I have previously read another novel by Stephen Graham Jones, "Mongrels" a few years before. I didn't realize when I requested The Only Good Indians that it was by the same author!
The story is pretty slow to build up and I found it a bit of a trudge to get into, but about half-way through it starts to pick up and the mild eerie-ness turns to horror as you understand the backstory of the creature (as it persistently follows the main characters)

October wrap-up 🎃

What a month! I read 4 loooong time backlist books (seriously, how long has #sharksinthetimeofsaviors been showing up on my bedside stack?!) and had 7/8 diverse authors. It was also one of the highest rated months of reading I've had in ages.

Clear stand outs for me this month were Sharks, #interpreterofmaladies and #eartheater - a tale of old gods and the new world colliding on Hawaii, short 💔 stories of the Indian diaspora and ... whatever the heck Eartheater is ☠️

I think #mydarkvanessa has likely already gotten enough exposure at this stage but, from my perspective, no amount of quality bookclub discussion is worth wading through multiple, explicit r*pe scenes of a 15 year old child that comes packaged as a 'thriller'. We should be so much more critical of the shady bs marketing publishers lean into. Yuck and yikes all around.

What books did you love (or loathe) this month?

Read This Now 🤯
* Sharks in the Time of Saviors - Kawai Strong Washburn
* Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri
* Eartheater - Dolores Reyes

Pretty Darn Good 😀
* This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal al Mohtar & Max Gladstone
* The Only Good Indians - Stephen Graham Jones
* Open Water - Caleb Azumah Nelson

Sure 🙂
* Revenge of Power - Moises Naim

Nope 🙅‍♀️
* My Dark Vanessa - Kate Elizabeth Russell

#octoberreadingwrapup #octoberwrapup #readinginstead #bookstagram #readingwrapup #spookyreads #fallreads

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones



The story follows four childhood friends that find themselves in a disturbing situation, that follows them for years to come.



The Only Good Indians is a classic horror novel. The writing, WOW; The attention to detail was incredible, the horror and drama aspects of the story were woven together so well. I loved the writing style, the humor, the blood and gore, and the ending! The pacing starts off a bit slow but once it gets into the soul of the story, it does not stop! The story is devastating and absolutely gut-wrenching yet still engrossing. I can’t recommend this book more!

Another one that didn't do it for me (but there's no telling it won’t do it for you) was The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. The premise was great: it follows four young Blackfoot men who find themselves fighting for their lives against an entity (an elk of all things!) seeking revenge. It successfully balances social commentary, Indigenous lore, and gross-out horror, but there was just something about the writing that didn't suck me in. Plus, there were way too many dead animals present for my liking, so much that I almost quit reading a few times.

5 STARS

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

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THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS is not your typical "horror" and because of that will definitely be polarizing for some readers. I'll be honest here - after reading the first few chapters I really wasn't sure what I'd gotten myself into and I struggled to connect with the narrative style. At that point, I put TOGI aside and picked up something else.

A few months later, while perusing Scribd, I noticed that the audio of TOGI had finally been posted. Deciding to give the story another shot, I pressed play and was immediately drawn back into the story. The narrator did a superb job of bringing the story and characters to life and I actually recommend listening to the audio over reading the book (it was that good!)

THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS is horrifying, heartbreaking and yet strangely uplifting. It speaks to the significance of traditions and what can be lost when those are forgotten and ignored. Don't expect a "traditional" horror read when you pick this one up because it is so, so much more.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC! THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS is out now.

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2020; Gallery / Saga Press/Simon & Schuster Canada

I started listening to this one just before October, and thought it would be a good horror-esque novel to start the scary season. I think I should have waited since I just read (and didn't like) When No One is Watching. Both books have been compared to Jordan Peele, and while both were great ideas, it just didn't work for me. I love this cover, and no matter what this book would have been about I would have read it. I did like way Jones incorporated the Indigenous culture into the story.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

A very interesting story that takes a Native myth and expands it into a full novel over the course of multiple viewpoints.

Such a powerful read!
Someone has to turn this into a movie because everyone needs to learn about this story!
WOW

Rep: Indigenous/Aboriginal representation

TW: violence, use of guns, killing of animals, violence towards women, gore, racism

My Review: Very Unique and Disturbing

This has got to be one of the most unique horror novels I’ve read. Its inclusion of contemporary Indigenous life was eye-opening and added depth to the story.

