A slow burn horror that turns tropes on their heads. Extremely well researched and informative historical worldbuilding that invited the reader into the world without feeling preachy or educational. The epistolary element was a great touch, especially with the vampire element, echoing Bram Stokers Dracula in the best way.

"What I am is the Indian who can't die. I am the worst dream America ever had."
I consider it one of the great blessings of my life that every 6 months I get to read a new Stephen Graham Jones book and it's the best thing I'll read for the next 6 months.

Rooted in an actual historical event - the Marias Massacre in January 1870 - this novel is the style of slow build horror that is absolutely my preference. You can really feel the unease and the tension building as Good Stab’s “confession” unfolds and it makes for a very uncomfortable reading experience (in the best way).

The writing style took a little getting used to at first, mostly due to Good Stabs use of words that were unfamiliar to me, but telling the story in journal entries felt like a really nice nod to Dracula.

It always feels weird to say I enjoyed this kind of story but I do think this is easily one of the best vampire fictions I have read to date and it is one I would highly recommend.

I will have to admit that when I first started reading this I was thrown off because it was NOTHING like the Indian Lake Trilogy. But that didn’t last long as I next found myself admiring the way Jones could easily do both. Well.

Yes, in a lot of ways it’s a slow build, but the violence inherent in the westward colonizing of 19th Century America comes through right away, and if one has even a sliver of heart, then you will feel more sympathy for the Blackfeet vampire Good Stab than the for self-indulgent Lutheran Pastor, Arthur Beaucarne (Beaucarne, haha, good one, laughing emoji).

And the wraparound story of this tresayle’s (hint: it’s French) great, great-something granddaughter really adds to the story, in my opinion. She may be a bit pathetic at times (it runs in the family) but she turns out to be a lot stronger than she realizes.

The horror of vampires + the horror of what the white man inflicted on the indigenous people who were here waaaaay before we were here makes for a wonderful revenge/horror story.

And, I should add, what a unique take on vampires! Having written one vampire novel and working on a second, I always enjoy seeing vampires reimagined.

A story of revenge spanning decades, built on a colonial massacre, and threaded with vampire lore.

A story within a story, it lays bare the harrowing violence inflicted on a nation in the name of colonialism. The pace is slow, especially in the first few chapters, but then I got pulled into the narrative and the trap Good Stab weaves. I appreciated the unflinching mirror held up to America's origins—SGJ does not shy away from detail or critique. The paranormal element is introduced gradually, mirroring Arthur Beaucarne’s own skepticism, making for a fresh and compelling take on vampire horror. Personally, I would have preferred the entire novel to be set in 1912. I found the timeline of Beaucarne’s granddaughter less compelling—both in terms of character and how it shifts away from SGJ’s critique of American colonialism in the early 20th century.

It’s hard to explain how much I adored this book - it is a true horror story, and although tough to read at times (both for the storyline and the way that it is written), it sucked me in and I finished it across two sessions - I couldn’t wait to see how the story ended!
Written across two timelines, the book focuses on a diary of a Lutheran priest in the 1910s in Montana and his great-granddaughter reading the diary in our current timeline. Telling the story of Good Stab, a Blackfeet man, Jones did an excellent job of capturing the way of speaking of the time, almost too good a job as it can be difficult to settle in and get used to the writing style. It is an antiquated way of writing and telling a story, and is peppered with Blackfeet words and turns of phrase, which can make it hard to follow the story sometimes (I’m still not sure what some of the animals Good Stab mentioned even are). It is also hard to read because it is based so largely on real life - the awful things that happened in this book happened in real life, over and over again and the native Blackfeet tribes were decimated and unlike in this book, there was no angry vampire ready to take revenge. The atmosphere Jones created and the way he told this story was so novel and fresh, and once you make it towards the last 1/3 of the book is it utterly compelling and unputdownable.
This book at its heart is a revenge story. It is a story that reaches across time and place to explain Good Stab’s point of view and his mission, and it is not hard to feel sympathy for him and root for him to succeed with his revenge, even if it is gory and brutal. SGJ has created a unique and fresh take on horror vampires, and weaved real history and its horrors throughout the book in a way that is so effective and left me thinking about this book for weeks afterwards. Coming from a place where I was not overly familiar with the particular massacre in this book, it was such an emotional punch and really left me shaken. I am obsessed with this book, and if you enjoy historical horror fiction that is sadly based on too much reality, or enjoy rooting for the ‘bad guy’ I really recommend you pick it up when it releases - it’s such a fresh take on vampire fiction and creates an utterly American horror story.

