The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

The Only Good Indians

by Stephen Graham Jones
Published: Gallery/Saga Press, 2020
Genre: Horror
Amazon, Goodreads

The sound was the crust of snow, crunching.

She was staring at him again. Not dead. Her breath was raspy and uneven, but it was definitely there, somehow, when no way should it have been. Not after having her back broken, half her head blown to mist.

About the book

The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

Review

The Only Good Indians is a good ole horror with a twist of Native American culture. 

Four American Indian friends are trespassing on Elder land when they shoot a herd of what they believe to be elk… ten years later, they pay the price for their actions when a terrible entity seeks revenge. 

Gory and creepy, the storyline and atmosphere of the novel is dead on. The structure of the story strays from the mainstream which is what makes the book work so well. 

There is a downfall to The Only Good Indians that leads me to give the book a lower rating. The writing has certain phrasing and sentence structure that makes it awkward to read. This is the first book I’ve read by the author, so I’m unsure if that his writing style or maybe just how this particular book is written. “Like” is also used often in strange places. This could be a cultural difference. 

Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of the writing style but other than that, The Only Good Indians is a solid horror/thriller. I would recommend it for those who enjoy horror… just because it wasn’t my cup of tea doesn’t mean it isn’t yours.