The Pros: What worked for me

I thought the violence level was great in the story, albeit a bit gory. The scenes are quite graphic in their depiction – so reader beware!
Every character was unique. This story is told from multiple perspectives, and each one highlighted something important. My favourites were Lewis, Denorah, and the Elk Woman, as I connected best with them .
The social commentary on Indigenous tribes was enlightening. Not only did the author bring up common stereotypes, but there was also satire through the use of imaginary newspaper headlines. There are strong themes in this novel: reverence to life, sacredness of ritual, guilt of abandoning traditions. All of these just added to the complexity of the story.

The Cons: What I didn’t like

The writing style, while unique, threw me in for a loop. It was hard to keep track of what was going on at times, especially when the character would go off on a tangent.
There were times when the plot was not clear and I didn’t know where the story was going to go or what the author had in mind.
This story caught me off-guard with both its complexity and brutality. I loved reading from the perspectives of different characters, but it wasn’t always easy to keep up with the story. I’ll definitely be reading more books by this author, and I’m giving this one 3/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I went out on a limb with this one, I wasn't sure what to expect as it's not my typical genre. I am glad I gave it a chance. I picked this one because I want to read more indigenous works and this seemed like it could fill that void. I want to find more indigenous authors, and I don't want these stories to fall through the cracks. The cover was also something that caught my eyes, the minimalist aspects, but it also seems ominous.

I will be giving this a second read to really get ahold of my feelings on this one, it deserves it's justice. Would I recommend this? Yes, but I also like horror so it honestly might not be for everyone. For now I will give it 3 stars until I can settle my feelings and reread it. Sometimes books become more clear after you've taken a break from them. I think this deserves a spot on my shelf and I will keep an eye out for more of Jones's work.

This book was a wild ride, consider me a fan.
The characters were extremely well fleshed out. They felt like people I knew. At first, the structure of the book kind of threw me off but as I got into it, I really enjoyed the way the stories fed into each other.
I am not Indigenous so I feel some of the symbolism and cultural elements went over my head but while I couldn't relate to the characters experiences, I completely connected to them because of how ell fleshed out they were. So much was said about them from such small details given.
The book and storyline was so unique and I felt myself thinking about this book every time I wasn't reading it.
The only critique I have is that I would have liked a bit more detail in some of the scenes. Sometimes, a character would die and I just completely missed it. I had to go back and re-read paragraphs to parse out the moment they died or what happened. The set ups for the deaths were so good so I feel like if there was just a bit more detail it could have really been spectacular.

While this book was really interesting and well written, it really wasn't my style. It had a bit too much gore for me, which really kind of took away from the overall story. It was just a little too much on the graphic side for me, and I totally could have done without it.

Nevertheless, it was very well written and thought out. I enjoyed the Native American elements in it, much more so because it was an OwnVoices author than another book written by a white person trying to incorporate someone else's culture to fit their narrative.

The Only Good Indians follows four men, years after an elk hunt that leaves them with a curse, an entity that follows them set on revenge.

Stephen Graham Jones’s The Only Good Indians is a haunting story, a tale of tradition and culture undermined leading to an terrifying entity haunting the four men. Jones’s writing is just beautiful, mixing that creepy haunted atmosphere of horror with a true blend of literary skill. While I’m not always the biggest fan of literary horror, The Only Good Indians is one that just sucks you right in and leaves your skin crawling while still appreciating the true art of his writing.

In some parts, the story is a little bit slower, as it builds up this threat of the entity, and I can see some readers struggling with that a little bit, but the slow burn of the story is so worthwhile for when it really gets going. Every word, every act, within the story has a purpose, and it builds to this fantastic ending that really makes you shiver and cheer simultaneously.

This is a short book that packs a punch, and is well worth the read for any fan of the horror genre. For those that lean more towards literary horror, this is an absolute must read. If you’re uncertain about whether you’re a fan of horror, this is an excellent spot to start because it’s not over the top gory and gives you that haunting atmosphere for a good feel of the genre without being too much. Basically, I recommend this for everyone because it’s a truly beautiful, haunting book, with so much to be appreciated from it.

After nearly a decade, an entity returns to seek justice for an act committed years before.

Stephen Graham Jones is a wonderful writer and I have loved everything I've read from him. His writing is so thoughtful, every bit intentional. Heart and love poured into each word. The Only Good Indians is one of my favorite horrors of the year, and of all time.

