As a recent, but avid fan of Stephen Graham Jones, I knew I had to read The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. And it was superb. This historical fiction horror meets speculative fiction is everything I wanted. Keep reading this book review of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter for my full thoughts.
Summary
This chilling historical novel is set in the nascent days of the state of Montana, following a Blackfeet Indian named Good Stab as he haunts the fields of the Blackfeet Nation looking for justice.
It begins when a diary written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor is discovered within a wall in 2012. What is unveiled is a slow massacre, a nearly forgotten chain of events that goes back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow, told in the transcribed interviews with Good Stab, who shares the narrative of his peculiar and unnaturally long life over a series of confessional visits.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter has a nostalgic frame narrative. Told in a series of accounts within the framework of research and family history, this book is multi-layered and dazzling. We have characters who are digging into the past, trying to unearth secrets of origins, and overlooked accounts. We also have those who witness massacres, become silent bystanders, and profit off blood and hunting. With multiple frame narrative structures, it becomes stories nested within stories. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter explores both how we are hunted and how we do the hunting.
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When we search for answers, our next meal, and an outlet for our revenge. This speculative story delves into revenge and justice. Like any Stephen Graham Jones it’s full of the kind of justice only sharp knives and even sharper stories can deliver. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter emphasizes the power of telling and hearing a story. We are always on the edge of our seat and the multiple narrator in the audiobook is unparalleled for highlighting these nestled experiences. No one is offered an easy way out in this story full of layers of pain and revenge. If you were on the fence about this one, hop on over, it’s worth it. I didn’t know what to expect with this blend of historical fiction and speculative fiction, but I needn’t have worried. Find The Buffalo Hunter Hunter on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.