Let me say, I usually hate Vampires. Unless they are proper monsters. Make of that and the 5 star rating what you will.
This book ripped my heart out in ways I never anticipated from a horror book, and such a gory one, too. So much blood! I loved Good Stab, his story was just heartbreaking. I liked Arthur (until we got to know him better) but not to the point where I wanted him to get out of this unscathed. The style Good Stab speaks in is a bit harder to get into but absolutely worth it. SGJ made it fun to learn something new here! The setting was fantastic and I love the epistolary style as well as the side characters that were only as fleshed out as they needed to be to add just the right amount of background and colour.
The themes of loss of identity, loss of one’s people and homeland hit hard and felt very modern, true, and current in light of what is happening around the world right now. Good Stab being infected by a white man, becoming what he is, committing the same atrocities out of pure necessity while fighting to feel like himself again, keeping what is left of his identity and having it ripped from him over and over in so many ways… Could have been a bit heavy handed but wasn’t. It made sense, it was sad. It hurt, everytime.
I was super tense half the time, I did not experience that in a long time. And then, at around 75%, I realised I am at the climax but there is so much book left? I literally yelled at things when I remembered the framing story and I was afraid! And was right to be. The end was great, that’s all I can say. I hope the cat made it out alive. Both times.
A very strong contender for my book of the year and I ordered a signed special edition because this book deserves a spot on my bookshelf.

The Blackfeet Tribe has a dark history in America. Let's face it, there's a lot of dark history in America and we might be creating more, even as I write this. What this book does is enlighten readers about some of that history, and it entertains as it does so. Because this tale is told by a Native American vampire to a priest. Yep. A vampire and a priest.


The narrative is framed by a woman receiving a diary written by one of her ancestors. As she begins, the point of views switches to that of the priest that originally wrote the diary. From there we learn about the Lutheran priest of a small flock in Montana near the late 1800's, who has a Native American,(named Good Stab), dressed in robes and sunglasses, show up at a Sunday service. He keeps coming and before long requests the rite of confession. His confession goes on for weeks and is recorded in the diary. And that's all I'm going to say about the plot.

Regarding the story itself: I'll be upfront, it's long and sometimes it is difficult to read. The language the priest uses while he is writing in the diary is typical of the time period. The language where the narrator is Good Stab, (as transcribed by the priest), is a bit difficult to get used to. As he is Native American, he has words for people/animals/plants/everything in his language and he isn't proficient enough in English to do otherwise. For this reason, one must read for a while and naturally throughout the story, you figure out what a Blackhorn is and what dirty-faces are.

As Good Stab's "confession" goes on the reader becomes more and more horrified. We can't forget that Good Stab is a vampire with all that that entails. Make no mistake, while this is historical fiction, it is also horror. There are plenty of guts and entrails to go around. That said, this reader thought the vampire was pretty tame to what the white man did. Because this book piqued my curiosity, I went looking for the historical event on which this book pivots. I discovered that it was far more horrific than what any vampire could do, mostly because it's REAL and it happened.

Many people probably remember the film Dances with Wolves and the despair which the Native Americans experienced when the buffalo started being slaughtered. Entire tribes depended on the buffalo for everything, and without them they could not survive. Imagine how they felt when they saw their land covered in dead buffalo and the bodies left to rot. It's one thing to see it, as in the film, but it was another thing entirely to hear the story from a man who was there. It becomes more immediate and more painful when you do.

In spite of all this darkness,, there were a few hopeful spots...or at least they were hopeful for a little while. There were a few poignant spots as well, and I know I was not the only one to cry over Weasel Plume.

I initially rated this 4 stars, but on thinking it over I'm going with a 4.5, rounded up for places like Goodreads where half stars aren't allowed. I absolutely loved this AND I learned a lot, but I do think it was a smidge too long in the middle. A time or two, I found myself reluctant to return to it, but that could be just a "me" thing. The news these days is rather dark and sometimes I couldn't abide reading such a dark tale at the same time these things were happening.

