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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As always happens when I read Stephen Graham Jones, I could not put this book down. 4 stars because I did find it more difficult to follow than the two other books of his I have read, but this is one I think I could pick up for a second time and understand a lot better!
I loved a lot of this book but some of the execution I did not particularly enjoy. Mainly I just found there to be too many details and it often left me a little confused on the plot/what was going on.
I didn't particularly enjoy the writing of our modern day person-Esty but it wasn't supposed to be excellent anyway I don't think. BUT I loved the way the story concluded with the character - it seemed odd to have so many levels of Good Stab's story to be framed this way but once it is all wrapped up it truly works so well.
What Jones is doing here in his storytelling is pretty remarkable, to use horror and historical fiction to write about the Blackfeet tribe was really affecting. To use a vampire narrative this way I found to be so fun -- although the story itself is not particularly fun of course. Good Stab and Arthur are excellent foils for one another --Arthur first comes off as glutinous but relatively sweet and good natured and by the end of the book feels as though he is a monster -- it really begs the question who is the "savage" (I word I would normally never use but in the context of this point feels appropriate).
I think this will be one that sticks with me. I think it is an excellent piece of literature but I am not sure Jones' style is generally, for me. Perhaps I'll have to try something else and see!
I didn't particularly enjoy the writing of our modern day person-Esty but it wasn't supposed to be excellent anyway I don't think. BUT I loved the way the story concluded with the character - it seemed odd to have so many levels of Good Stab's story to be framed this way but once it is all wrapped up it truly works so well.
What Jones is doing here in his storytelling is pretty remarkable, to use horror and historical fiction to write about the Blackfeet tribe was really affecting. To use a vampire narrative this way I found to be so fun -- although the story itself is not particularly fun of course. Good Stab and Arthur are excellent foils for one another --
I think this will be one that sticks with me. I think it is an excellent piece of literature but I am not sure Jones' style is generally, for me. Perhaps I'll have to try something else and see!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter adds a fresh twist on vampires as it follows the confessions of the titular hunter, Good Stab, to a Lutheran pastor in 1912 and the journal entries of said pastor's descendant in the 2010s. The horror of the supernatural is intrinsically woven into the horror of real historical events, specifically the Marias Massacre, the decimation of the buffalo herds, and the resulting starvation of the Native American tribes dependent on the buffalo.
The story is well crafted, and the epistolary format brought me into the characters' heads. At the start, it takes a little adjustment to get used to Arthur (the Lutheran pastor) and Good Stab's diction, since they're both written in styles that feel authentic to their characters. It's also interesting how the journal and confession format shapes the reverend and Good Stab's relationship. As Good Stab reveals more of his story, Arthur's past is also unearthed and unraveled, until the story leads back to the modern-day descendant who is unpacking these journal entries.
The characters, primarily Arthur and Good Stab, are compelling. The more I learned of each of them, the more invested I became in the story. Good Stab's descriptions of the buffalo hunts, where skinned and poisoned buffalo were left lying across the plains, hit hard. His sorrow at the loss of his friends, family, and tribe come through strongly, as does his long-held rage. In contrast, Arthur starts off as a mildly condescending pastor recording Good Stab's confessions with disbelief, until the evidence mounting in his face starts to break him down.
I was hooked into the story from beginning to end. It's the kind of horror that's more sorrowful and dreadful and chilling than thrilling or terrifying or spooky. Overall, I think this book is well-written, gripping, and hard-hitting.
The story is well crafted, and the epistolary format brought me into the characters' heads. At the start, it takes a little adjustment to get used to Arthur (the Lutheran pastor) and Good Stab's diction, since they're both written in styles that feel authentic to their characters. It's also interesting how the journal and confession format shapes the reverend and Good Stab's relationship. As Good Stab reveals more of his story, Arthur's past is also unearthed and unraveled, until the story leads back to the modern-day descendant who is unpacking these journal entries.
The characters, primarily Arthur and Good Stab, are compelling. The more I learned of each of them, the more invested I became in the story. Good Stab's descriptions of the buffalo hunts, where skinned and poisoned buffalo were left lying across the plains, hit hard. His sorrow at the loss of his friends, family, and tribe come through strongly, as does his long-held rage. In contrast, Arthur starts off as a mildly condescending pastor recording Good Stab's confessions with disbelief, until the evidence mounting in his face starts to break him down.
I was hooked into the story from beginning to end. It's the kind of horror that's more sorrowful and dreadful and chilling than thrilling or terrifying or spooky. Overall, I think this book is well-written, gripping, and hard-hitting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Colonisation
Moderate: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Grief, Suicide attempt