This is a story of a generational trauma focusing around four Blackfeet men. We follow Lewis, Gabe, Cassidy, and briefly, Ricky. Each of them have different memories and reactions to what is happening to them. Stephen Graham Jones said he wanted to write a slasher in a way that a slasher hasn't been done before. That is what this is. With writings on family, on friendship, on love, on grief.

What I enjoyed:

• To tell the story of this entity, who had something taken from her and wants justice for that. Slowly unfolding first through a characters guilt, memories. Then through her own thoughts. And finally, through understanding of the past and how healing can be found in the present.

To tell the story of Lewis, Gabe, Cassidy, and Ricky, who did not act that day ten years earlier with malice, but crossed a line that for this entity, could not be uncrossed. To their friendship, Gabe and Cassidy's so full in the way friendships can be - of love for each other, and of grief for what they have been through. To their love that they have in their lives, some of these passages with their wives' or fiance's or daughters' bringing ache to my heart.

To tell the story of Denorah, who is Gabe's daughter and a brilliance. To do it all with love and compassion for these characters and who they are, and where their actions take them.

• The writing. Where you are reading, and you are reading, and you can feel the ominous energy spilling out in the background but you're focused over here on this light fixture wondering about it and then
!!!!!!!!!
Something truly terrifying happens and you just keep on reading and it keeps going and the writing does not intend for it to be any sort jump scare moment it's just placed right there in the middle of everything else and it is SUCH a good way to write horror. There are so many moments that had me truly well and nearly flying out of my seat

• Second person is used so well here, it adds such depth and an eerie "the killer is following you and you don't know it" element

• All of the classic horror tropes and slasher tropes that this book holds! The writing here brings so many of those together in ways that aren't anything but scary. All of those tropes turned on their heads, made new

• The ending, one of the very best endings I have read in literature. In anything.

Overall:
I am looking very much forward to reading Night of The Mannequins to be published in September!!

It is important for me to acknowledge that as a white reader, I will not ever understand every part of what this story holds in the same way that an Indigenous reader will.

I loved this story so much and I recommend it greatly.

This book was such a mix for me, and I’m still trying to figure out exactly where I stand rating-wise. I think this is probably around a 3.5/5, because although I really enjoyed the beginning, I think the middle section didn’t hold my attention as much.

I think in order to get my thoughts down in the most concise way I’ll list some of the things I loved, and some of the things I didn’t love as much.

What I loved
• I loved the atmosphere of this story. I felt the confusion, paranoia, and dread right along with the characters. I saw this described as “creeping horror” which I would definitely agree with. Although I didn’t get really scared myself, Stephen Graham Jones did an excellent job of building up the tension and making the reader understand how his characters were feeling
• I always love reading and learning more about the culture and beliefs of First Nations groups so this is something I really appreciated within this story
• I really enjoyed the Prologue. It was fast-paced and set the tone for the rest of the book. I was sucked in quite quickly and was eager to read more.
• I loved the characterization (of some characters). I really enjoyed reading from Lewis’ perspective. I was so interested to delve into his thoughts and opinions, and to see him trying to figure out everything going on around him. I felt like I could feel his emotions right along with him, and was eager to find out what would happen in his life. Unfortunately, because I loved his perspective so much, I found I was far less interested in reading from other points of view. I almost wish this was a short story, just about Lewis’ perspective because I would have probably given that 5 stars.
What I didn’t love
This leads me quite nicely into the parts I didn’t love
• As already mentioned, my main complaint is that I found my interest waning when we moved to hear from other perspectives. I think because these characters were not built up much in the beginning it felt almost like starting an entirely new book when we switched perspectives. I could see this way of storytelling really working for some people, but I felt like it was somewhat jarring
• I think the switch in narration styles also really took me out of the story as well. Looking back though, I don’t think these narration choices are necessarily bad – just that I was not expecting them. I wonder if I re-read this book, knowing the format of the book, if I would enjoy it more.
• Subsequently, I felt my attention drop quite a bit in the middle, although the ending action did bring the book back up for me.

I had really wanted to love this book, and I still did enjoy it quite a bit. I’m still searching for that horror that really scares me, but I did appreciate the atmosphere and the psychological aspects of this book. I think this is one I may need to re-read in a little while.

Is rez horror a thing? Cause that’s how I would like to describe this book. Anyway, I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to check out more from this author.


