Oh wow, like, where do I even start? This was absolutely haunting in, like, the most beautiful, gut-punching way possible. It’s one of those reads—dark, layered, and so achingly unforgettable that you’ll just sit there after finishing it, staring at the wall like, “What did I just experience??”

The way it mixes history and horror is incredible! The vibe is all moody and atmospheric, with this priest guy chronicling something so twisted and raw, you’re like, "Wait, how is this even fiction??" And the vampire thing? Not your sparkly romantic nonsense, babe. It’s deep. It’s tragic. It’s a metaphor and a monster all in one, and somehow even that feels secondary to the story's real heart: justice and memory.

You don’t even realize how hard it hits you until you're like, halfway through, and suddenly it’s like, “Oh no, I care TOO much about these characters.” And there’s this one scene—ugh, no spoilers, but trust me, it’s going to live rent-free in your mind forever. Like, seriously, I'm obsessed. This was so my vibe, and I’m just gonna be raving about it to literally everyone I know. Five stars, all the stars, whatever—you NEED this book in your life.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

(4.5 rounded down) This was my year to discover Stephen Graham Jones’s writing. This was immersive and brutal and heartbreaking. The story follows diary entries of a Lutheran minister in 1912 Montana, as he transcribes his conversations with Good Stab, a member of the Blackfeet tribe; conversations that revolve around atrocities committed against indigenous peoples. This is a vampire novel and I love the way that the author uses the vampire framework to build a story that is so much more. I haven’t read a ton of Stephen Graham Jones’s’ work, but he seems extremely adept at writing stories about traditional horrors (vampires, serial killers, werewolves) that hide more realistic societal horrors (racism, sexism, the history of violence visited upon indigenous peoples by white colonizers). His writing definitely took some getting used to - it has a very distinctive cadence and rhythm, but once I was in, I was all in.

This is a vampire novel, but it's much more than that. A tale of Native American massacres and the trauma that follows through the generations.

I loved the way this story was told. This was my first Stephen Graham Jones novel, but it certainly won't be my last. The writing was stellar and I couldn't get enough of the story till I knew the ending. When I made this my primary novel, I blew through it quickly. I'll probably do a re-read when it hits Audible. Five stars!

This is a really interesting historical fiction, with vampires. What a fun twist. This is a very atmospheric book; it felt almost like there was a cloud over my head the whole time I was reading it. Just very moody and borderline creepy. I loved the format of this book. It had a little of the present, but most of the book is told via journal entries, which I enjoyed. I think that this author writes really interesting and unsettling horror books. They’re always unconventional and different, which I appreciate. There is some gore in this book, but it wasn’t horrible and I think that it fit the story nicely. I enjoyed how this story was told, and how atmospheric it was. The characters were all well written and enjoyable and I liked getting to know them as the book went on.

If you’re looking for an unconventional historical read with vampires, then you need to check this one out.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: March 18, 2025
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

So I quite literally took an entire day off to sit and zone out into this book. When SGJ writes a new book…we ALL call in sick to read it right?!?! RIGHT and VAMPIRE lore?! I say it every time you guys, when he comes out with a book…that is the BEST one yet and then another comes out and that’s even better than the last (lets be real because they are all incredible), but this one…I don’t know how its going to be topped. This is going straight to the top of my list for #1 and will stay right there. Perfection.

This was addictive, this was fast paced and this sucked me right in from the very beginning. I loved this story, the way it was written in such a way that you could see the entire book play out page by page, the characters were very well fleshed out as well. I love how Stephen weaves a horrorish atmosphere with hisfic and blends them together seamlessly. This will give you all of the feels and emotions as you read this. I’m not going to talk about the book in my review, just that it blew me away with how incredible it was, but this needs to be on EVERYBODY’s TBR right away and you can thank me later. I’ve already recommended this book to all my friends.

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Saga Press, S&S/Saga Press

There are few that can be considered the greatest of anything. This book is one of the greatest vampire novels of all time. That’s about all I can say about it. Discover it for yourself and be prepared for an overwhelming literary experience.

historal horror about vampires?? hell YEAH!! I'm so wishy about Stephen's writing. It's GOOD but he adds so much extra detail, which is the problem here, but I found it easier to get through. The chapters are still long, overly so. I think this might be ONE of his best books to date.

No, because why would you do that, Stephen? Tell me right now, why do you enjoy emotionally damaging us like this?

This book is riveting, horrific, and absolutely heartbreaking. I can’t even talk to you guys about Weasel Plume right now. I might never be able to, honestly. I usually have so much to say when I review books but this time I find myself lost for words. This may well be Stephen Graham Jones best novel to date and will join the ranks of books I will never stop thinking about.

If you don’t read this book it’s disrespectful to Weasel Plume’s memory and I am going to turn your great great grandfather into a giant prairie dog.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Endless heartfelt thank yous to Savannah and Saga Press for my gifted ARC of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones — my most anticipated read of 2025, available March 18!

» READ IF YOU «
🦬 are looking for a slow-burn historical tale about the horrors of humanity
🧛 love a unique take on the makeup of a monster
🧁 ever promised yourself the cake would last a week but suddenly it's gone...

» SYNOPSIS «
Arthur is running from something, something he's hiding from his congregation and trying to bury beneath homemade cakes and sausages. But the past always catches up, doesn't it? This time, it arrives in the form of a mysterious Blackfeet man, who starts to confess his own sins to Arthur. But that's neither here nor there...

» REVIEW «
"In quietness begins devotion, does it not?"
It sure does—at least, that's how my devotion for SGJ began, in the quiet solitude of reading his words on the page. And he's strengthened those ties yet again with this stunning, quiet horror of a story.

