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A review by valandthegianttbr
Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i just love stephen graham jones’s mind. no one writes twisty, rambling, jaw-dropping, unexpectedly funny horror like him!!!
this story returns us to proofrock years after CHAINSAW ends, with jennifer (jade) daniels being released from prison on the same day as a convicted serial killer rolls through her tiny idaho hometown. 4 years later, the town is still reeling from the lake witch slayings/independence day massacre. but no good revenge slasher will let sleeping dogs lie, so proofrock residents will need to face the consequences of their actions once again. but what are they paying for this time? & who is making them pay? jennifer daniels will need to put her horror girl hat back on to answer those questions
like CHAINSAW, the 3rd act bloodbath had me absolutely reeling & unable to look away. i was flipping through my (digital) pages at light speed trying to keep up with the dead bodies at every turn, nearly getting whiplash as more & more bodies dropped. i’m not usually one for gratuitous gore, but something about how sgj just keeps the blood flowing absolutely hooks me in
he often says in interviews that he doesn’t know who the killer will be as he’s writing his books & i can so see that process with REAPER, in the best way possible. there are so many twists & turns that kept me on my toes, but all of them had roots in earlier scenes & foreshadowing — truly a testament to his excellent writing & editing
the writing in this book really is what made it such a stellar read for me. i am obsessed with his conversational, winding prose that is deeply rooted in & reminiscent of indigenous storytelling. i was glued to every page of this book because i loved seeing the action from different characters’ povs, feeling like i was watching a horror movie cutting back & forth. even though the narration was in 3rd person, it was so impressive how each pov still felt distinct both in narrator & scene
it is so cool to me how sgj keeps things ambiguous. readers are forced to draw their own conclusions based on the internal musings of characters, their sideways mental glances at past events or memories, their half-finished sentences (often interrupted by another body!!) he does this with indigenous issues/themes as well, making nods to residential schools, the microaggressions faced by “the only”, the ways indigenous people are seen as only existing in another place/time, etc. he also weaves in some themes of parenthood & grief through different characters’ arcs. i just really appreciate how he sprinkles these in, mentions them almost in passing, as a way to just get readers thinking without spelling out what he wants them to take away
i’ve said it before & i’ll say it again — i would read sgj’s grocery lists. i love his writing, his characters, & his brain more than words can express!!
overall, i had SUCH a good time getting to know tertiary characters from CHAINSAW as main characters in REAPER, seeing history repeat itself as yet another massacre rocked this tiny idaho town, & just coming back to jade & proofrock. it was incredible seeing jade finally get the flowers she deserves
because she’s jade fucking daniels. & a thousand men like you can’t even reach up to touch her combat boots.
this story returns us to proofrock years after CHAINSAW ends, with jennifer (jade) daniels being released from prison on the same day as a convicted serial killer rolls through her tiny idaho hometown. 4 years later, the town is still reeling from the lake witch slayings/independence day massacre. but no good revenge slasher will let sleeping dogs lie, so proofrock residents will need to face the consequences of their actions once again. but what are they paying for this time? & who is making them pay? jennifer daniels will need to put her horror girl hat back on to answer those questions
like CHAINSAW, the 3rd act bloodbath had me absolutely reeling & unable to look away. i was flipping through my (digital) pages at light speed trying to keep up with the dead bodies at every turn, nearly getting whiplash as more & more bodies dropped. i’m not usually one for gratuitous gore, but something about how sgj just keeps the blood flowing absolutely hooks me in
he often says in interviews that he doesn’t know who the killer will be as he’s writing his books & i can so see that process with REAPER, in the best way possible. there are so many twists & turns that kept me on my toes, but all of them had roots in earlier scenes & foreshadowing — truly a testament to his excellent writing & editing
the writing in this book really is what made it such a stellar read for me. i am obsessed with his conversational, winding prose that is deeply rooted in & reminiscent of indigenous storytelling. i was glued to every page of this book because i loved seeing the action from different characters’ povs, feeling like i was watching a horror movie cutting back & forth. even though the narration was in 3rd person, it was so impressive how each pov still felt distinct both in narrator & scene
it is so cool to me how sgj keeps things ambiguous. readers are forced to draw their own conclusions based on the internal musings of characters, their sideways mental glances at past events or memories, their half-finished sentences (often interrupted by another body!!) he does this with indigenous issues/themes as well, making nods to residential schools, the microaggressions faced by “the only”, the ways indigenous people are seen as only existing in another place/time, etc. he also weaves in some themes of parenthood & grief through different characters’ arcs. i just really appreciate how he sprinkles these in, mentions them almost in passing, as a way to just get readers thinking without spelling out what he wants them to take away
i’ve said it before & i’ll say it again — i would read sgj’s grocery lists. i love his writing, his characters, & his brain more than words can express!!
overall, i had SUCH a good time getting to know tertiary characters from CHAINSAW as main characters in REAPER, seeing history repeat itself as yet another massacre rocked this tiny idaho town, & just coming back to jade & proofrock. it was incredible seeing jade finally get the flowers she deserves
because she’s jade fucking daniels. & a thousand men like you can’t even reach up to touch her combat boots.