Overall, I think this book is a FORCE. It's a voice out of Native American history, one that many of us didn't learn a lot about in our youth. It was sort of glossed over, like Christopher Columbus' story was, and I believe that was a disservice. Not learning about your country's mistakes, things your country should be ashamed about, does nothing for anyone. We are doomed to repeat history if we do not learn from it, and how can one learn when the teacher's are not teaching? This lesson apparently is one we still have not learned, as books are being removed from libraries all over the country RIGHT NOW.

These are my takeaways from this tale, another reader may have a completely different takeaway. All I know is that I was moved in many ways by this brutal tale, and for that I think Stephen Graham Jones is an American treasure and I highly recommend The Buffalo Hunter Hunter!

*ARC from publisher

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is, at it's core, a vampire story - but it's not like any I've ever read before. This is the American West meets Indigenous folklore, and there's no 'Dracula style' blood-suckers here. This is a Blackfoot man turned undead who seeks the Buffalo hunters and agressors to his people in a brutal, blood-thirsty act of vengeance, and it was fascinating and terrifying at the same time.

The story wasn't scary in a traditional sense, but it was unsettling and gory and full of horrors on a human level. It explored the true evils of man, inflicted on Indigenous people, and it didn't pull any punches whilst doing it. I admit I don't have much knowledge of American/Indigenous history (UK doesn't really teach it in school so any knowledge I have is what I've learnt and read on my own), and this story really opened my eyes to parts of history that get swept under the carpet or re-written by those in power.

I enjoyed this one, but something didn't quite click enough for me to love it. The story was very slow moving, which gave me time to absorb the story and history being told, but it was a little too slow for me at times. I can appreciate this book though and the skill of Stephen Graham Jones' writing and storytelling - it was given such space to shine throughout, and I just know so many people are going to really really love this one.

It's worth highlighting that there's brutal violence within these pages, in general and towards the Blackfeet. It's gory, it's bleak and it's bloody, but it's worthwhile and it holds a torch to violence that often gets overlooked and written out of American history.

I have been meaning to read a Stephen Graham Jones book for a long time now and I am so glad I was able to read this one. As someone who doesn’t know a lot about the specifics of American history, I found this a fascinating way to discuss such a horrific event.

This book is not for the feint of heart, it is brutal and bloody and will make you uncomfortable. The story is told not just through three different perspectives, but through three different avenues which was a stylistic choice by the author that I really admire. You start the novel with Etsy who is in her early 40s and needs something that will help her bid for tenure, so when she is presented with a lost journal from her late great-great-grandfather, a Lutheran Priest named Arthur, she sees this as an opportunity. In the journal entries we not only get the perspective of Arthur, but we also get our third and final perspective, Good Stab, who is a Blackfeet man who has had his ‘confession’ transcribed by Arthur back in 1912. One of my favorite parts of this novel was that the language of Good Stab’s perspective was not tempered in any way. This meant that as a reader, you had to not only focus on what is being said to you but also the context and work to understand what you’re being told which felt authentic and enriching to the story.

This book holds a spotlight on an awful moment in American history while blending supernatural elements throughout the story to make it compelling, disturbing and brutal.
I would recommend treading cautiously with this read and also taking some time to research the events of the Marias Massacre to gain the full perspective of the events that took place.

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Read if: you want a novel that's 50% historical fiction, 50% horror and 100% truly horrifying

The horror in this book is excellent vampire horror but it's also a story based on a real and violent genocidal history. SGJ does an excellent job of blending the supernatural horror with the real horrors and brutality of this history.

I'm not usually scared by horror books, I struggle to picture the horror in a way that feels real to me, but this book really got me. Some of the scenes in this book will stay with me for a long time. The descripton of the settings and the characters were so good and really helped me immerse myself in the story. If you, like me, are not from the US you might need to do a bit of work to understand the terms and the history used to tell this story, but I think it's work well worth doing.

