Book Review: THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER by Stephen Graham Jones

THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER by Stephen Graham Jones (S&S/Saga Press, March 18 2025) Hardcover, 435 pages. ISBN #9781668075081 

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians comes a tale of the American West, writ in blood.

This chilling historical novel is set in the nascent days of the state of Montana, following a Blackfeet Indian named Good Stab as he haunts the fields of the Blackfeet Nation looking for justice.

It begins when a diary written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor is discovered within a wall in 2012. What is unveiled is a slow massacre, a nearly forgotten chain of events that goes back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow, told in the transcribed interviews with Good Stab, who shares the narrative of his peculiar and unnaturally long life over a series of confessional visits.

This is an American Indian revenge story, captured in the vivid voices of the time, by one of the new masters of literary horror, Stephen Graham Jones.

My Five Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

I have thoroughly enjoyed so many novels by Stephen Graham Jones that I hesitate to label any one of them as "his masterpiece". But, this could be it. It deserves every one of those five stars, and maybe more. 

There's a double dose of engaging, informative reading here: Historical fiction and Horror. Two different and fascinating characters. Two different narrators (actually three, but one gets less page time). Two different styles of communicating. Two presentation formats that challenge the reader to interpret and comprehend. A present-day tie-in that is equally disturbing in its ultimate conclusion.

Stephen Graham Jones often challenges the reader. Many of his stories are told directly from point-of-view of the main character, and sentences are sometimes unclear until you read far enough to understand that character and recognize the way they see and describe things. THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER requires readers to comprehend the point-of-view of three characters, which makes that even more challenging - - but better for it.

Jones always does plenty of research for his novels, and the journal entries by the priest are very descriptive, wordy, and authentic to the way of writing in 1912. I'm reminded of how Bram Stoker constructed DRACULA from journal entries, and the comparison is entirely appropriate. Also, the tale/confession as related to Arthur Beaucarne (the priest) by Good Stab is detailed in Native American language, which takes some time to begin to understand the words for various people, animals, and places. 

There's a part of history that is often glossed over, and that is the near extinction of the American buffalo and how that affected the lives of several Native American tribes. The massacre of both animals and indians is detailed in the novel, and is even more horrifying that the horror elements.

This is compelling, disturbing, and sad historical fiction, seasoned with horror elements. An ageless vampire in Montana and a brutal revenge story. Chilling. I almost feel guilty saying how much I loved this story because it's a sad reminder of the cruelty of American history.