Book Rec: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
“America’s worst nightmare is the Indian who cannot die.”
I know, I know. Spooky season just got done. But horror books are great all year long, and it’s never too late for you to start reading Stephen Graham Jones’ The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.
What can I say? This book really stuck with me (and I’ve recommended it before on my Substack).
If you’re no stranger to Stephen Graham Jones and his body of work, then you probably know about this novel. But if you haven’t yet, and you’re searching for a book that is poignant, brilliant, and actually scary all at the same time, then I highly recommend his novel, which came out early this year.
The novel is a series of diary entries by a Lutheran pastor in 1912 who encounters a peculiar Blackfoot Native American in church one day, who asks to confess his sins. What follows is a magical, visceral, and oftentimes sad tale of an individual lost in time, which also serves as a cultural window to the life of one of the original Americans.
If you liked Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and if you’re like me, who were curious about the Choctaw vampire hunters in the film, then this will scratch that itch. Obviously, they’re not set in the same world, but who doesn’t love a good historical horror fiction?
These kinds of stories have always entranced me. I grew up in the Philippines, and the stories about the viscera suckers that lurk the night and hide by day, while scary to me as a child, were also interesting and entertaining.
I grew up listening to stories of the aswangs–how they separate their upper torso from their lower torso, grow batwings, fangs, and barbed tongues, to find a pregnant woman or some unfortunate human who is alone outside at night to feed on. I wanted to see how other cultures interpret or tell those kinds of stories because they’re fascinatingly universal, despite some differences.
So, when I came across The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, this really whetted my whistle for some more historical horror fiction.
Beaucarne, our Lutheran pastor in the novel, realizes that Good Stab, the Blackfoot wearing dark-tinted glasses during the day, is not just any ordinary man seeking salvation.
Stephen Graham Jones took the lore of vampires, melded it with the history and culture of the Blackfeet nation, and made something new. I can’t say it’s also for the faint of heart. There’s violence and gore that’s vividly written in the pages. While it could be triggering for some readers, I can also say they paint a realistic picture of the challenging experiences Native Americans have faced. Also, it’s a vampire novel — there will be blood.
After reading this novel, it automatically became one of the best books I’ve read in my entire life. I’m not even exaggerating. The story Jones wrote is equally beautiful and horrifying. This is a must-read if you haven’t yet. Heck, don’t even wait for October before you read this.
I’ve been looking for a book that would genuinely scare me–not only disturb me, a lot of modern horror books seem to be disturbing and not scary–and this was it.
It’s Interview with a Vampire meets Western revenge stories with a highly satisfying ending.
Anyway, this is my first book recommendation on my blog. Expect more down the road!