Stephen Graham Jones always manages to make me feel for his characters, even if they only appear in the book for a few brief sentences. The way he uses his main characters to anchor you in the world and to build a sense of community or hostility with the side characters is excellent and means that you'll come out of this book feeling some kind of way about every character.

While I still think no one can rival Jade from his 'The Angel of Indian Lake' trilogy as a main character, Good Stab sure comes close. Another outstanding book from Stephen Graham Jones and certainly one that will stay with me for a while.

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones delivers his unique spin on the vampire genre in this often raw and bloody epistolary novel that is infued with the monstrosity humanity is often capable of.

Stephen Graham Jones has long been a favourite of mine in the horror genre and this latest offering cements his status as an all-time great. It is up to its elbows in blood and guts with this creeping tale of vengeance. You feel hypontised, unable to pull yourself away from the pages. It is eerie and slithers under your skin with the build-up and the explosive acts of violence. I loved the wraparound and the way it tied into the timelines at play here. This is ultimately the tale of the cycle of colonial violence and the reprecutions this has through history, into the present day. There are unimaginable acts of horror that still are not accounted for – violence that goes unanswered. This book is unflinching and brutal in its depiction, highlighting these atrocities. It is bloody and raw and horrible.

It is important to note that Good Stab’s story is being narrated through the voice of the coloniser – it is through his writings that it is preserved and brought to a new generation. Even now, he is not allowed the liberty of his story to be presented wholly by himself. We get these fragmented snippets of the story through confession-like excerpts of Good Stab approaching the priest, though not all is as it seems. There is a mastery of narrative form at play here with plenty of layers to unpick and rich imagery to unpack. Stephen Graham Jones has a brilliance of phrasing, making you pour over a sentence time and time again even as it makes your stomach churn. The use of the epistolary form here evokes classics of the genre, but subverts expectations and offers a unique insight into certain matters. It is a brilliant move, how it all culminates.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter at once pays homage to the greats of the genre and offers something entirely new, soaked in the blood and violence of colonialism and the genocides that stain the soil of our world still.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

A slow-paced horror story, that has an amazing twist on the vampire lore! I liked how the historical elements were interwoven with the chilling parts of the book, which then kept me entraped. My only issue with this book was that I had a hard time keeping up since English is not my native language, but once I got into it (and googled some words), it was amazing!

A different kind of vampire book where the true horror is the massive amount of horrific history people in power hide.

An academic discovers a journal from her great-great-grandfather, Arthur Beaucarne, a Lutheran pastor in 1912 which chronicles a bloody, gory history of a confessor who comes to him. Good Stab is a Blackfeet vampire, set on a path of reckoning and revenge.

I cannot deny Jones has mastery over his craft - chilling scenes, gory horror, delectable prose. However, at other times, the narrative took a plodding pace of: this happened and then this happened almost like a textbook rather than a story. Perhaps this is to mirror the personal account aspect, yet it did make it feel repetitive fast.

The pacing is also slightly uneven and I think some chapters could have been cut without missing out on anything.

Also, there is so much death. So much. Human, animal, my own feelings. It did start to feel over gratuitous and I felt burnt out by the end.

<b>They fit perfect in my mouth, and I sucked the marrow out, clumped its thick wetness into my throat and swallowed so hard it hurt my eyes, and I was trying to break the longer leg bone open when that marrow started to come back up my throat, with strings in it that made me feel like I was choking.
</b>
Stephen Graham Jones did an amazing job of weaving actual history into his fictional tale. The vampire part adds a way of imparting immortality to pieces of history that is quietly being swept under the rug.

I won’t lie - you will have to use your brain for this book. It is not a popcorn thriller or horror. It is dark and unsettling and occasionally difficult to follow and swallow.

Physical arc gifted by Titan books.