Ok, this book blew me away. Not only because of how good it was, but of how it was written. The slow seductive way the author drags you in, making it seemingly one kind of story, all the while creeping up behind you with the most thrilling and shocking reveal. At first I definitely felt it was more historical than horror, but Jones really does know what he's doing and, much like the Vampire in his story, he dazzles us with this story of death and destruction until it's too late to realise that the predator is standing right in front of us, and we're the prey. I can almost pin point the exact moment when I understood just where the story was going, the moment the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood on end, when I comprehended just how good a story-teller Jones is and the most brilliant part is that we realise it right alongside the characters in the book.

Buffalo Hunter Hunter is told from three different POV's and over two main timelines. The book starts with Etsy Beaucarne, an academic on the verge of being pushed out of her career, but when a journal is found belonging to her great, great grandfather, she see's this as the perfect chance to finally get published. Arthur Beaucarne, or Three Persons as Good Stab call's him , the son, the father and the holy spirit. A Pastor in early 1900's Montana who comes to hear the confession of our final POV, Good Stab, a Blackfeet of the Pikuni tribe whose story Arthur finds fantastical until he slowly comes to realise the truth. We spend the most time with Arthur and Good Stab, and it's their characterizations that really make this story as special as it is.

Because of the time period Arthur's journal was written in, the writing and speech did take me a minute to get used to. It's archaic in a way, the turns of phrase and words not being used for centuries now, but we also have Good Stab who tells his story using a lot of Native American terminology for animals, places and objects. Blackhorn for buffalo, Sun Chief for the Sun. So while it did take me a minute to get my bearings, it really added to the authenticity of the story, making it almost seem like historical memoir rather than a work of fiction. Though the story is a long one, Jones' chapter structure and how he tells his story doesn't make it feel that way at all. Every Good Stab chapter was broken up by Arthur's own day to day life, as well as his investigation into the 'humps' the bodies found skinned around town. And I quickly found that, thanks in large to Jones choice to end these chapters on some kind of cliffhangers, I was always desperate to return to each POV, wondering just where the story would turn next.

I mentioned earlier that it does take a minute for the true horror to kick in. Good Stab tells his story at his own pace, littering it with flashbacks to his life before he became what he is now, and then following the journey after his turning. Some of his descriptions absolutely verge towards the horrific, but it never felt truly scary to me until we realise just why he chose Arthur to take his confession. But alongside the horror, it's heartbreaking in a lot of ways. Good Stabs story is not a happy one, even discounting the changes after he turned, and it's in these parts, the actual historically true events that we come to see the real horrors. How the Native Americans were driven from their homes, destroyed, raped and pillaged simply for existing in a land someone else wanted. How their beliefs, their culture was dragged away from them in a bid to civilize. But also in how the vampirism in this book worked. How Good Stab slowly turned into what he ate, and the internal battle that came from that. To remain Pikuni he would have to kill and feed from them, but to feed from the napikwan (white people) turned him into those he hated most, the monsters killing his own people. It's already an horrific act of cruelty, but reading it from the POV of someone who experienced this first hand, who saw his people's culture slowly being stripped from them... you can almost understand why Good Stab did what he did, you empathise with his actions and question whether you wouldn't have done the same thing yourself.

