Simply put, this book was not for me. I appreciated the horror story within this book, but my main issue was with the writing style. I think, frankly, I'm just too dumb for this book. Graham Jones used phrases I had never heard before, and I found myself rereading passages and phrases over and over again, trying to figure out what in the world was going on. I was confused to the point of frustration, but it seemed to be that Graham Jones was using words and phrases common with Native Americans, and being a white woman, I naturally wouldn't understand them. Many other people are loving this book, and I'm glad it's getting praise it deserves. However, it just was not for me.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read the eArc in exchange for my honest review. This book has stayed with me for several days after I finished it. It is an absolutely haunting story weaved from the lives of Ricky, Lewis, Cass and Gabe as their past catches up to them. This book uses exquisite detail of American Indian culture that is literary fiction slashed with unsettling elements that you will not see coming. Stephen Graham Jones has has achieved a masterpiece here. I never thought I would read a book chapter that is centered around a basketball match that left my heart pounding.

A gripping premise, but for some reason the writing style felt a little emotionally disconnected for me. That's a terribly obscure way to put it, and I will own that, but I can't put my finger on it otherwise. I'm a huge character snob - I need characters I can love, or love to hate - either way is fine - but ultimately, they must initiate some type of reaction in me. I just wasn't able to get emotional, one way or the other, about the characters in this novel. Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me, however, the storyline was engaging enough for me to finish the book, and so I'd recommend others give it a try!

Four Native American men participate in a disturbing incident and later in life strange things begin to happen to each of them as the hunters become the hunted. I was initially drawn to this book for several reasons. had heard good things about the author and I think its important to branch out and read a horror never by someone other than the King. Also its important to read diverse books and I have never read any horror books in which the protagonists were Native American and the author was as well (#OwnVoice). It helps that the cover art is bleakly gorgeous. I really enjoyed how unique this story was in regards to the specifics of the plot and setting. That being said the pacing was agonizingly slow and the horror aspects, while frightening, appeared with little fanfare, without buildup. The POV shifts also just slid right in with no warning. Overall I think this is a very interesting piece of work and while it is not my favorite I would recommend it to someone looking for something different than the run of the mill horror book.

Seeing a deer or horns on a cover is like seeing a horse, I'm instantly drawn and usually can't resist. When I saw the rack on The Only Good Indians, I was instantly intrigued. I've also heard good things about Stephen Graham Jones's work and had wanted to read something of his for some time. Cover gut wins again, because The Only Good Indians knocked my socks off and is my first five-star book of the year. (I don't really rate with stars, but it seems like the easiest way to get the point across that this book kicks ass.)

Lewis is of the Blackfeet Nation, but he's been off the Reservation for a decade, living happily with his white wife. One day while up on a ladder fixing a temperamental light fixture, Lewis thinks he sees a young elk through the blurry spinning blades of the fan, lying on his living room floor. "And Lewis knows for sure she’s dead. He knows because, ten years ago, he was the one who made her that way."

Jones slowly teases the events of ten years ago, though their import is abundantly clear. Lewis and his three best friends broke tribal rules and entered a hunting ground reserved for elders. In a truck no less. The details are spooled out over the course of the book, but they are sufficiently bad to feed Lewis's growing paranoia and belief that the elk has returned for revenge. As he becomes convinced those around him are the elk in disguise, things get bloodier and more horrific. Watching things spiral as the hunted becomes the hunter is a bit magical in Jones's hands. It's just brilliant on so many levels.

The story itself is a gas, and while deeper themes run all through the narrative they are never heavy-handed. Of course there is basketball, because basketball and Reservation are nearly synonymous. I love that Jones's best hoopers are female, as are the best and smartest fighters.

Jones's work is billed as horror and while I get that point, genre labels can be restrictive and keep people away. I usually don't read horror per se, but there is horror that I really enjoy. Please don't let that label keep you away if you don't think you're a horror fan. It is gritty, don't get me wrong. Gird your loins, but dig in.

STREET SENSE: What Entertainment Weekly calls "One of 2020’s buzziest horror novels” should really be billed as "One of 2020's buzziest novels." I didn't know there was buzz when I picked it up. Buzz can be misplaced. In this case it's spot on. And when this is how the author describes himself, how can you resist: "Stephen Graham Jones is a Blackfeet Native American author born and raised in Texas. An NEA Fellow, and Bram Stoker and World Fantasy Award–winning author, Jones is the Ivena Baldwin Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder. Jones is into werewolves and slashers and zombies. If he could, he would wear pirate shirts and probably carry some kind of sword."

A FAVORITE PASSAGE: The door on Lewis’s side opened like a whisper, like fate, and when he committed his right foot down to the powdery surface that ended up being two feet deep, he just kept falling, his chin stopping a hand’s width into the powder the front tires had churned up. His forward motion never faltered, though. He crawled ahead like a soldier, pulling with his elbows, his rifle held ahead to keep the barrel clear. And—that was when the frenzy washed over him.

