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?

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm usually a bit too much of a wimp to read horror stories, but was drawn in by the historical element of 'The Buffalo Hunter Hunter' (an old diary found in the walls is an irresistible hook) and also how many good reviews I've read of Stephen Graham Jones' previous work.

It's a story-within-a-story-within-a-story, but told with such verve that it feels simple. It reminded me a bit of Kevin Barry's 'The Heart in Winter' and Ferdia Lennon's 'Glorious Exploits' - not in the plot, but in that kind of electric confidence with words.

I'm still processing the final section of the novel. I enjoyed the voice of the young academic, and the moments where the past intruded into the present were tense, unnerving, and eventually jaw-droppingly bizarre. I will certainly remember this story for a long time.

Favourite line: "I made a little noise I don't know how to spell, a kind of gulp and a chirrup at once, a little girl noise, a dying animal noise, the kind you make not because it'll do any good, but because you're giving up, you know your mom and dad isn't there and that this is it..."

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

"I listen with a good heart."

Stephen Graham Jones new novel is historical horror novel set in the American west in 1912. A diary written by a Lutheran pastor is discovered within a wall. What it unveils is a slow massacre, a chain of events that go back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow. Told in transcribed interviews by a Blackfeet named Good Stab, who shares the narrative of his peculiar life over a series of confessional visits.

This novel had me intrigued from its description alone. Told as a part historical and part horror, it recounts awful events in gruesome details.

I liked how the author incorporates indigenous history into this tale as well as bringing a gripping horror story that will keep the reader hooked until the very end.

I enjoyed the darker parts as much as the mystery behind the truth of the story. Overall this was an entertaining read.

Stephen Graham Jones has done it again. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a haunting, deeply unsettling portrait of loneliness and obsession, written with his signature sharpness and eerie, almost hypnotic prose.

The story follows Toby, a man whose life is defined by routine and isolation, surrounded by stacks of unopened mail-order catalogs that serve as a twisted kind of comfort. Jones masterfully builds an atmosphere of creeping dread, making the mundane feel suffocating and surreal. The way he explores Toby’s psyche, his compulsions, his detachment from reality, and his quiet unraveling is both fascinating and devastating.

What makes this novel so effective is its subtlety. Jones doesn’t rely on traditional horror tropes, but rather an overwhelming sense of unease that lingers long after the final page. The writing is immersive, the character study is razor-sharp, and the slow-burn tension is executed flawlessly.

This is one of those books that gets under your skin in a way you can’t quite explain. Five stars, easily.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Stephen Graham Jones is a master storyteller, and this book continues to prove that he is doing horror with more heart and depth than most others out there. Without a doubt this is a vampire story, but to reduce it to that alone would be false advertising. Monsters and creatures in literature are so much more than they seem, and SGJ uses the vampire (not referred to as such though) as the backbone for a story filled with guilt and shame, revenge, deep and multigenerational grief, crises of faith, and hunger corrupted.

The horrors do not start or end with blood-sucking creatures of the night though, but with the true horrors inflicted upon the indigenous Blackfeet (Pikuni) by White invaders (napikwan). We see this through the eyes of one Pikuni man sharing his tale with a Lutheran minister and being read about generations later by the great-great-granddaughter of that priest. Even where fiction abounds, the truth of the slaughter of indigenous peoples never leaves the page. It is the blood giving the story life.