But we also can't talk about this book without mentioning it's namesake, because while Good Stab was watching his people get destroyed, killing them himself to retain what small link to them he could, the napikwan were hunting down the blackhorns (buffalo) systematically. Killing them for their hide only and poisoning the bodies so that the Native American people could not feed on them. These events, as well as the likes of the Marias Massacre mentioned in the book actually happened, and I would absolutely read up on them if you haven't to truly understand the horror of this book. But it was Good Stab's bond with Weasel Plume, a young blackhorn calf he saved and raised that became almost the heart of the story. He became the one thing that still tied him to his people, let him believe for a second that he could still be Pikuni, and that plot line pretty much destroyed me emotionally.

I'm still finding my way in the horror genre, still working out what I like and don't, but I think it's safe to say that historical horror is absolutely my jam. This book, Jones' writing style and his slow burn story telling gripped me from almost the first page. It's absolutely a hard book to read, as it should be, especially when dealing with the events that really happened, and I just know it's a story that's going to stick with me for a long time. The horror elements really did scare me, and I think Jones' take on vampire's might just be one of my favourites so far, but there is so much more to it than that, and it ended up being a much more emotional read than I was expecting.

Spanning over a century, and set primarily in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this is one very special story, that effortlessly blends horror and historical fiction.

As far as vampire stories go, this is right up there, with some very unique takes on vampire lore, incredibly visceral and gruesome scenes, and sharp-toothed tension throughout. I was enthralled from the very start and was just so until the very last word. The American mid-west is brought to life so vividly, with the brutality of that period made all the more terrible with the addition of a blood-sucking creature of unknown origin.

The switching narratives from which the story is told do involve mixed writing styles and whilst this took more focus than normal to really follow and absorb, it only added to the immersive experience. The way the plot rachets up during the second half of the book in particular as things come together resulted in some very late nights.

An absolute gem of a book that I know will stick with me for a very long time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for an ARC of this novel, and for Stephen Graham Jones for such masterful writing.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter both continues many of the central themes of Stephen Graham Jones' work and offers a fresh take on them. The novel's structure of a story within a story within a story is in conversation with both traditional Piikani storytelling and the classic of the vampire genre Jones is taking on - Dracula. Etsy, a modern academic finds a manuscript of a diary of her ancestor, Arthur Beaucarne, an ageing Lutheran pastor who lived through a series of mysterious murders in Montana in 1912. He was also visited by an Indigenous man, Good Stab, who slowly revealed his story. We follow Etsy, the academic, and then read Arthur's diary which chronicles the story Good Stab tells him during a prolonged confession. The structure is a nod both to the epistolary style of Dracula and the basic concept of Interview with the Vampire, whilst giving something completely unique in the end.

The novel continues the recent trend of representing vampires as monsters, rather than oversexualised larger than life people who happen to murder for a living (looking at you, Anne Rice, for starting this trend). The Buffalo Hunter Hunter has much more in common with 'Salem's Lot and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires than Vampire Diaries or Twilight. However, it turns the 'vampire is a monster' idea on its head in a different way, reminiscent of other recent Indigenous horror (Empire of the Wild comes to mind). The word 'vampire' itself is not used anywhere in the novel, so strictly speaking the supernatural aspect of the story owes more to the German nachzehrer than British and American takes on the Slavic vampyr.

Good Stab, the nachzehrer creature, is an Indigenous man murdered by colonisers during the 1870 Piegan Massacre, which haunts him for the rest of the story. Nevertheless, he is an irredeemable monster by nature, and his identity crisis and shapeshifting are central themes of the novel. His murders of other Pikuni people and his complex relationship with those moments of his existence are front and centre. He is no hero, or even anti-hero, but the slow reveal of his overall motivation and actions is compelling and fascinating. We get every drop of horror of his victims, and the unfairness of their deaths, even as he tries to explain them away or persuade himself that it is the right way for him. Imagine reading Lestat's story properly accounting for the feelings of all of his victims, but strip every ounce of privilege from that decadent aristocrat. The portrayal of Good Stab is something special and unique in vampire/monster literature, and the book is worth reading just for that.