COVER NERD SAYS: I picked this by the cover. I have now bought all the rest of SGJ's work. I'd say that was a success. Intriguing, appropriately dark, a little creepy.

Though I have heard plenty of good things about Jones' writing over the years, this is actually my first experience with his writing. This one has gotten a lot of pre-publication hype, and it sounded so interesting and definitely an original take on a spooky story, so I was so excited when my NetGalley wish came true!

It's another book that I have read recently that has a delayed release date, but this is certainly an intriguing, albeit gory, and fast read. It opens in North Dakota, where a Native American man ends up dead outside of a crowded drilling crew bar. The perspective shifts to Lewis, who moved off the reservation and is now a postal worker, living with his white wife and dog. But Lewis suddenly becomes more haunted by an event in his past - which connects to the first dead body and to two more of Lewis' friends still living on the Montana reservation.

It's definitely an original story - and some of the fragmented perspectives share some similar style choices (there are newspaper headlines throughout the whole book). Some of the gory action (there's a pretty high body count -and fair warning, the bodies are not all human - animals suffer here, too) is more implied, and almost glossed over, only to circle back to other moments when it is detailed to the bloody bits... The characters, though the book doesn't really follow a central character, really all come to life. I saw some mixed early reviews for this one, and I can see some not enjoying the writing style choices and the gore, but it all worked well to me. It's not really as scary or creepy as I expected - no goosebumps here - but there are still some real shocks to the storyline and the pages fly by quickly. I am definitely curious to read more from Jones!

This is a hell of a book.

The first couple of hundred pages, I was reading merrily along, thinking "Hey, this is a pretty darn good and creepy horror novel. Yikes, elk revenge!" -- and if this is all you're hoping for from the book, I doubt you'll be disappointed. But then we switch settings and perspectives and you start to realize there's so much more going on. Friendship, murder, honor, revenge, justice, injustice, motherhood, fatherhood, found family, love, and basketball (so much basketball) -- it's all here. The ending gave me chills, and I will recommend this to anyone who will listen.

Many, MANY thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

The Saturday before Thanksgiving four young Native American men are hunting in the woods near their reservation. As the day wanes and the young men have yet to find any game, they move further into the woods into an area that is normally forbidden to them. What happens next feels like a typical hunting scene but will come back to haunt down each man in ways they never could have imagined.

"The Only Good Indians" is a rare #ownvoices horror novel meaning that it is written about a minority group by a member of that minority group. I enjoyed its exploration of Native American culture as well as its slow-burn psychological thriller feel. The characters were well-developed and realistic, and the plot twists were timed well. Stephen Graham Jones is clear and concise in his writing, and I appreciate his economical use of language. I will definitely be purchasing this title for my collection as well as recommending it to other horror/psychological thriller fans. I will also seek out this author's other work.

I really wanted to love this book. But there was something about the writing that kept me at arm's length. I kept plowing forward, but not following what was going on, not following the language. It never pulled me in. I finally had to stop reading.

This book had so many great things going for it! I loved the reservation setting and diverse characters, some likable and others not. The focus on nature and animals was fantastic. The terrifying and gruesome parts seemed to come out of nowhere and there were so many unexpected twists and turns. It turns out no one was safe. I could see this being recommended to folklore-lovers who don''t read for the happy ending. After I finished reading, I went back to a couple of sections, and saw all of the foreshadowing I had missed. So incredible. I'm looking forward to more books by Stephen Graham Jones!

This is a good book, but I have to say that I did not love it as much as I had hoped. I think that my expectations were for an out and out horror and it did not deliver in that way. I would still recommend it for anyone that is looking for a literary slow burn with a twist of horror.

My first Stephen Graham Jones book will not be my last. What an incredible journey! This book explores bad decisions, guilt, and retribution. The voice is so authentic you feel every moment. There is a quiet despair in those trying to leave their past behind and a strong resilience in those who embrace their circumstances. It is a great ghost story, but so much more a study of personal demons. The end caught me off guard! I didn’t expect to cry and be so touched by this, but after taking this journey and living in these people’s minds, there is no other choice. Side note: thank god I don’t hunt! #netgalley #theonlygoodindians

A slow, creeping horror set around Blackfeet territory. I had to time my reading of this book so as not to be reading late at night! An excellent addition to the horror genre. I was truly horrified by some of the scenes, but was also left with a feeling of hope and release. Well done!

