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.

I love this author so when I saw he had a new book coming out I was super excited to read it. When I somehow recieved an advanced copy? Well, I might have let out a shout and did a happy dance until my husband came to see what was going on and I told him this is the best day ever! And now that I have read it? It is a new favorite of mine.

I went into this book not knowing anything about it except the title. As with authors I love I tend to not read the synopsis and just start reading and see what I get. I will say when I first started I thought oh, this might not be for me as it is more historical, which is not my favorite, but by the end I couldn't put it down. I love how most of the story is an old journal and it really feels like you are back then. Like an old Pikuni guy is telling you a story. The language and the way the story was told did take me a minute to get into because it is so different from what I am used to, they have different names for things and so on, but I loved it. Sure I might not know all the animals referenced in his story, but I enjoyed trying to figure it out. I feel like this author always writes in a way that makes it feel like it is American Indian, but this story felt very different. It just fully embraced that history and way of speaking and I loved it.

This story also had some really cool ideas that I hadn't seen before. I enjoyed how the history was woven into the other horrors. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say too much more other than give this one a read if that sounds like your kind of thing. I kept wondering how this was all going to end and when we got there? It was amazing. Definitely will be one I re-read.

Phenomenally unique take on the vampire myth. The word vampire is never said on these pages, actually, though it's clear that's what this draws on. I'm particularly taken by use of language here, with each character having a unique diction to describe the world around them which begins to imitate Good Stab's the further they listen to his confession. As such, it did take me a little bit to fully get Into the book and have a firm grasp but once I got past that I was hooked. Very fun too that the vampires take on the traits of what they consume. I usually approach vampire stories with some wariness because I think that a lot of the time we're doing oh the vampire feeding is sex, without stopping to think about what kind of sex involves an unwilling victim. And here this avoids that entirely, in part because we're focused much more on vengeance (I love you revenge stories). Just so many interesting threads going on here!


Thank you to NetGalley, Titan Books, and Stephen Graham Jones for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I needed some time after finishing this book to collect my thoughts.

I really tried to like it, but it was difficult when the only character I connected with was Good Stab. English is not my first language, so keep that in mind when I say that reading the pastor’s journal, filled with his thoughts, was quite a challenge. I understand that the writing style reflects the time period (1912), so I didn’t expect modern English. However, I didn’t anticipate understanding only about 30% of it.

Overall, The Buffalo Hunter is not an easy or particularly enjoyable read, as its subject matter is dark and often difficult to stomach. I can see that it is well-written, but in my opinion, it tries too hard. That said, I appreciate that it sheds light on a dark chapter of American history—one I might not have encountered otherwise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for providing me with an advance ebook for review.

I've genuinely struggled to know how to approach reviewing this. I've sat with having finished the story for well over 24 hours now and still haven't found a definitive way of getting my thoughts down, so I'm just going to have let them flop out of me.

This is my second time reading something by SGJ. My first was My Heart is a Chainsaw, which I wanted so, so much to love but really struggled with the granularity of his pop culture references, that just wore away me and made my reading experience feel like ploughing through treacle.

However, I wasn't ready to bail so was genuinely delighted when I got approved for an ARC of this one. Again, I very much wanted to love it. Sadly, I didn't...yet I can also absolutely and unequivocally see that this book is wonderful - therein lies my difficulty in reviewing it.

As an original take on the vampire story, this is a fresh as the blood spouting from a newly-opened wound. While there are obvious nods to Dracula with the epistolary format and the mention of a character arriving on a boat - as well as what felt like an home to Salem's Lot, particularly Father Callahan - this was also unlike any other tale of bloodsuckers I've read before.

You see, this isn't your common garden vampire story; this is as much a piece of historical fiction, one that wants to avenge the real massacre of more than 200 Native people back in the 1800s and their subsequent starvation through endless poaching of buffalo. Yes, it's a vampire with a mission rather than just some horny bugger and I loved seeing that story unfold and understanding the motivations and actions of Good Stab, our main Native character turned biter.

This is also a story within a story, and it's done well. The wraparound is told by Etsy, an academic desperate to secure the publishing deal that will give her tenure. The story she tries to use to do that is the tale of her great-great-great grandfather, a Lutherean minister to whom Good Stab feels the need to confess about his existence and actions. I really enjoyed Etsy's parts, found her voice to me the most compelling and thought the frustrations and pressures of a mid-career academic were actually great fodder for a dark tale.