Stylistically, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is towering. The three very distinct narrative voices - Etsy, Arthur and Good Stab - are all executed perfectly. Etsy is a T. Kingfisher heroine in an actually scary and horrifying story. I felt that her parts were a bit thin on the ground, and did not add much to the core of the narrative, although they did bring up interesting questions about generational guilt and generational responsibility. The text of both Arthur's and Good Stab's narratives shows the immense amount of research that went into this book. Yes, there might be slight historical issues here and there, but overall the text gives a very strong stylistic feel of the time and the place, especially evident in Arthur's flowery prose and old-fashioned vocabulary. In the Afterword, the author mentioned that he is sometimes worried that he's giving Erasure/American Fiction in his portrayal of Good Stab and that he is hoping he is not, and as someone who is not Indigenous North American, I am in no position to comment.

The heavy stylisation is at the same time one of the greatest achievements of this novel and one of the things that makes it somewhat challenging to engage with. Coupled with the very slow burn of the first half or so of the narrative, it might make some readers give up on the novel altogether. I almost DNFed it myself, as keeping engaged with the prose and the narrative was hard work. It did eventually pull me in and engross me, and I am so glad I persevered, but it is not the most accessible book out there.

Overall, a very impressive novel that demands attention, concentration and work from its readers.

Of late Stephen Graham Jones has become a read-on-sight author and my god has this emotional and horrific novel enhanced that statement.

The Buffalo Hunters Hunter is both a modern horror and also journal-based horror, much in the same way as Dracula.
Even though I found this a difficult read early on (much is written in a style keeping with the story's time frame), once I became used to reading this gramatic style, I found it only enhanced the reading experience. I became massively immersed, losing hours of my days without realising.
This was a story of massive loss, of faith and brutality on many fronts. It also did a great deal for educating me on the plight of Native American tribes during the formation of the United States. This being a subject which as someone who lives in the UK has very little knowledge of.
I can say with no doubt that this is a work of art in every way. It's characters are so well drawn, each scene is described to near perfection. Damn, I even felt the fear and cold on occasion.
I could write and write about this book for a long long time, but I will leave it at this.
Spectacular storytelling from one of the current era's greats.

Stephen Graham Jones is one of my must-buy authors, and I often purchase his books without even glancing at the blurb. However, I did read this one because it mentioned vampires and Native themes. I found the book to be a slow burn, which I believe was necessary to fully grasp the story's depth. While it may not suit readers looking for a fast-paced narrative, I feel that a quicker approach would not have done justice to the plot. The book immerses you completely in its world, and as someone who is Indigenous, I deeply appreciate the emphasis on storytelling within our culture. That is how I would sum up this book: a true testament to the art of storytelling. I eagerly await my pre-order copy so I can read it again and highlight the sections that resonated with me.

This book was EPIC! I have enjoyed Jones’ previous books and this one was just as good. I went in blind and I was not disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of this.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book :(. This was my first from Stephen Graham Jones but I don't think I'm the target audience for this. While I don't believe SGJ is a bad writer at all, the slow burn, purple prose just isn't for me and I found it hard to remain engaged. So much so that when something gory happened, I was already too disengaged for it to have an impact.

So while this didn't hit for me, I can fully appreciate and understand the 5 stars reviews and like I said, SGJ is not a bad writer at all and I did enjoy the Native American history that he added in.

This line is a banger though: “What I am is the Indian who can't die. I'm the worst dream America ever had.”

Contemplative and just so thoughtfully written. This was my first Stephen Graham Jones and I am delighted it was. An almost gentle horror for the most part. I adored the chapters and found the writing delicious.

I am not the same person I was before I read this book.

