Will I love The Only Good Indians?

Stephen Graham Jones creates a unique horror story through the eyes of Ricky, Gabe, Lewis and Cassidy, bound by their native American heritage find after a decade after a great Elk hunt that actions stir the spirit world.

Jones creates a relatable world with well realised characters, and the horror set pieces, while brief and visceral aren't gratuitous and propel the story to its inevitable end.

Great original writing

The breakneck speed of the narrative and the elements of a supernatural being hunting down four friends guilty of a horrible crime was great. The setting and culture milieu--and particular demons--of the inhabitants of a Native American reservation was fascinating. Sort of a cross between Steven King, Peter Straub, and Louise Erdrich. A great read.

I was amazed at the subtle way this horror story unfolded and how the evil presence slowly began to reveal itself. It draws you in completely.

When the hunters become the hunted and justice is brought by those who were wronged, it is one of the most satisfying aspects of this book. The masterful way Mr. Graham interwove elements of Native American culture and the power of Nature was beautiful, even in its most horrifying aspects.

The final sequences are truly breathtaking, and the final justice is more than gratifying.

In this book, the being that comes back wrong isn’t exactly a person, which I found very intriguing. While I knew that the four men were haunted by something they’d done, I wasn’t sure what was after them and just how deep the ramifications of their actions went.

I loved the way I got to know these men and care about them before seeing the past catch up to them. It was also a wonderful way to learn more about a culture outside my own. As the entity haunting them became stronger, I was very taken by its persistence and… show more.

I loved this book so much I could not put it down. Published in 2022, The Only Good
Indians takes the typical horror trope of a ghost seeking revenge and turns it into something new
and refreshing. Stephen Graham Jones takes elements of Native American myths and legends
and spins a modern story of revenge, guilt, and redemption.

After a “massacre” of a herd of elk on a protected reservation forest—a scene which spoke more of frenzied bloodlust than hunting for sustenance—four Blackfoot men become the prey of a creature bent on revenge.

Jones’s narrative satisfied my thirst for wholly original horror while exploring the clash of Native American traditional and contemporary culture. The story touches on the characters’ drive to assimilate, guilt and sense of identity, and the need to move beyond resentments to create a life worth living.

I loved the originality of the beast, the slice of reservation life, and the endearing, flawed characters, all… show more.

One thing I love about horror is how it allows authors of different cultural backgrounds opportunities to explore their mythology and express the complexities of their lived experiences. 

All cultures have ghosts, or demons, or monsters. And the stalking spirit in The Only Good Indians is strange, wonderful, and terrifying all at once.

Told as three interconnected stories, it builds both terror but also a sense of empathy, not only for the human victims but for the monster herself. It’s a tale of trauma, guilt, and survival that I could recommend to anyone.

The Only Good Indians is a three-part horror novel that deals with the trauma of losing one’s cultural identity with very dark and violent consequences of supernatural revenge.

Stephen Graham Jones has a wonderfully readable style of prose. He takes on grief, shame, and generational trauma themes, weaves in folklore and horror in such a way that the book is incredibly difficult to put down. 

His character Lewis Clarke would frame darkly comic newspaper headlines in his mind to showcase his insecurities: “Former Basketball Star Can’t Even Hang Graduation Blanket in Own Home,” and,… show more.

They say never judge a book by its cover, but I was drawn by the elk illustrated cover and the blurb. You are taken on a very authentic cultural journey by Jones as he invites the reader into the Native American world and shows how tradition and contemporary life come together. While it is a true literary gem it is also a bona fide horror dripping with non-gratuitous gore and menace as a group of young men are hunted by something otherworldly, haunted by an event from their youth. I was very taken by the Native American spirituality when I… show more.

This novel reminded me of just how brilliant the horror genre can be, and how deeply a book can wound, no matter how much we have read or how jaded we think we have become. Jones is a master at evoking not only visceral but achingly genuine emotional reactions in his readers, and there are scenes in The Only Good Indians that I will never be able to forget. Unflinching, sharply written and laced with unexpected black humour, this is super-smart horror fiction that takes no shortcuts and resists the cheap and easy shot. There’s good reason it’s won so… show more.