The story itself took its time, building atmosphere, shaping a sense of place, and punctuating the whole with quite gruesome moments of blood, gore and violence. It doesn't skimp, and is all the better for it.

There's also plenty of heart and humanity here too. You'll feel the tragedy and the injustice of the slaughtered Native folk, you'll hate the napikwan for what they did, and you'll love Weasel Plume. It is grounded and human.

So, why the struggle to review it and what didn't I love it?

In short, the writing style. Arthur Beaucarne's diary entries from the 1900s, and his transcription of Good Stabs tale were, for me, a slog to read. I think this is partly because they were true to the style of the time - the diary was pompous, waffling and over-written...exactly as I imagine a smarmy minister of the time would have done. While Good Stab's parts were so full of Native words that I was constantly having to stop reading and look things up. This is absolutely not a criticism - if anything, I enjoyed seeing the richness and logic of this vocabulary come through - but it so often popped any momentum I had built that it was hard to wade through.

And this is my trouble, right? It's not badly written, at all. The writing feels spot on for what it was aiming. But, boy, did that style not agree with me.

Etsy's parts, on the other hand, I did enjoy. They were direct, witty, and just staying on the right side of manic and I flew through those pages. Her section at the end of the book I also found the most scary, and really enjoyed them.

What SGJ has done here is hugely impressive. I'm glad I read it and would happily recommend others do the same when it publishes in March. I just don't think I will ever go back to it.

But, I do feel renewed in my desire to read more of his work...if nothing else to know for sure whether or not he is for me. I don't think the Indian Lake trilogy is for me, but I'm very open to trying some other stuff. This definitely isn't the end of my SGJ journey, and I know I'll be thinking of Good Stab for many winters yet.

Oh, and it was *way* better than the new Nosferatu movie!

Thanks too NetGalley and the publishers for the review copy, much appreciated!

This was my first time reading one of Stephen Graham Jones’ novels and it was genuinely incredible. I haven’t had a book be above a 3.75 in a while and I’m so glad this was the book to break that streak. Though I struggled slightly at the beginning with the various animal names and historical figures, as I read further that all fell away and I was just immersed in the story (I also googled some of the names to better understand the historical context).

Stephen Graham Jones’ writing is so compelling and the epistolary format enhanced the story in so many ways that made it difficult to put the book down. I loved his take on vampire lore and the historical setting, his characters are so distinct and memorable that I know Good Stab will be a character that will stay with me. I’m looking forward to picking up his other books that I have on my shelf and will definitely pick up a finished copy of the Buffalo Hunter’s Hunter when it’s out.

Stephen Graham Jones’ The Buffalo Hunter is a haunting and introspective tale that delves into isolation, obsession, and the quiet despair of a life unfulfilled. Through the lens of its peculiar and lonely protagonist, Jones explores the depths of human longing and the strange coping mechanisms we adopt. His sharp, evocative prose creates a surreal atmosphere, making the story both unsettling and compelling. A deeply affecting read for those who appreciate dark, literary explorations of the human psyche

Well, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is my new favourite Stephen Graham Jones book! The story is structured like Frankenstein, but instead of the narratives being nested within one another, the two main POVs take alternate turns. Essentially, an academic comes into possession of a journal written by her Lutheran pastor great-great-grandfather, in which he chronicles his weekly visits from a Blackfeet called Good Stab. I found myself captivated even before we got into the blood and brutality of the vampire portion of the book.

The story builds and builds, with a creeping sense of dread eventually giving way to blood-soaked carnage and misery. At its heart, this is a revenge story. Often, revenge narratives lay out the players and their positions early on, but The Buffalo Hunter Hunter keeps some of its cards close to its chest and I found the payoff at the end to be entirely worth it. I loved all of it—from the setting to the vampire lore to the emotional gut-punches sprinkled throughout.

Unfortunately this just wasn't my book.
It was too slow for my liking. The idea and premise of this was cool but sadly I had to through in the towel.