This is a very difficult read, from Jones’s lengthy, introspective prose, to the absolute carnage and depravity he writes with it — and it is deprave. Another reviewer described it as a fantastic horror story, but not an enjoyable read, and I honestly agree. This was undoubtedly one of the most graphically brutal books I have read, and more often than not I found myself uncomfortable, but in a way I should be, given the historical aspects that heavily influence this horrific revenge tale.

Jones also presents a very interesting and refreshing take on the vampire, deviating from the usual tropes in favour of a more animalistic creature, one moulded by what he consumes, becoming a twisted malformation or imitation of man or beast. The parallel between the wilfully gluttonous pastor and the vampire who kills all that he feeds on against his will was nice too. It’s a little detail that stood out to me.

The importance of these stories; of the horrors the Natives endured cannot be understated, and I had been completely unaware of the Marias Massacre before this book, but God, my heart was broken ten times over by this story alone, let alone the true horror of reality. Those with a strong stomach, please read this. I cannot express how much of a masterpiece this was, and how much it made me feel.

An entire culture can be eradicated if their history is not told. Recitation of Native American culture and traditions has been vital throughout history in keeping their heritage alive. Well known for their abilities to weave tales that embodies their Native American essence and the way of their ancestors, oral renditions are vital to carry out their own narrative and history.

Stories can often be misinterpreted if told to the wrong audience. Loose lips have been known to topple even the strongest and most resilient societies. To hear the sacred words of the Native American stories, one must earn the trust of the narrator, which is especially valuable when their culture relies heavily on oral history to carry out their legacy. When their words are no longer spoken, their stories end with them.

In The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, you experience what I can only imagine what it is like to have the privilege to be able to experience such a sacred practice.

In a bleak and barren town in the newly established Montana, you’ll find an old pastor who is just like you or me. Fighting the sins of times past and present. Trying to amend his wrong doing with guiding the township towards the Lord. Even in a godforsaken desolate town, a pastor can become bored with the routine of it all. When his congregation and him included and in the brink of falling asleep, in walks an Indian. Just when ol’ pastor Arthur Beaucarne thinks he has seen and heard it all, Good Stab the mysterious Indian, has asked to have a confession. While not something a traditional Lutheran pastor partakes in, he soon is engulfed in a confession that will alter the rest of his years on this earth. A confession that is unlike anything you’ve ever heard. With elements of a horror story and magical realism mixed with Native American folklore and a touch of Christian preaching, this is a story from a times past that will make you ponder and reflect on everything you’ve ever been taught about the Native American culture and history.

If trusted with the stories of the Native Americans, you must listen with a good heart. You must listen until their pipe is empty. Will you be brave enough and patient enough to listen to this tale?

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by: Stephen Graham Jones has been gifted to me by NetGalley & Saga press in return of an honest review. These are my unbiased words and opinions. Publication date: March 18, 2025.

As an avid reader, I can truthfully say I haven’t beared witness to many writers who have a true talent for storytelling. There is a difference between writing a book and being a gifted storyteller. If you have been lucky enough to experience what I am talking about, then you will understand what I am saying.

In this intricately weaved story, you will experience the trials and tragedies that have embodied not only Native Americans and the whites, but also the animals and the land that has all endured those harrowing times in history.

With sin and regrets mixed in with magical realism and Native American folklore, this one of a kind story will leave you feeling more alone than when you started this epic tale. Yearning for a time before everything changed. Yearning for events to be erased from history. Yearning for a different outcome for the native people of this land. Yearning for connection to this land and all of its glory.

You know you’ve read a good one when you’re left wanting more. I didn’t want this one to end. I want more time with Arthur. More time with Good Stab. More time with Etsy. More time with everyone. When a writer leaves you wanting more and with questions and theories. Leaves you with a story that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. You know you’ve read a good one.

