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Quick answer: If you liked The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, read Stephen Graham Jones's The Only Good Indians and My Heart Is a Chainsaw, then try Mapping the Interior, Dracula and Between Two Fires. All blend horror with history and strong voices.
Stephen Graham Jones's 2025 novel is a vampire story that reaches back into the American West and the history of the Blackfeet people. The books below share its mix of horror, historical memory and unusual narration. They range from classic vampires to Indigenous horror and Westerns. Most are adult fiction, and all are real, in-print books.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Only Good Indians | Stephen Graham Jones | Adult | the best-known Jones |
| My Heart Is a Chainsaw | Stephen Graham Jones | Adult | slasher fans |
| Mapping the Interior | Stephen Graham Jones | Adult | ghost stories |
| Don't Fear the Reaper | Stephen Graham Jones | Adult | slasher series |
| Dracula | Bram Stoker | Adult | vampire origins |
| 'Salem's Lot | Stephen King | Adult | small-town horror |
| The Terror | Dan Simmons | Adult | historical horror |
| Blood Meridian | Cormac McCarthy | Adult | Western horror |
| Between Two Fires | Christopher Buehlman | Adult | medieval horror |
| Trail of Lightning | Rebecca Roanhorse | Adult | Indigenous fantasy |
| Moon of the Crusted Snow | Waubgeshig Rice | Adult | Indigenous apocalypse |
| The Marrow Thieves | Cherie Dimaline | Teen | young readers |
| Elatsoe | Darcie Little Badger | Teen | YA mysteries |
| Empire of the Summer Moon | S.C. Gwynne | Adult | real frontier history |
| Lonesome Dove | Larry McMurtry | Adult | Western epics |
1. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Four friends are haunted a decade after a hunting trip. A tense and bloody Indigenous horror novel, among Jones's best.
Best for: the best-known Jones.
2. My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
A teenage horror fan in a small Idaho town sees a slasher plot taking shape. Funny, sad and full of movie love.
Best for: slasher fans.
3. Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
A boy sees his dead father in his house and follows him into the past. Short and quietly scary.
Best for: ghost stories.
4. Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
The sequel to My Heart Is a Chainsaw brings back Jade Daniels as a killer returns to Proofrock. Bloody, smart and full of horror-movie references.
Best for: slasher series.
5. Dracula by Bram Stoker
A Transylvanian count travels to England. Told through letters and diaries, with dread and style.
Best for: vampire origins.
6. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
Vampires invade a small Maine town. Scary and atmospheric.
Best for: small-town horror.
7. The Terror by Dan Simmons
A fictional account of the Franklin expedition, with a supernatural monster. Long and chilling.
Best for: historical horror.
8. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
A teenage runaway joins a gang of scalp hunters in the 1850s Southwest. Violent and poetic.
Best for: Western horror.
9. Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
A knight and a girl cross a plague-ridden France where angels and demons fight. Dark and vivid.
Best for: medieval horror.
10. Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
A monster hunter in a flooded Southwest uses Navajo clan powers. Fast and gritty.
Best for: Indigenous fantasy.
11. Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
An Anishinaabe community faces a collapse in winter. Quiet, bleak and tense.
Best for: Indigenous apocalypse.
12. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
In a future where Indigenous people are hunted for their dreams, a group of survivors flees. Fast and moving.
Best for: young readers.
13. Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
A Lipan Apache teen with the power to speak to ghosts investigates a murder. A smart, imaginative mystery.
Best for: YA mysteries.
14. Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne
The rise of the Comanche and the story of Quanah Parker. Lively narrative history.
Best for: real frontier history.
15. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Two retired Texas Rangers lead a cattle drive to Montana. Epic, funny and sad.
Best for: Western epics.
How to Choose
For more Jones, read The Only Good Indians first. For classic vampires, Dracula and 'Salem's Lot. For Indigenous voices, Trail of Lightning, Moon of the Crusted Snow and The Marrow Thieves. For historical horror, The Terror. Jones's books mix gore and humor, so be ready for both. Horror often works best when you know the history behind it. Pair this list with one nonfiction book about Native history, such as Empire of the Summer Moon, and look up the Blackfeet Nation's own resources and museums. Reading Indigenous authors on their own terms gives a richer sense of the stories.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Buffalo Hunter Hunter about?
It is a vampire story set in the American West that draws on Blackfeet history and the violence of the frontier.
Who wrote it?
Stephen Graham Jones, a Blackfeet author and professor, published it in 2025.
Is it a standalone?
Yes, it can be read on its own.
Is it very gory?
Yes, Jones's work includes strong violence.
Where should I start with Jones?
The Only Good Indians is the most acclaimed.
Is Stephen Graham Jones a horror author only?
No. He also writes crime, science fiction and literary fiction, as well as essays.
Is The Buffalo Hunter Hunter a good place to start with Jones?
Many readers recommend The Only Good Indians first, but this novel stands alone.
Is it a long book?
It is a medium-length novel of about 350 pages.
Is it suitable for teens?
It contains strong violence, so it suits adults and older teens.