I have been a fan of Graham Jones since "The Only Good Indians" and have read most of his work. This is by far his best work so far. For me his books start out at as a slow burn but I knew the shoe would drop and when it did, I was on edge for a lot of the book. This is such an interesting take on vampires and other such supernatural things, like Deer Woman from only good Indians. The body horror in this was amazing in all the right ways. It was creepy, got me on edge but it was the story that kept me. Good Stabs weekly visits and talks with Arthur made me excited to flesh out this mystery on why he was there to begin with, what was he and where did Etsy fit in on all of this. I know people have said that the ending to good Indians was rushed and let them wanting more but I feel with this he really made up to people who thought that. The story read like a movie I could picture everything and I do hope we get something of his on screen. Stephen is truly up there with the greats like King, Paul Trembly, Grady Hendrix and all the other up and coming horror people. I think we will look back and see that he is truly in the top 3 greatest horror authors

Sometimes the hardest horror to read is the horror that has truth behind it. This is one of those.

Lyrical historical horror, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a vampire story like no other. It may be hard to follow at times, with Native American language sometimes being difficult to decipher, but the fundamental story hits hard because parts of it really happened.

I saw a review in advance that recommended reading up on the Pikuni/Piegan Blackfeet tribe and the Marias Massacre…I owe that person a debt. You’ll be able to follow and enjoy the story without doing any research first, but if you do read up on the true events of the story, you will understand the nuances so much more.
This is slow burn horror for sure, the kind that creeps under your skin until you find yourself engrossed in the last 40% when the plot really picks up. My heart broke more than once.

Part historical horror, epistolary horror and historical horror, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is haunting, lyrical and sophisticated. You will be uncomfortable reading this, and you should be uncomfortable.

"What I am is the Indian who can't die. I'm the worst dream America ever had."

This book is a brutal scream of rage. It's dark and difficult to read, but I'm so glad I read it. A blood-drinking Blackfoot Indian who can't die (the word "vampire" is never used, but this is, as an elevator pitch, a Native American vampire story) tells his story to a gluttonous pastor in 1912, Interview with the Vampire style. As the story unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear how the pastor and the vampire's paths intertwine. All of this is bookended by a white researcher in modern times reading her great-grandfather's story as fodder for academic research.

The violence is visceral, both the violence of vampiric nature, and the violence of white settlers stealing land and erasing buffalos and Native Americans with unquestioned entitlement. I never could have guessed the ending, which is wonderfully weird and unexpectedly triumphant. I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time - it definitely cements Graham Jones as one of the best horror writers around.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (Titan Books)was kindly provided by Netgalley. It will be released on 18th March 2025.

This is the story of Etsy Beaucarne; only it's not. Instead, it's the story of a Luthern Pastor whose past refuses to stay buried. Told through a series of diary posts the truth of what happened in the past returns to haunt the present.

Ostensibly, this is a vampire novel, a story of revenge that is set in the last days of the "Wild West" and the confessions of men who have terrible things.

Full of visceral violence, this is not a book for the squeamish, but features a unique voice within the world of Horror, the voice of Native Americans that brings their folklore and traditions to modern audiences.

Ultimately, while I didn't love The Only Good Indians, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter was easily a five-star read.

#TheBuffaloHunterHunter #NetGalley

I’ve seen other readers DNF because it’s too slow or not vampiric enough, what did they expect Twilight or Jack Reacher? It does build slowly and that enhances the dread and horror, as for vampires I think folks need to understand that Dracula isn’t canon 😉

A grotesque horror of Blackfeet resistance and revenge.

This is a deeply personal vampire horror where Stephen Graham Jones confidently blends European vampire myths with his own heritage, stamping familiar vampiric tropes with something new, adding a refreshingly original twist to the burgeoning sub-genre. I think a sign of a fantastic book is when it teaches you something, and this novel had me frequently reaching for my phone to research more into the locations, traditions and peoples that Stephen Graham Jones writes into his story. Being Aussie, my knowledge of anything other than broad American frontier histories is passing at best, and I learnt plenty from this book. But the true power of the book is in the simmering anger that fills the words: anger at dispossession, at imperialism and at genocide. With Good Stab, Jones gives his people a dark power to fight against the inexorable imperialist machine.

Jones builds upon elements you’d expect to see in a vampire or Gothic novel, acknowledging (explicitly at one point) its Dracula roots. First, an epistolatory structure, expanded here to three nested narratives, although I thought Etsy’s framing narrative could have been interwoven more frequently, which would serve to improve the ending by keeping her more relevant. Then, another vampire staple as stories are revealed through ‘interviews’ – confession in this case – as the vampire relates his sorry tale. Christianity is prevalent, as the darkness of faith consumes Arthur Beaucarne: if he believes in his God, then so too must he believe in the monsters in opposition. Lastly, the book explores outsiders, those in isolation, apart from their societies, living on the fringes where terror lurks in every shadow.

