I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones Published by Saga Press on March 18 2025
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 448
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A powerful and complex tale of revenge, Stephen Graham Jones’ latest is an emotionally draining but ultimately rewarding reading experience.
“What I am is the Indian who can’t die.
I’m the worst dream America ever had.”
No one can write a raw, unflinching account of the Indigenous experience like Stephen Graham Jones can, and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter might be his most emotionally devastating book yet. This isn’t an easy read by any means—it took me nearly two weeks to get through—so if you’re new to the author, it might not be the best place to start. But if you’re looking for a unique approach to vampires combined with a realistic account of Native American history, particularly around the late nineteenth century in Montana, then this book is a must read.
Jones frames his story around an old journal written by a Lutheran pastor in 1912, found by a construction worker a hundred years later and given to the pastor’s great-great granddaughter, a forty-something college professor who is desperately trying to write something to earn her tenure. Etsy Beaucarne decides to transcribe the journal in the hopes it will help her academic career, but she winds up biting off way more than she can chew.
The journal, written by Arthur Beaucarne, describes his experience meeting a Blackfeet Indian who turns out to be a vampire. Good Stab has come to Arthur’s church in order to confess his crimes, and Arthur reluctantly decides to listen, secretly writing down the vampire’s story in a journal. As Good Stab’s story unfolds, events in the present (1912) seem to echo those in the past. In Miles City Montana, where the story takes place, people are turning up dead in the streets, horribly mutilated and skinned in much the same way as the great buffalo were killed forty years before. Arthur knows the appearance of Good Stab and these murders can’t be a coincidence, and the deeper he sinks into Good Stab’s story, the more paranoid he becomes.
A word of warning for squeamish readers: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is an extremely violent and blood-soaked tale. As you might guess from the historical setting, quite a few buffalo are killed in the story (and other animals as well), but most of the violence happens between the Pikuni Indians and the Napikwan (white people). The inciting incident is the historical Marias Massacre of 1870, where hundreds of Blackfeet were slaughtered by the United States Army. Jones’s book is basically a revenge story about how Good Stab gets back at the Napikwan who killed his people, and it’s also the story of how he became a vampire and learned how to survive.
In a sea of vampire lore, Jones has actually come up with new ideas, and despite the ick factor of some of Good Stab’s vampire traits, I have to applaud the author for surprising me. For example, Good Stab begins to turn into whatever (or whoever) he’s drinking from. If he drinks the blood of too many deer, he starts to grow horns. And he’s horrified to find whiskers growing on his face when he starts killing and feeding from white people. This sets up a terrible realization that in order to remain Pakuni, he’s going to have to eat his own people. You won’t find any romanticizing of vampires here. Jones’s vampires are rough and bloody and mean, and Good Stab is basically a serial killer.
There are occasional moments of joy, though, that made the death and slaughter more bearable. One of the more tender-hearted parts of the story is when Good Stab begins to rescue buffalo calves and creates his own herd. One rare white calf, who he names Weasel Plume, becomes a beloved family member of sorts, and I loved that little calf to pieces. We also meet a couple of pet cats—Cordelia and Taz—who added some lighter moments to the story.
Mostly though, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is full of dread and tragedy. Good Stab can’t die, although he tries to kill himself more than once. Arthur Beaucarne fears his life is almost over, now that he’s become entangled with Good Stab. Many scenes were tough to read and brought tears to my eyes, and I had to set the book aside at times because it was simply too much.
The last section of the book jumps forward to 2012 as Etsy is finishing up her transcription of the journal, and at first I was worried this jarring time jump might lessen the impact of Arthur’s and Good Stab’s tales, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I ended up loving this section, a thrilling tale involving Etsy and her connection to the past. The author’s “story within a story within a story” format comes full circle during these last chapters, and the reader can finally see the big picture in all it’s violent glory.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is being lauded as Stephen Graham Jones’ best book to date, and I can’t deny the author’s skillful handling of the subject matter, not to mention his ability to destroy my emotions. I’m still partial to The Only Good Indians, but just by a hair. This was a reading experience I won’t soon forget.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
The author seems really skillful, because pulling out something like that, with such a huge emotional impact, sounds sooo hard! But I am glad that this book worked so well for you (I am hesitant to use the word “enjoyed” because it feels strange for such a grim book), thanks for sharing!!
I definitely did not enjoy everything about the book, lol. It’s a tough read at times, but so well done.
Oh wow this one sounds equal parts good and super dark
Very very dark!
I hadn’t looked into this story beyond the cover and title, and while I knew to expect horror, I had no idea this would be a vampire book! It sounds incredibly powerful, and I”m very tempted, although the ickiness might now work well for me (or at least, not right now). I’m going to bookmark this one to come back to, because I’m always up for a unique approach to a vampire story, and the historical aspects make it sound especially worth reading.
It’s such a unique combination of history and vampires, so well done!
Now I understand why it took you so long to read this one. I’m impressed that the author was able to pull off the “story within a story within a story” device – it takes a special set of skills to do that!
I love the bonus bison picture (that looks like a painting!).
He’s such a skilled writer, even if his subject matter is tough to read at times. And I couldn’t help adding that photo of the bison, the little one reminded me of Weasel Plume in the story:-)
I already wanted to read this book but even more so after reading your review! It sounds like it would have so many things that I love, especially a realistic account of Native American history (+ vampires!). I need to buy this book ASAP!
Yes, read it! I’m curious to see some other reviews:-)
This sounds soooo interesting but it’s got one element that makes me uncertain about reading it: the violence with the animals. That’s a big “no” for me. I wonder if it’s something I could skip past in the book? Because the premise you’ve described sounds, otherwise, very fascinating.
I absolutely hate violence against animals too, but Jones is also a must read author for me, so I just turn off that part of my brain when I’m reading his books.
Without a doubt an author I plan to read and this is certainly one of his books I hope to try. I love the idea of a vampire among the Blackfeet dating way back, but also bringing the story into a more recent time.
It’s skillfully written, and I loved the way he pulled off not two but three timelines.
I’m so happy to see you enjoyed this one! I still need to read The Only Good Indians and have a copy at home I need to make time for. I’ve heard really good things about it.
I hope you get to read it, it’s pretty amazing:-)
This sounds very good, and I like the use of the journal for telling the story. It sounds a bit gruesome too so perhaps not the best choice if I want to discover a new-to-me author
There is a lot of graphic violence in most of his books, lol. But he knows how to wreck your emotions, which not all writers can do.
This one sounds incredibly dark and emotional, especially as it’s based on true horrors of the past. I’ll admit that I’m a bit worried about the gore level but I still want to give this one a try. A vampire novel feels like a great starting point for me with this author and it sounds like such a unique spin on those tales with its focus on Native American history. And that quote just feels perfect based on everything that you’ve said.
The quote really sums everything up nicely. Jones has a unique voice that may take some time to get used to, but this is definitely worth reading.
Glad you enjoyed this. I wish I liked SGJ writing as his books always sound good.