I expected a lot from this book, being a big SGJ fan, and this was touted as being his magnum opus. I think the main thing to understand here is that this is a long, deliciously paced, slow burn and you probably won’t race through it the way you might have his previous works. Once I realised this, I really settled into Good Stab’s tale. I do think some parts might have been a tiny bit over explained, but otherwise, I really recommend this - even if you’re not typically a vampire fan. It’s totally unique, I hope to read more historical vampire epics in the future!

I enjoyed this book although found it difficult to read at times. The use of Pikuni language which is not explained can be quite hard to follow and makes the text dense. The horror aspects were excellent, both the supernatural and the historical facts that were included and at times were more horrific than the vampire. I would recommend this to fans of the genre

A journal written by a Lutheran pastor is found hidden within a wall space during renovations. The interviews and writings inside reveal details of life in colonial America... and a massacre of untold tragedy.


Anyone looking for a quick gory horror fix is in the wrong place. Oh, you'll find all the expected gore, but this story will hit you deeply as it delivers horror directly at the soul-level.

There's deep generational and cultural pain, devastating loss, scarring trauma, and battles of faith. You won't walk away from this book unscathed or altered in some way.

The writing is so very good! The journal entries carry their own distinct presence and voice making this a recommended you won't want to miss!


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

Etsy Beaucarne finds a manuscript that was written by her grandfather Arthur Beaucarne and it tells the life of Good Stab a Blackfoot Indian. This is an excellent book ful of well developed characters then tell the story of the horrors the native Americans endured in a vampire novel. The pacing was slow but it keeps you reading. Thanks to Titan books and Netgalley for this review ARC

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter follows the story of the vampire, Good Stab, but the true horror in this book comes from the treatment of Indigenous People by the government and white settlers, as well as the horrific devastation of bison herds throughout the West. In The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Jones delivers a historical horror, paranormal revenge story.

This is my first book by Stephen Graham Jones and he does not shy away from graphic depictions. If graphic violence and death is a concern for you, be warned that it is included in much of the book. After about the 60% mark, so much of the story just became too gruesome, for me, even with it falling in the horror genre. The amount of human death and animal death became too overwhelming.

The underlying story of the history of the nation, at the expense of an entire Indigenous people group, is powerful. In an exchange between Good Stab and Arthur Beaucrane, the two say, "You can't stop a country from happening, Good Stab." "But we were already a nation. We didn't ask you to come." The initial catalyst in the book is the Marias Massacre, that occurred in the Montana Territory in January 1870, and Jones definitely makes a statement in his writing, with the historical facts, that the book is based on. It is a stark reminder of the abominable acts committed throughout this time in history.

The book is written in the style of journal entries, with POVs from Arthur Beaucrane, Good Stab, and Etsy (Beaucrane's great-great granddaughter). I am a fan of this style of writing, and I thought Jones did a great job alternating between the character’s POVs. I found Good Stab’s backstory and transition to be a compelling part of the story, and loved Jones’ reimagining of vampire lore. I didn’t feel as connected with Etsy, because of spending less time in the story with her character.

I think Jones boldly brings together historical fiction, horror, and the paranormal in The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. While some of the book leaned too far into the horror genre for me, I would still suggest it for those that may not be affected by this level of horror, and are already fans of Jones' other books.

Thank you to Titan Books for the early eArc copy of this book.

I loved this. It’s harrowing and awful and graphic and so well researched. You can feel the anguish of Good Stab, his sense of loss and desire for revenge in every page.

The turn is takes throughout the novel shocked me, but made so much sense as it went all. Everything tied together in a way that makes the story feel real.

Like The Only Good Indians I loved the visceral horror alongside the strong emotions and authenticity of Stephen Graham Jones’s writing.

If you liked The Only Good Indians, you’ll like this one too.

There is something so perfect about a vampire novel told through epistolary form. Vampires are creatures from the past after all, their long lifespans letting them live through history.