It's 1912 when we meet Arthur and Good Stab, but their rememberings take us backward in time. Though time is a tricky concept in any Stephen story, and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is no exception—what is the past, really, if it lives inside you each day? If the things you've done haunt your every waking moment? I can almost relate, because this story has been haunting me for a week now. It's a slow burn, with lush historical detail, and plenty of horror—though maybe of a different sort than you're expecting from a vampire novel.

Speaking of that, Stephen is the only author I know who consistently writes monster stories that are hardly even about the monsters. This one in particular is about identity, and grief, and revenge, and repentance, and forgiveness—for others as well as for yourself. It's dark and sad, but so fascinating and well-written that you hardly feel the nearly-500 pages flip by. I was so engrossed in Good Stab's story that I finished the whole book in under a day, but I can't wait to go back for a reread so I can pick out even MORE little gems Stephen has layered into the narrative.

Be forewarned that this book is different from I Was a Teenage Slasher in superficial ways, though both stories essentially boil down to similar themes of identity and love. I'd venture to say that BHH is most like a combination of Ledfeather and The Only Good Indians—in fact, I read Ledfeather right before this one and there is a LOT to be gained from that particular arrangement, as they're set on the same Blackfeet reservation in Montana.

I can't say much more without spoilers, but there's a scene in here that will never leave my brain (incredible) and also, I'm fairly certain that SGJ is a vampire himself after reading his firsthand account of what it's like to be one? The way Good Stab struggles with identity and the choices he has to make to maintain it are...breathtaking. My DMs will forever and always be open to discussing this book, so feel free to scream into the void that is my inbox.

Thank you, Stephen, for blessing us yet again with a staggering tale of men and their monsters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC.

This was amazing. Brutal Indigenous history mixed with a very difficult creature and mythology to pull off. Stephen Graham Jones does it masterfully. He seems to hold nothing back in the history that is pillared in the truth of the past.

Each scene is described in exquisite detail, without being bogged down by empty words. Greatly appreciated was the Indigenous terminology and mythology, woven together with other perspectives. Impeccably done.

The characters are deep and extremely complex. Each has flaws and each is human and each can be an abomination in their way.

The disturbing part is that the horror/fantasy portion of the story pales in comparison to what has happened so often, in so many ways to the indigenous communities around the world. As disturbing as the monster(s) in this story may be, the real world has been much more brutal.

It’s not hard to find a vampire story these days, but it is hard to find one that hits you like this.

There’s not another vampire I can remember reading about, or watching on screen, whose story felt as personal as this one. So often we see a vampire story only through the eyes of the people that live in fear of those nocturnal monsters. They’re stories of us vs. them, humans vs. something that left its humanity behind long ago.

But we experience so much of this story through the eyes of the vampire, the nachzehrer The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. We see how Good Stab tries so desperately to hang onto the man that he was. We see that he can’t, not entirely. Not after how he’s been changed, not with the way the world he lives in is changing around him. We see the pieces of himself that he has to sacrifice, the lines he has to cross. We see why he does it all, what drives him to become a terror. And we’re reminded that fangs and a thirst for blood are far from the biggest reason that a vampire can be so terrifying. Because Good Stab is far from the only monster in this story, and far from the worst.

Reading this story feels a lot like walking through some desolate, abandoned, western town. You know the feeling if you’ve ever wandered through any abandoned place, like you’re surrounded by ghosts. There’s the ghost of who Good Stab once was. There’s the ghost of his people’s past, when they were still striving. There’s the ghost of what America used to be like when the buffalo used to roam as free as the native tribes, before the white man came and changed everything. It’s desolate and bleak, a heavy weight that settles on you as you read.

Fans of Stephen Graham Jones will recognize him at his best in this novel. The creeping, unsettling horror that he does so well. The struggles that the indigenous people have been faced with ever since Europeans decided to make America a colonized land. It’s all here, everything that makes him a master of his craft, a gory treasure sandwiched between these covers. It’ll sink into you, it’ll eat at you, and it’ll be worth it.

Stephen Graham Jones does it again in the historical horror novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed how everything flowed in the historical period. I enjoyed the use of vampires and how the story unfolded. It had that element that I was expecting and was glad everything had that feel that I was looking for.

An excellently written novel for those who like their horror along the lines of Blood Meridian or The Terror.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

SGJ hits the high note EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. This was historical fiction and horror told partially through an interview lens, diary entries, and anecdotes and I absolutely loved it. I found this to be complex but in the absolute best way and the layers of the story were so impressively written that I just flew through this book. I really have a deep appreciation for Jones' commitment to telling Indigenous stories but the cinematic element that he weaves into the story make it compulsive and impossible to put down. This was his best work yet, in my opinion. Five stars.

Holy moly I started this book and didn’t stop until I reached the ending. SGJ has written good books in the past, but this - THIS - is on another level. Not only does he bring something new to the vampire genre, but I do believe he’s written a vampire classic. This is going to be one of the most talked about books of 2025. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read early!

Stephen Graham Jones has done it again. This book is an absolutely masterpiece. Taking the vampire mythos and making it completely his own, Jones has made a vital piece of fiction that should be read, studied, and passed down for generations. This book brings in a tragic real life incident and just builds so much around it, creating a Shakespeare level revenge story that absolutely wrecked me in the best possible way. Shortlisted for the best book of 2025.

I will never shut up about this book. NEVER. SGJ knows how to use the dagger, then dig it in and twist it. There is so much to unpack here but this book gets all the stars from me. Thank you so much to Saga Press books for sending me a manuscript ARC copy a couple of months ago. Also thank you NetGalley for the eARC. For those SGJ fans out there, you do not want to miss this one so check it out when it publishes March 18, 2025.