The Only Good Indians

by Stephen Graham Jones

Book Overview

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From USA TODAY bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a "masterpiece" (Locus Magazine) of a novel about revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition. Labeled "one of 2020's buzziest horror novels" (Entertainment Weekly), this is a remarkable horror story that "will give you nightmares--the good kind of course" (BuzzFeed). From New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a novel...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1982136464
• ISBN13: 9781982136468
• Release Date: January 2021
• Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Was not the book I hoped it would be. Bummer!

I really wanted to like this book and to be honest there is some really good imagery and commentary. However, as someone who wanted to read a horror book based on native American culture, oh my god did I get so much BASKETBALL. I dont know what it is about the author but every freaking character plays basketball in this book and as someone who 1. Isn't interested in sports and 2. Just wanted to read a reservation style horror novel, this really grated on my nerves. It wasnt the fact that basketball was in the book or that one character loved basket, but it feels like the author spends half of the book writing about basketball and having the characters play it for no real reason than to give them something to do. After reading one third of the entire book, I actually put it down. I was so annoyed and had just wanted the author to get on with the story but it was not worth wasting my time. Big fan of basketball or sports and don't mind reading about it? Sure. You like your horror novels with tons of distractions? Sure. But for me, this book was a disappointment.

A slow creepy build to true horror

Overall I enjoyed reading this story. It starts off kind of slow but the creepiness starts to show up as each page is turned. The writing is good and it keeps the reader engaged even in the quiet parts of the book. I loved the characters and Stephen Graham Jones does an excellent job making characters the reader can connect with and like. The real horror doesn't kick in until about 20% of the way in and I was definitely disturbed. It went from slow creepy build to outright horror. And you see it coming and start thinking, "Oh the horror! Don't do it!" Exactly what one looks for in a horror book. The book is basically made up into three sections that all tie together. Each one has that same concept; slow build and then horror. The third section of the book was probably my favorite although the level of detail of a basketball game did get a little long for me. Overall I enjoyed this book. It's a pretty short read and would recommend for the good writing and good story telling.

A well written and superbly crafted horror story

The Only Good Indians is a well written and superbly crafted horror story which takes place in the northwestern US and has characters from the Blackfeet and Crow tribes. Four young Blackfeet men embark on a badly planned and illegal elk hunt which results in a violation of tribal values and the desecration of nature. Ten years later, an entity exacts her revenge in a chilling, suspenseful and brutal fashion. The characters are incredibly well developed given the length of the novel, and the reader develops sympathy for them. The reader also empathizes with the perspective of the entity who pursues the four men. This story has great depth in its exploration of themes of cultural identity, tradition, social justice, revenge and respect for the natural world. Horror readers will love this, but I would also recommend this book for readers of fiction in general. I can see why this The Only Good Indians is receiving so much critical acclaim.