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Description
A diary, written in 1912 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 is an American Indian revenge story written by one of the new masters of horror, Stephen Graham Jones.
Summary
I recently read The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by indigenous US horror author, Stephen Graham Jones.
Review
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a sprawling, unique horror novel combining historical fiction with supernatural dread. The narrative is set across two time zones from 1912 and 2012, the novel connects through journals and confessions to portray a uniquely American vampire tale borne from the violence of the Old West and generational trauma of North American indigenous peoples.
Graham Jones crafts an elegant horror novel where academic Etsy Beaucarne finds a brittle manuscript penned supposedly by her great-great-grandfather in 1910s by a Lutheran pastor Arthur Beaucarne. In the transcription of the journal notes, the narrative unfolds to reveal the supernatural and harrowing account of confessions by Good Stab (Blackfeet tribe) sharing his life story—a blend of cultural heritage, frontier violence, and supernatural horror—including his transformation into a vampire after a fateful encounter in his early years as a young man. The historical backdrop of rising tensions and the grotesque murders appear on the outskirts of Miles City and Arthur must reconcile his faith Good Stab’s violent truths and Arthur’s own dark past.
Graham Jones has crafted one of the most unique vampire novels combining Gothic horror themes, indigenous lore and colonial history to provide a new meaning to the making of America. Good Stab is both tragic and terrifying: his transformation and immortal existence both examining cultural identity, erosion of culture amid overwhelming forces of violence and displacement.
The dual-narrative structure between Arthur and Good Stab’s confessions provides historical context and indigenous and colonial perspectives. Jones’s prose is flawless and evocative, capturing the darkness of a nation’s past, indigenous cultural survival and an ingrained sense of vengeance. The horror of this novel is evident not just in its supernatural elements but the historical atrocities and massacres viewed through both indigenous and colonial perspective with continuous moral scrutiny throughout The Buffalo Buffalo Hunter.
The novel can feel very dense and pacing slow in the earlier sections and the modern front and end pieces can be thematically fragmented. Regardless, Graham Jones is unflinching in forcing readers to confront historical violence, cultural identity, and the nature of monstrosity.
Conclusion
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a masterpiece of modern horror and as emotionally powerful as it is terrifying. A bold and unflinching horror that transcends genre conventions and is thought-provoking and emotionally compelling. This is a highly recommended work for readers who enjoy horror with depth, complexity, and a fresh take on the classic vampire folklore.
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
Leanbh Pearson 