This is the first book I have read by Stephen Graham Jones. I had heard some buzz about it and being hugely into horror, I was thrilled to get approved for the arc. However, it just didn’t work for me. The writing style felt choppy and left me feeling confused. It felt like more of a chore to read it than for entertainment. This book has been receiving a lot of good reviews so I think it is just not my style. I did enjoy the horror elements and the Native American details and traditions.
Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery books for the arc.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Gallery/Saga Press

ISBN-13: 978-1982136451

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD



The past year, for me, has been the year of menacing deer. After encountering the demonically controlled deer that trap unwitting victims in the Pennsylvania woods in Imaginary Friend and the unsettling antelope shapeshifters in The Antelope Wife, the vengeful, shapeshifting elk out for blood shouldn’t have surprised me. Stephen Graham Jones has given us his version of I Know What You Did Last Summer, taking place on reservation land.

Ten years earlier, four stupid kids stampeded a herd of elk meant to be left in peace, and shot as many as they could. One of them was a pregnant mother. Unable to take advantage of the meat of all the elk they had killed, they left their slaughter behind. After the incident, the park ranger banned them from hunting. It’s a horrifying scene to read, and anger-inducing, but who, and how long, pays for sins like these? Is forgiveness even possible?

Two of the boys from that night escape the reservation and are gone for years, but the first evidently doesn’t go far enough– chased by some white guys looking to pick a fight, he encounters an elk that escalates the situation and is brutally killed. The second, Lewis, returns to the reservation with his wife for the funeral, only to have things escalate as he enters a hallucinatory, murderous state. The remaining two, Gabe and Cassidy, who have stayed on the reservation, decide to hold a sweat in memory of their friend, which turns out to be a poor decision for everyone involved. It is up to Gabe’s teenage daughter, Denorah, to outrun the Elk Head Woman and resolve things.

I had to read this strange, supernatural slasher tale more than once to understand what was going on, but it was totally worth it. The character development is well-done, the unsettling aspect of the supernatural getting more and more entangled into the destruction of these men and their families really sinks in, and the reservation setting and its conflicts felt very real. It is kind of reality-bending to see an animal that I think of as being generally peaceful out for violent revenge. Yet Graham Jones makes it all work. Highly recommended.



Contains: violence, gore, murder, body horror.

Stephen Graham Jones is an author I deeply respect. He's got his own style, his "voice" is strong and is a huge part of what makes his fiction unique and memorable. I found his novel Mongrels amazing, and loved the different take he used with a werewolf story. He's okay with breaking rules and shattering norms and doing it his way. If you've read one of his books, you'll know what I mean. The journey itself is as fun as any destination, and once you jump in you quickly realize you're just along for the ride.

This said, I struggled with "The Only Good Indians." I'm likely in the minority on this one, as the reviews have been fantastic coming in, and there's so much I appreciate about this story and the way it's constructed, it just took me a really long time to get through.

The best way I can describe this book is comparing it to a bowl of Lucky Charms. But this would have to be the last bowl in the box, the "dregs" if you will, after your younger brother or sister has gone through by hand and pulled out as many marshmallows as they could find. Every mouthful just sort of tasted the same. And then there'd be these moments of exquisite flavor when a marshmallow shocks your system, and so I'd keep shoveling more in only to be back to the plain flavorless taste.

Now don't me wrong, the marshmallows in this book are amazing, and a few of the scenes are ones embedded now in my little head. For me, instead of the connected vignettes I would have preferred a single short story with that first epic twist pulling its trigger and then calling it good. Without going into spoilers, it was a fantastic moment and though there were other marshmallows sprinkled throughout, none of them lived up to that first spike of sugary / horrific goodness.

One of the other things that really stands out in this book is the characterization of modern Native Americans. The prejudices, challenges, and even self-fulfilling prophecies, and the way SGJ took tradition and lore and incorporated it into a new prism was fascinating and likely something only he could do. There's an authenticity to his writing, for good or bad, as that may have had something to do with the pacing issues I felt through parts of the story.

Certainly worthy of your time, this could be a quite polarizing work, and while I'm glad I read it, it felt like more work than it should have.

Jones is one of the most mesmerizing voices in contemporary fiction. He swings from darkness, to humor, to deep empathy in a few deft words. This might be one of his best works yet. It's right at the top of my list with Mapping the Interior and Mongrels and All the Beautiful Sinners.

I would characterize this novel as a weird horror fable. Some really genius scenes and moments. I enjoyed a lot of the writing. But, the plot was just all over the place. Overly slow in places and rushed in others.

Very interesting read, not my usual style but it was a nice change. Reading about different types of people than my self is very eye opening and interesting to learn about.

I hate giving 1 star reviews, I really, truly do.

But...

I did not enjoy this book at all. I'm honestly surprised I was able to finish it considering I knew about 16 pages in, that I was not going to like this book.

I also have no idea what the F I just read. It had a lot to due with elk, a woman with an elk head, and basketball. I think I may have read an acid trip?

I feel that when I dislike a book enough to give it a 1 star review, that I should keep my reviews short, in respect of the author. This book was clearly not my cup of tea, but others are certainly loving it.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC and wanting my honest opinion!