This tale isn’t just a quick and entertaining read. Not one for you to breeze through or listen to while going about your daily duties. No, this story is meant to be delivered to you slowly. For you to be told little snippets, one day at a time. As if around a campfire, or in a confession booth. The irony of that statement can be found in the book; but is nonetheless true. This isn’t a typical horror story. Not your average vampire novel. So if you’re looking for that kind of horror and gore, look elsewhere. This is a different kind of horror though. A horror of history. A horror that should be the type that keeps you up at night. The horror of the sins of humans is far worse than any monster a storyteller can concoct.

This story has left me wanting more. Not in a bad way. Not in a way that reflects poorly on the author. But in a way that reflects somewhat poorly on the reader, me. This tale takes place in Montana. Possibly in the exact spots I once had the placed my feet upon. I grew up exploring the Backbone. I have been submerged in that world and yet knew nothing at all about it. As have my ancestors and I know they probably are just as clueless as I am. To have roots in a place but not know anything about the soil that has enriched the land is a tragedy. I am yearning for more knowledge about a culture and a time that is not so easily found in books. Knowledge that is not so easily obtained by white folks. And maybe that’s what makes Native American culture even more valuable and important is that if you’re entrusted with that knowledge then you get to carry that spirit in your heart.

This is a lot of rambling for a review of an upcoming book. A review that was meant to sell you on an upcoming publication to read. But I don’t think I want everybody to read this. Why? Because I know it will fall onto some deaf ears and blind eyes. And that would be a tragedy. There will be some, (and thanks to goodreads, there has already been some of those I speak of) that will be the wrong audience as there is with every book ever written. Those readers will slander this book. They will call it boring, drawn out, and repetitive. They didn’t listen with a good heart though am I right Good Stab?

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What I liked:

The writing

Stephen Graham Jones has quickly become a new favorite author. This is only the third book of his that I have been blessed enough to have read. A true literary genius. His ability to weave a tale is outstanding. He truly epitomizes what a story teller should encompass. He very much reminds me of the great Stephen King in his way of creating the world in which he writes. He slowly draws you in. Gives you a true sense of who his characters are. All the details and world building is what a story teller should be providing and most stories are missing that. Stephen not only perfectly portrayed Good Stab the Indian but also perfectly portrayed Three Persons (the pastor) and Etsy.

The concept

When reading the synopsis of the story you expect a vampire tale. However, that’s not exactly what you get and that’s even better than what I wanted. A truly unique take on a theme that has been told a trillion times. When you’ve read so many vampire books, surely there aren’t many things you’ll be surprised by when reading them. This one proved me so wrong. I absolutely devoured this story. So incredibly brilliant. And not only did it include vampire mysticism but it also included Native American folklore that I knew nothing about. I am now fascinated by this and must know everything about it.


What I didn’t like:

If I had to nitpick something, and this did not take away from the story whatsoever, is that when reading the Indian words for things spoken by Good Stab, I had to look most of them up because I didn’t know what they were. So I wish the book had an index for that as I couldn’t find all of them. It really wasn’t a big deal but for a curious mind like mine, I had to know! I very much enjoyed that the author used the native words for descriptions. It made you feel totally immersed in the story. One word though that I should have looked up sooner was Napi. That was my misdoing and would have answered questions that I kept waiting for an answer for. But totally didn’t take away from the story one bit!

This book was so many things rolled into one, complex and thought provoking characters, in an epic gothic horror blended with historical fiction. It’s dark, twisted and violent however that is what makes this book exactly WHAT it is.

I struggled to rate this one because the story (for me) was difficult to follow, bouncing between multiple POVs who all tell their story in very different ways, so it didn’t feel greatly cohesive, however it was engrossing and I can absolutely appreciate the amount of research that clearly went in to making this book as accurate as possible.

Many thank yous to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book. I would put money on this being a best-seller when it hits the shelves.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones is the best thing I have read in a very long time! Plus it‘s so cinematic that I really hope they make a movie or a TV-series too.