A Lutheran Pastor’s diary from 1912 is discovered within a wall, and is given to his next of kin, his great-great-great granddaughter Etsy Beaucarne. This artifact details a series of conversations between the Pastor, Arthur Beaucarne, and a Blackfeet named Good Stab, who tells his unusual life as a confession, a series of events that was spurred into action by a horrific massacre. Etsy believes the finding of this journal and the story within will serve as a good project to secure her a tenure track, but as she dives deeper into the passages, she finds the book becoming less of a story and more horrifically real; the past coming to haunt her in a myriad of ways.

I loved this one. The journal entries felt real, I felt like I was uncovering a story alongside Etsy. There's a lot to love about this historical horror western; it was so immersive, and the prose was incredible. Stephen Graham Jones has such a unique writing style that was really showcased by the way this narrative was told, and I closed the book wanting nothing more than to flip to page one and start all over again.

Stephen Graham Jones at his very best; years from now The Buffalo Hunter Hunter will be mentioned in the same breath as Dracula and Interview With the Vampire as a vampire classic.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"You can't stop a country from happening, Good Stab."
"But we were already a nation. We didn't ask you to come."

Insanely good. This is Stephen Graham Jones at his best. He has done such an incredible job here blending historical fiction, true Blackfeet history, and horror to make this dark and atmospheric vampiric Native revenge story. The Frankenstein-esque narrative framing device really added a lot to the story here, and in my opinion, it is very hard to make that sort of framing work. The story is a slow-burn that really ramps up at the end in a horrific, gory climax. It is honestly a masterpiece and has solidified Jones' place as one of my favorite authors. He is truly a master at horror.

A slow-paced haunting horror! I was really looking forward to this - Vampires, Native American legend and an atmosphere that would draw me in... but this did not deliver.
It was extremely slow-paced to the point of almost boredom, and waiting for what felt like pages for anything of note to happen to drive the story onward.
I am glad I finished it - would I read it again, probably not

Thank you to the UK publishers and Netgalley for an Advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There was a lot to admire about this book. It taught me a lot about a time and culture I didn't know enough about. The horror elements were very visceral; the writing was atmospheric at times.

I did find it slow paced at times, however, and it took me a while to get used to the writing style.

This novel takes 'you are what you eat' to a whole new level!

Unfortunately, I had hoped to love this, since it's one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. Don't get me wrong: this book is good. It's well thought out, the writing is atmospheric and the concept is exciting, something I haven't seen done before. Like, a Blackfeet vampire meets a Lutheran pastor telling him all his life? A massacre? With a revenge plot? Hell yeah.

But my excitement got less and less after flipping the pages. This is definitely a slow burn. A little too slow for my tastes. I'm happy I finished it though, cause I really enjoyed the final acts, one more gruesome than the next. I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.</i> (You cannot believe how excited I was when I saw I got approved for a Stephen Graham Jones eARC!)

Buffalo Hunter Hunter will already be added to my nomination of most surprising book of the year 2025.

BHH is an amazing take on the gothic vampire tale. Using horror as a way of telling a tale of the destruction of the native american people and their environment through colonisation. Stephen Graham Jones gives us a glimps of one of the darkest chapters of American history.

Through Good Stab's tale of revenge we learn that nothing take away who you are at heart. Good Stab struggle with cultural identity when under attack felt real and urgent. Vampirism was the perfect vehicle to expres this.

Personally I have learned so much about Native American culture and their history through this book. While it was hard to read at the beginning I was thoroughly emersed by the half way point. The writing was amazing. For the first time ever I have saved actual quotes and higlights on my kindle.

The only negative I feel was that the tale in our current time given by the scientist ancestor did not connect and at times annoyed me. I'd much rather just have Good Stab solely telling his tale to the preacher.

All in all this is a tale everyone should read. It confronts us with the worst things we have done both to other humans and the world.

It is horror so too many triggers to mention, but let say body horror and animal harm are featured extensively.