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THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER
by Stephen Graham Jones
Saga Press, 2025
★★✰✰✰
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.
Someone asked me if The Buffalo Hunter Hunter was a vampire tale, and while I initially thought it wasn't—since I hadn’t started reading it yet—the answer turned out to be yes... no... sort of! At its core, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a horror historical novel that delves into the grim realities of the Marias Massacre and the near extinction of the buffalo. The narrative unfolds from three distinct perspectives: a Blackfeet man named Good Stab, a Lutheran pastor, and a professor at the University of Wyoming.
To put it plainly, my feelings about The Buffalo Hunter Hunter are quite mixed. While I appreciate the idea of combining horror elements with historical events, Stephen Graham Jones's execution is disjointed. The pacing is excruciatingly slow, and I’m not usually a fan of multiple timelines that jump back and forth unless they’re well-crafted. In this case, it feels excessively verbose, with a peculiar dialect that makes it hard to follow. I couldn’t connect with the characters or the storyline, leading to a disappointing reading experience.
I know this is a Western blog, and my primary focus is on reviewing Western novels. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a recent title I stumbled upon at the library, and I decided to check it out for several reasons. I’d heard positive buzz from mainstream critics, bloggers, and readers alike, so I was eager to explore something different. After finishing it, however, I’m left wondering if those praising it were incentivized, simply trying to please the publisher, or perhaps just missing the mark entirely. A bit of background on me: I grew up immersed in horror tales and movies, including vampire stories, which gives me a certain appreciation for the genre. However, the fusion of vampires with a Western backdrop didn’t sit well with me—it was rather off-putting.
In conclusion, while The Buffalo Hunter Hunter boasts an intriguing plot, it’s hindered by an uneven narrative and moments of clumsy writing. The horror elements could have been effective, but Stephen Graham Jones struggled to harmonize them with the historical context. Sure, it has a striking cover, but a good cover doesn’t always lead to a good read.
To put it plainly, my feelings about The Buffalo Hunter Hunter are quite mixed. While I appreciate the idea of combining horror elements with historical events, Stephen Graham Jones's execution is disjointed. The pacing is excruciatingly slow, and I’m not usually a fan of multiple timelines that jump back and forth unless they’re well-crafted. In this case, it feels excessively verbose, with a peculiar dialect that makes it hard to follow. I couldn’t connect with the characters or the storyline, leading to a disappointing reading experience.
I know this is a Western blog, and my primary focus is on reviewing Western novels. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a recent title I stumbled upon at the library, and I decided to check it out for several reasons. I’d heard positive buzz from mainstream critics, bloggers, and readers alike, so I was eager to explore something different. After finishing it, however, I’m left wondering if those praising it were incentivized, simply trying to please the publisher, or perhaps just missing the mark entirely. A bit of background on me: I grew up immersed in horror tales and movies, including vampire stories, which gives me a certain appreciation for the genre. However, the fusion of vampires with a Western backdrop didn’t sit well with me—it was rather off-putting.
In conclusion, while The Buffalo Hunter Hunter boasts an intriguing plot, it’s hindered by an uneven narrative and moments of clumsy writing. The horror elements could have been effective, but Stephen Graham Jones struggled to harmonize them with the historical context. Sure, it has a striking cover, but a good cover doesn’t always lead to a good read.
⁓B.J. Burgess
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