The best way I can describe this book as gripping. Each of the POVs is expertly done, with raw and intimate voice and incredible tension. The thing that worked best about this book for me was how it built the tension slowly, layering more and more backstory until it felt like the line would just snap. And then, leading into the final chapters (I’ll be vague cause spoilers) I was absolutely white-knuckled and couldn’t put it down, leaving me fully on the edge of my seat and terrified about the way it would end. And that ending, perfect. Wonderful. I loved it. Honestly, one of my favourite endings in a book that I’ve read recently.


One of the best things about this book was how it worked on so many levels, not just the knuckle-whitening and nightmare producing horror aspects, but also the social commentary, examining issues around loss of identity and tradition, and the vicious cycle that comes from these things.


Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to horror fans, and would not recommend reading in the middle of the night, as I did, because I definitely had some freaky dreams.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited about his book based on the blurb and the cover, and but this book was really not for me and I ended up DNFing . I think horror is just not my genre,

I totally can see there’s an audience for this book and it is written quite well, but I just couldn’t get into it at all and wasn’t sure what was going on .

If you let it, this book is going to worm its way under your skin. Suffuse you with dread. Force you to reckon with some scary feelings.

I say "if you let it," because I understand that the prose of this book might not be for everyone. The writing was, I can't deny, hard to get into and easy to lose track of. I struggled with the first few chapters until I realized this: I was going about it all wrong.

The Only Good Indians is SO much more than the sum of its word-parts. And to get at those gems—of which there are many—I had to shift my expectations. I implore that you do the same: Set aside any presumptions of the easily digestible, the immediately sensational. The sentences of this book aren't structured intuitively; chronology holds little meaning. Non sequiturs seem to abound. And the narration is a seamless passing of batons between characters—primarily the four men who set these bloody events in motion ten years ago, though our villainess makes second-person appearances (and a grandfatherly orator peeks in also at the end).

The premise seems quintessentially slasher. Ten Thanksgivings ago, four Blackfeet men—Ricky, Lewis, Gabe, and Cass—ventured onto their elders' territory and massacred a herd of elk they had no business killing. One of these animals becomes (or perhaps was, all along) Elk Head Woman, a supernatural entity who both manifests and perpetuates generational trauma in her ruthless quest of vengeance.

I reiterate: the writing is, as many reviewers have mentioned, hard to navigate. But good LORD is Stephen Graham Jones blackly funny! I loved this book's dark and deadpan delivery of the shitty/brilliant truths/fears that make up the realities of modern-day Indians. (Like, when Lewis goes off about his Native swimmers (yes, of the reproductive variety) resembling "microscopic salmon"—I guarantee you'll do a spit take just like I did.)

Finally, and no pun intended, I must mention the Final(s) Girl, Denorah. In a Goodreads interview, SGJ talks about subverting the final girl that pop culture's grown used to seeing:

"In most slashers, it tends to become a muscle match—who can swing the machete the hardest. She doesn’t get to use the characteristics she’s been developing her whole life... I’ve always been uncomfortable with that. So with The Only Good Indians I was trying to make my stab at letting the final girl retain her own identity and win the day with compassion, rather than muscles."

And this is EXACTLY what Denorah accomplishes in the book's ultimate scene. Den is Gabe's preteen daughter and a fucking badass on the basketball court, tenacious and sure-footed and clever. She's going to be a star baller someday—but before then, she will play a life-or-death game of one-on-one with Elk Head Woman.

When she emerges out the other side, Denorah shows us what the four men (and Elk Head Woman herself) never thought possible: a way to break this cycle of violence and vengeance.

Decided to give this a go for a change of pace from my usual genres. The book starts off slow and is a bit confusing with all the characters being thrown at you. I found it would really pick up and then slow waaaay down. It got crazy intense right before the second part ... like CRAZY! I couldn't put the book down and was honestly just sitting here with my mouth hanging open. Haha!! Like, wtf did I just read? Did that actually happen?? There's a lot of back and forth - at times I was questioning what part of the story I was reading between the past and present. Having that clarified in the chapter header would have really helped. But maybe that was just me!? This story is crazy ... there's no doubting that - it definitely grossed me right out which I'm not mad about. It's a horror afterall! It was weird but also extremely entertaining. Though I wonder if that makes me twisted? Whatever ... haha! It did its job. If you're a fan of horror, enjoy a whole lot of blood and gore ... lots of death - you'll probably want to read this.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for this review copy and also making me question my sanity ...

I liked the writing, but the book just wasn't there for me. I will definitely have to revist this when I'm in the mood for horror, because I can definitely see the appeal of this!