The Only Good Indians

Guest 3 years ago

A very well written horror/cultural commentary/coming of age story from an incredible perspective. Stephen Graham Jones, himself a Blackfeet Native American, writes so beautifully about a culture I know so little about (but am so glad to have learned more!). Jones' prose flows so well, like a conversation, that I couldn't put this one down. He deftly tackles some of history's heaviest themes with thought-provoking and lived-in characters.

Genre fiction has always had an emphasis on talking about something much bigger than what's on the surface - sometimes, it's so subtle you could miss it; sometimes it's so preachy that you can't enjoy the book at all. Finding the sweet spot, Jones' confronted my assumptions and taught me something all while keeping me thoroughly terrified.

It gets a bit bloody and gross at times for my tastes (but that's a me thing - this is a horror novel after all) but that's my only complaint.

That said, Mr. Jones, you wrote a fantastic book and I can't wait to dive into your back catalog. I hope that, as someone who also calls Colorado home, one day I'll run into you and get the chance to tell you myself!

OH! also, I half read/half listened to this one on Audible - Shaun Taylor-Corbett's narration is top notch. One of the best I've come across.

Guest 3 years ago

I loved this so much! This is so much more than just a horror novel, and as with most Native American literature, there is a lesson to take from it too. It's got the blood and gore, the creep out factor, the survival factors, but also had that deeper meaning that you don't find in just any horror. The character development was also on point! He really went above and beyond to have the reader relate and connect to each of the characters in this book, and the culture! I absolutely love the way he delicately intertwined his Blackfoot culture in every piece of this book (and ball is life haha)! Just everything about this book, mwah! Perfection! I'll also never look at elk the same way again...haha!

Guest 3 years ago

An interesting tale of Native American folklore and revenge. Overall the author did a great job at building the suspense, but at times the pacing was just too slow. It took about the first 100 pages before I really could get into it and then things started taking off. I felt the same about the ending. It wrapped up nicely but took too long to get there.

Guest 3 years ago

uh huh what they said ______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2025tclements 3 years ago

I don't really like this book because there isn't much action and when it was the final with the {pre-teen girl battling elk-head woman on the basketball court} there wasn't really very good action. But hate to say it i would not recommend this book. :)

Guest 4 years ago

This book is truly close to perfect. The first half is so gripping and spooky, I tore through it on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, right when the pace should be picking up, I felt the story started to stall a bit. The psychological terror that is so present in the first half of the book loses some of it's edge, and there's a notable shift toward more random mindbending hallucinations and gore. That could just be personal preference, but I found it a bit harder to stay focused on the story right when I most wanted to be hooked.

That being said, the discussion of Blackfoot identity is so wonderfully, thoughtfully expressed, and I appreciated the creative narration.

The conclusion of this book is also absolutely flawless - the last few pages gave me chills. Without giving too much away, I do wish we had spent more time with the final characters earlier in the story so there was more of an emotional connection, but even so I found the ending to be very satisfying.

Content Warnings: gore, animal death (dogs, elk, etc described in detail), pregnancy horror.

Guest 4 years ago

This novel starts so strong! A terrible mistake. A strange appearance. The section with Lewis, and his inevitable fate, was so chilling, and so unexpected--if only the rest of the novel carried this same tone! The finale, with a [ pre-teen girl battling elk-head woman on the basketball court for her own life was like some kind of 90's Disney Channel Original Movie. Completely demolished any sense of weight the rest of the story carried.