This is a bloody, violent book, filled with utterly visceral moments which are not for the faint-hearted. This is splatter horror at times, with a dark fascination with the near immortality of its vampire subjects, whose ‘abilities’ of blood-drinking, transformation and otherworldly strength and speed are constructed brilliantly and are utterly believable and terrifying in Jones’ world. The landscapes of the Great Plains and the Backbone Mountains are described excellently, capturing Blackfeet traditions and connections. You get a real sense of the power and significance of the natural spaces. This is a book you’d term ‘Great Plains Gothic’ and Jones does well to confront the dark deeds of imperial conquest with a vampiric darkness of his own.

A really interesting read. I just wish the modern-day framing story was better.

I was so excited to have been approved for an early copy of this, so naturally I picked this up the day I got it.
It's been 20 days and I just can't do it anymore. I am DNFing at 38%. First things first, it should never take me 20 days to read a book. But it's really hard to finish something when it puts me to sleep every handful of pages. It got to the point where I'd wait until the evenings to pick this up because I knew I'd be asleep soon. I couldn't get into the writing, there was nothing gripping there at all. Which is such a shame, because I know what this author can evoke. Have you read his acknowledgements??!! I could feel the words leaving my brain as soon as I'd read them, which also meant I had no attachment to these characters or the plot. This is supposed to be a vampire novel, but the vampire elements are lacking at best. I obviously can't say if those elements become more developed and present the further you get in to the story, but I've spent so much of my time here as it is that I truly cannot be bothered to find out. I know this book will find its audience, SGJ does not need my help there, but geez I wish this could've been a hit for me. Better luck next time, I suppose. 🤞

I had to DNF at around 20%. While the premise was intriguing, the pacing felt too slow for my tastes. That said, it features some of the best writing I’ve encountered in a Stephen Graham Jones novel.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

He's done it again. Stephen Graham Jones has written a masterpiece. This story marries Native American legend with the vampire.

Etsy Beaucarne, a single college professor, is presented with a journal written by her great-great-grandfather. The entries tell a fantastic story of his checkered past, and his visits with a Blackfeet Indian named Good Stab.

This book is dark, fascinating, and heartbreaking. Read at your own risk.

The Buffalo Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones is an electrifying blend of historical fiction, horror, and cultural reckoning. Set against the haunting backdrop of the American West in 1912, this novel immerses readers in a chilling narrative that is as unsettling as it is profound. Jones masterfully intertwines the supernatural with the historical, creating a story that feels otherworldly and deeply grounded in real-life injustices.

The diary format, chronicling the Lutheran pastor’s transcriptions of Good Stab’s confessions, is ingenious, lending an air of authenticity to the tale. Good Stab is a fascinating character—his search for justice is deeply rooted in pain and resilience, making him terrifying and sympathetic. The threads of revenge and redemption are woven with such precision that every page is charged with tension and emotion.

Jones’s prose is vivid and atmospheric, painting a stark picture of the snowy fields and the horrors that lurk within them. The 217 Blackfeet dead serve as a haunting backdrop, grounding the story in historical tragedy and amplifying the stakes of the supernatural elements. The vampire’s role as a monster and an agent of justice is a brilliant twist that challenges traditional horror tropes.

This is not just a horror novel—it’s a powerful commentary on history, revenge, and the enduring scars of colonization. Stephen Graham Jones proves once again why he’s a master of the genre. The Buffalo Hunter is a must-read for literary horror and historical fiction fans alike. A chilling, unforgettable tale

Such a good and unique take on a "vampire story." But also so much more than that. Not really sure what to say about this book that doesn't give away the best parts. I struggled a little bit at the beginning of the book with the Blackfeet names for different places/animals, but once I got the hang of those terms/phrases it wasn't an issue. This book was a "slow burn" type of read in all of the good ways to interpret that phrase. It was sunk its' fangs into me and never let go until the end. At times it was sad, scary, gruesome and "peek through your fingers" tense, but always engaging and interesting. The bottom line is Stephen Graham Jones is one of those authors that no matter what he writes next, I will definitely be reading it.