying to get to the Good Stab chapters. I needed to know more, but SGJ forces us to read through the old-fashioned language (purposefully) from the 1800s wherein the pastor that pens them frequently mentions the indigenous people as "around for now" or "will be gone soon", succumbing to bigotry himself in small phrases or words that could be easily missed. We find out later the source of these feelings for the pastor, in a turn of events I didn't see coming and that were written with true events in the vicinity. Good Stab himself rolls through emotional turmoil after turmoil, constantly having to make decisions that he questions morally because he has no other choices. The book concludes stunningly, albeit slightly unsettlingly and sort of without a full conclusion, as is the way of SGJ.

I wasn’t sure what SGJ’s interpretation or adaptation of the vampire would be. He’s always managed to bring something new to the table and he does it here too. I think his take on the vampire—which I don’t want to spoil so I’ll remain vague—-adds a really complex layer to the idea of being able to hold onto your humanity, your identity.

In our current literary world that’s full of many takes on the “ethical vampire”, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a bloody revenge story. It’s a tale on the responsibility those who have caused harm owe and how that can be past down by generations. There are absolutely some more gore heavy scenes in this but the real horror is just American history..

Stephen Graham Jones strikes again with another beautifully written piece of horror that is as heartbreaking as it is unsettling. Set against the stark backdrop of the American West in 1912, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter weaves a tale that is both chilling and deeply rooted in Indigenous history.

The story unfolds through the journal of a Lutheran pastor, whose discovery in a wall decades later reveals a haunting confession from Good Stab, a Blackfeet vampire seeking justice. Each transcribed interview builds layers of terror, grief, and reckoning, tracing the aftermath of a massacre that left 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow.

This isn’t just horror for the sake of fear—it’s a story of survival and vengeance, a sharp critique of historical atrocities, and a reminder of the lingering scars borne by those wronged. The tension is palpable, the prose lyrical, and the atmosphere so thick it feels alive. Every page carries the weight of history, the specter of generational trauma threading through the narrative like a ghost that refuses to rest. The interviews unfold with chilling precision, each revelation cutting deeper than the last.

Stephen Graham Jones proves, yet again, why he’s one of the genre’s finest voices. This is horror with a soul—a tale that lingers long after the final page, whispering truths you won’t be able to forget. Prepare yourself for a journey that will leave you haunted, shaken, and in awe. This isn’t just horror; it’s a reckoning.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada | S&S/Saga Press for the opportunity to read and review The Buffalo Hunter Hunter prior to publication.