The Only Good Indians: A Novel
From New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a novel that is equal parts psychological horror and cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American Indian experience. Fans of Jordan Peele and Tommy Orange will love this story as it follows the lives of four American Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity bent on revenge, totally helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
āØ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *The Only Good Indians* is a chilling, intense horror novel blending cultural themes with slasher elements and surreal imagery. Reviewers ...
4 stars for being the absolute strangest horror concept I've ever read. I really did not know how to feel for the entire book.
But let me tell you, imagining a woman with an elk head morphing back and forth was sufficiently creepy enough to keep me reading.
But let me tell you, imagining a woman with an elk head morphing back and forth was sufficiently creepy enough to keep me reading.
Wow! Chilling tale.
Four Native Americans massacre elk in an illegal hunt and in the process also kill an unborn elk calf.
Ten years later they are being hunted by some unknown entity hellbent on revenge.
Do these men deserve what happens to them? Maybe? The four men could be any man who kills just for the heck of it. They did not give any thought as to if it was okay to kill those elk. They killed the elk because they could.
Four Native Americans massacre elk in an illegal hunt and in the process also kill an unborn elk calf.
Ten years later they are being hunted by some unknown entity hellbent on revenge.
Do these men deserve what happens to them? Maybe? The four men could be any man who kills just for the heck of it. They did not give any thought as to if it was okay to kill those elk. They killed the elk because they could.
The Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones, was the last book of my 2023 Halloween Countdown list. I literally reached the final pages of the novel as my watch pulsed 11:59pm on October 31st; despite that demonstration of precision, I think I finished The Only Good Indians at the wrong time.
Most would agree that horror novels always pair well with Halloween, but this book really transcends the typical boundaries of the genre - and (though it sounds obtuse) its depth frustrated me. Stephen Graham Jonesā novel explores Native American cultural identity and traditions both nurtured and lost over generations. It plumbs the nature and impact of guilt, and the cost of repentance for past transgressions.
This novel built suspense slowly, but ultimately delivered a satisfying conclusion. It was, at times, abruptly and shockingly violent, though also poetic. However, it did not provide the frenetic, terrifying experience that I had hoped the final book of my Halloween countdown would - it was a really well-written, thought-provoking book that I would have appreciated more had I read it a bit earlier in the year or later on down the line.
Most would agree that horror novels always pair well with Halloween, but this book really transcends the typical boundaries of the genre - and (though it sounds obtuse) its depth frustrated me. Stephen Graham Jonesā novel explores Native American cultural identity and traditions both nurtured and lost over generations. It plumbs the nature and impact of guilt, and the cost of repentance for past transgressions.
This novel built suspense slowly, but ultimately delivered a satisfying conclusion. It was, at times, abruptly and shockingly violent, though also poetic. However, it did not provide the frenetic, terrifying experience that I had hoped the final book of my Halloween countdown would - it was a really well-written, thought-provoking book that I would have appreciated more had I read it a bit earlier in the year or later on down the line.
senationally wicked.
while he is a very powerful Storyteller I have listened to two of his books and I have read several other of his books they are really good I I can believe how he brings it all together into this weird twist Wicked way but he does you got to read one of his books this is one that is darn good
while he is a very powerful Storyteller I have listened to two of his books and I have read several other of his books they are really good I I can believe how he brings it all together into this weird twist Wicked way but he does you got to read one of his books this is one that is darn good
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.