I could go on and on but it would end up full of spoilers, but I want to let you know a little more about what to expect:
-Body horror (some of the best I’ve read)
-Animal death (there’s no getting around it, but I do think it is always done with a purpose and not gratuitously)
-Twists and turns you aren’t likely to see coming
-Nuanced conversations about life, death, good, evil, colonization, justice, dehumanization, atonement, etc, etc

I think this book is really important. I think it is devastating. I think it is inspiring. I think it is brilliant in every

You know there’s something satisfying about fictional horror that addresses and sheds light on true horrors.
This is a gory, violent tale based on the worst American history. Rooted in the events of the 1870 Maria’s Massacre, I kept pausing in disbelief that I was never taught this in years of American and US history.
I am thankful for the Indigenous perspective and insight, and while the gore was a lot for me, it was likely more realistic than you would think for a vampire story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC

I discovered Jones by accident when I picked up THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS on a whim a couple of years back, and since then I've loved his playfully smart approach that both acknowledges horror's pulpy roots (I WAS A TEENAGE SLASHER) and moves it in fresh and exciting new directions.

THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER marks another unpredictable swerve in Jones's output while retaining that essence of his other works. A found-document horror akin in some ways to the Booker nominated HIS BLOODY PROJECT by Graeme MacCrae Burnet (although in this case the person who finds the document is not the "author" of the book) this tells a story of historical terror rooted in the early days of America, when the Native Americans were still treated as "others" by the settlers who had arrived in the country, and when such a huge land was filled with unknown dangers. A priest is visited by a Native American claiming he wants to give confession, but the confession soon turns dark when Good Stab reveals his true origins and intentions, and his unexpected connection to this priest and this place, and eventually to a character who uncovers the priest's own written account of this encounter over a hundred years later.

To say much more is to spoil the joy, but Jones creates a distinct voice for each narrator -- our priest, Good Stab, and Etsy (who discovers and reads the document in 2013) -- so effectively that we can truly believe in them as three distinct characters responsible for their own stories. He weaves in Native American beliefs and myths to the traditional vampire mythos in ways that shock and surprise and, most importantly, feel utterly authentic. It is not always an easy read -- this is horror, after all -- but it is utterly compelling and bound to appeal those who love the horror genre but feel that at times it can be constrained by certain points of view. Absolutely bloody brilliant, and confirms Jones's place as one of the most exciting authors working in the horror genre right now.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is Stephen Graham Jones doing what he does best, telling a story and giving a truly unique perspective. Nobody tells a story the way he does.

This one is his spin on a vampire story, mixed with historical fiction, revenge and sins of the past. I loved his portrayal of the Pikuni and their language.

I strongly recommend Stephen Graham Jones and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.

This is a 2-part story of confession and absolution, and an intimate look at a nation who was here before us-one of many.

The crux of the story lies with Good Stab and a Lutheran pastor, Arthur Beaucarne, who shepherds a small church in the city of Miles City, Montana. Good Stab intends to tell his story, his confession, to man who would be familiar with the history of the area. As Good Stab allows his story to fall upon the ears of a white man, Beaucarne learns that this story may be more closely tied to him than he realized.

If ever there was a story that felt like a punch in the gut, it’s this one. Jones turns a vampire story into a history of the brutality laid upon the Native nations of the United States; Blackfeet is the nation of focus for this story, however. Set in the cold of a Montana winter, the two protagonists engage in the roles of storyteller and learner, and lead the reader down a journey of massacre and pain.

On the other side of this journey is Etsy, who discovered Arthur’s journals, and is piecing together his story a century later. What she finds will alter the course for her life, and tie her to the story that only she can end.

I loved this story. It was a necessary and terrifying story of injustice, revenge, blame-shifting, and real life horror. And no one tells a story of Indigenous horror like SGJ.

Unlike any other vampire story I've read. Jones masterfully weaves historical fiction with the fantastical with a writing style all it's own.

The Buffalo Hunter
Stephan Graham Jones
03/18/2025
S & S/Saga Press

There are a few things that I think everyone should know before they read anything by SGJ. First, you need to pay attention to every single detail. Everything is on the page for a reason, and it will come back around. Second, try not to read too many reviews or spoilers and let the story happen to you. It will always be worth it. Finally, you need to expect a lot of gore and death, but hey, you are reading horror so suck it up. The characters are so meticulously written that you will be invested in each and everyone of them. Promise.

We have three narrators and three timelines. Etsy (short for Betsy), a struggling associate professor. In 2012 a construction worker in Montana stumbles upon a hidden journal belonging to an unknown relative. The University reaches out to her as the next of kin, leading her to uncover the journal of her great-great-grandfather, a Lutheran pastor in Miles City from 1912. Beaucarne, the minister, has kept meticulous entries from his past including the confessions of Good Stab, a Pikuni who was involved in the 1870 Marias Massacre. The journal entries from the confession take a little getting used to because of the names of the animals, and places and objects that are described are from the Native American language as transcribed by Beaucarne. Once you get used to it, it just simply makes things so vivid, that you can’t unsee what you read.

The author seamlessly intertwines real people, with real events that happened in the settling of the west with an unsettling fictional narrative, morally grey characters and the perfect amount of vampire lore. The subject matter is undeniably dark and at times hard to stomach. Yet, it's both captivating and skillfully written, offering a sobering glimpse into a truly horrific chapter of American history. If you're a fan of horror and historical fiction and can stomach the violence and death that pervade the narrative, this book is definitely worth reading.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

I really enjoyed this book, I love books involving Vampires and this was different from other ones that I have read. I read it sxlow and took my time but I couldn't put it down

Thank you to Netgalley and Stephen Graham Jones for the advanced copy of this book. This is a historical fiction horror novel and is set around vampires, a Lutheran priest and the Blackfeet reservation.

I initially struggled to get into this book because of the writing style but I then finished the last 30-40% in one day. I couldn’t put it down. I looked up the historical background of the book and it really showed how expertly written the book was to weave the history into the rest of the plot of the novel. It is incredibly harrowing because of the factual element, especially when you look it up.

The writing of the horror was quite chilling and disturbing at times. Nothing quite like anything that I have read before.

This is the first book I’ve read by Stephen Graham Jones and I was very excited considering all the praise I’ve heard about him. However, when I first started this book, I was a little confused about that. Yes, the premise was incredibly interesting for many reasons I’ll get into, but the journal entries that make up the majority of this book are written almost too well. Most of the book is written from the perspective of characters from the 1800s/1900s and Jones perfectly captures their voice, which is a good and bad thing. If you like classics simply for their writing styles, then you’ll love this book. The writing was just too time period accurate for my taste. It was stiff and boring compared to modern writing, and it was hard for me to really get into the story at times. I have this same issue with actual classics—the story may be interesting but the way it’s written is just too old-fashioned for me to really enjoy. Now I know that’s not always how Jones writes because the last quarter of this book when we were in modern times, really hooked me. The writing was exciting and interesting and left me wanting more. Of course, this all just speaks to how great of a writer Jones is, but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me personally.

Now, considering just the storyline, this book was amazing. What a refreshing take on the vampire lore and how it could permeate into 19th century America. The vampires were scary and creepy and really more aligned with the Bram Stoker type of vampire. I think the idea that they begin to literally turn into the humans or animals that they eat the most of was really interesting and the way Jones described it just made the whole process just really unsettling. He was also able to perfectly weave real life events into the story which just added to the dread of what was happening. We all know about the broad tragedy of Indigenous Americans and the buffalo at the hand of European colonists, but using this book to highlight specific tragedies that we don’t really hear about was very well done. The book kept alluding to the Marias Massacre and every time it was brought up we learned more and more about what happened and it just kept adding and adding to the sense of dread. By the time we learn the absolute horrors of the full truth, including a specific character’s role in it, we are completely rooting for Good Stab doing what needs to be done. This was a perfectly done revenge story that doesn’t leave any room for debate on whether or not it was justified.

Ultimately, I will definitely check out another book from this author, but I really hope his other books are written like the last 25% of this story. I actually really enjoy history lessons (this book sent me down a ton of rabbit holes about parts of American history I’ve never heard of before), but I just need to be prepared for that style of writing.