Thank you to NetGalley, Titan Books & Stephen Graham Jones for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This review has been held on social media accounts until the publication month (March 2025).
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Genre(s): horror, historical fiction.

Overall impression: this was a rollercoaster read. The writing was really hard to follow and for a good portion of the book, I was struggling to understand what was actually happening. I was confusing people with animals, and didn't really understand who was friend or foe. But once the vampire revenge plot got underway, the action and bloody massacre catapulted the story to the finish line. Characters that were seemingly unrelated were revealed to have a dark history together, and by the end justice was served in a bittersweet way. I definitely didn't anticipate the story to go in the direction that it did but the ending really elevated it for me and I'm glad I persisted with it.

Tropes:
➵ Horror x historical fiction
➵ Bloody massacre
➵ Vampires that wont die
➵ Priest that sins
➵ Native American representation
➵ Writing about writing
➵ Hidden diary
➵ Small isolated town
➵ Not everyone survives
➵ Happy-for-now

⤷ Plot:
At the start, I wasn't particularly thrilled that there were scenes in the modern day. I would have preferred to just read the old confessional notes from the priest and Good Stab. But by the end, it made sense why Etsy was included and I was glad for her role in the story.

Good Stab slowly revealed to the priest his past history, which included a massacre of buffalo hunter hunters, enemy tribesmen and villagers. It was bloody, detailed and gruesome. The priest documented these confessions and hid them, to be discovered many years later. I thought the story was going to stay unfinished once the confessions stopped but there was a plot twist at the end that explained everything and finished the story nicely. Without it, I probably wouldn't have rated this story as highly.

⤷ Characters:
Good Stab and the priest were very complex characters with detailed backstories and equal parts good and evil. You could sympathise with both of them to an extent but (without spoiling anything), they caused so much pain and had such a negative effect on everyone around them - you didn't particularly hope that they would have a happy-ever-after. Etsy was only featured briefly at the start and the end of the book and wasn't particularly likeable but I appreciated her role in atoning for the sins of the priest and finishing up his story.

⤷ World-building:
A lot of thought was put into world-building and linking the characters from the past (Good Stab, the priest) with the present (Etsy). We knew they were related from the start but it was interesting to see how their lives were so intertwined by the end. The world changed a lot over the course of the book too, and we could see how the invasion and slaughtering of native people and wildlife changed the landscape. As a non-American, I don't know much about the history of the US but it was very devastating to read and you can see parallels in what occurred in other countries.

I also really liked that the vampires gained features of the animals or people that they consumed. It was a really interesting element that I haven't seen in other vampire or horror books before, so it was refreshing to discover new lore.

⤷ Writing:
I found that the writing was very dense and difficult to understand, especially Good Stab's confessions. It took me nearly 2 weeks to read the first half of the book but then it picked up and I got through the second half in just a few days. I think it was caused by a combination of factors - the pacing was excruciatingly slow at times, there was a new vocabulary added to describe people, places and animals, and I'm not familiar with American history. If I hadn't received an eARC of the novel, I probably would have dnfed the book and given up because it was too slow to get stuck into. But I'm glad I persisted because the second half was action-packed, the story progressed rapidly and everything started to make sense and tied together nicely.

There’s a quiet kind of horror in The Buffalo Hunter—one that creeps in through the cracks of solitude and lingers like a ghost in the walls. Stephen Graham Jones delivers a haunting, deeply introspective tale about loneliness, obsession, and the strange ways people try to fill the emptiness inside them.

The story follows a man who isolates himself from the world, building his life around an unusual, unsettling habit. Jones’ writing is hypnotic, pulling you into the character’s warped reality with sharp prose and an ever-present sense of unease. It’s a short read, but one that stays with you, gnawing at the edges of your mind long after you’ve finished.

For readers who love their horror psychological, unsettling, and laced with melancholy, The Buffalo Hunter is a quiet nightmare worth experiencing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