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A review by estapinto
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Horror hits differently when it’s built on the bones of real, genocidal history. The blood, viscera, and supernatural vampire horror is plentiful in The Buffalo Hunter Hunter but it pales in comparison to the real horror story: the brutality of colonisation, the events of the Marias Massacre, and the hunting of the buffalo to near extinction.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter dredges up the historical truth of the massacre, reminding us of the ways history is often written by the victors/colonisers, and consequently sanitised, whitewashed or buried. We get the story through three different perspectives: the eyes of a Blackfeet named Good Stab, a Lutheran pastor and a professor seeking tenure at the University of Wyoming.
The book is a reckoning, an excavation of memory and trauma wrapped in the intimacy of Good Stab’s confessional-style recordings. The epistolary format makes it feel almost voyeuristic, like I’ve stumbled onto something not meant for outside eyes.
Initially, the language of Good Stab took time for me to settle into, because it wasn’t diluted for convenience. There’s no glossary, no hand-holding, no neat little footnotes.
Instead, I had to work for my understanding. It’s a deliberate artistic choice by SGJ, and one I respect and revere. My interpretation is that the language is something to be felt, experienced, understood through context and immersion. The effort you put in to adapt to the flow makes the emotional payoff all the richer.
Additionally, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is not an easy read, nor should it be. Some books exist to comfort, to provide escape. This one exists to confront the carnage that history books so often obscure. The sheer amount of blood, brutality, both against people and animals, is staggering, so be mindful of the content warnings. This book doesn’t just shock, it opens up a wound that never really healed. And that's a history we can’t afford to forget, no matter how ugly it gets.
I’m going to have to add SGJ officially to my favourite list of horror writers. Obviously I recommend this one highly. But that recommendation comes with a warning for a gut-wrenching, painful, but necessary read for understanding the true weight of history.
Thank you so much to NetGalley & Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This one is going to stick with me for a long time.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter dredges up the historical truth of the massacre, reminding us of the ways history is often written by the victors/colonisers, and consequently sanitised, whitewashed or buried. We get the story through three different perspectives: the eyes of a Blackfeet named Good Stab, a Lutheran pastor and a professor seeking tenure at the University of Wyoming.
The book is a reckoning, an excavation of memory and trauma wrapped in the intimacy of Good Stab’s confessional-style recordings. The epistolary format makes it feel almost voyeuristic, like I’ve stumbled onto something not meant for outside eyes.
Initially, the language of Good Stab took time for me to settle into, because it wasn’t diluted for convenience. There’s no glossary, no hand-holding, no neat little footnotes.
Instead, I had to work for my understanding. It’s a deliberate artistic choice by SGJ, and one I respect and revere. My interpretation is that the language is something to be felt, experienced, understood through context and immersion. The effort you put in to adapt to the flow makes the emotional payoff all the richer.
Additionally, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is not an easy read, nor should it be. Some books exist to comfort, to provide escape. This one exists to confront the carnage that history books so often obscure. The sheer amount of blood, brutality, both against people and animals, is staggering, so be mindful of the content warnings. This book doesn’t just shock, it opens up a wound that never really healed. And that's a history we can’t afford to forget, no matter how ugly it gets.
I’m going to have to add SGJ officially to my favourite list of horror writers. Obviously I recommend this one highly. But that recommendation comes with a warning for a gut-wrenching, painful, but necessary read for understanding the true weight of history.
Thank you so much to NetGalley & Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This one is going to stick with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail