Almost a perfect ending

For me, this one started off a bit rocky. There was so much going on—so much death and destruction. And it all seemed like it was just another day. I suppose, in light of all that has happened in Proofrock, that could be forgiven. All for all that, SJG’s writing is as sharp as a strait razor. And his knowledge of slashers, and other horror, is downright sick. 

“Nightfall’s always closer than you think.”

Poor Jade. This tale is packed with so much trauma—both real and supernatural—that things almost started to feel like one of THOSE old horror flicks where ALL the various monsters are jammed into one movie. Unlike those particular movies, Jade’s story is not played for laughs. Jones uses just enough humor in Jade’s story to give you a respite from everything he throws at you. The story is raw and relentless and it will ravage you. 

I wish this old brain that lives in my head were so old and addled. I had a hard time remembering all of the everything Jones packed into these three books. No one will ever or could ever write such a bloody lover’s story to the ‘Last Girl.’  I grew up in the 1970s and 80s. At that time I was like a lot of boys my age—obsessed with the slasher. I religiously sequestered myself in those dark places and watched all the senseless slaughter with terror and delight. I was an eager participant, but somewhere along the way I lost my taste for that kind of blood. So I never got to finish any of Jason’s tales. Or Michael Myers’s or Freddy’s. Or of the gruesome Texas family that spawned Leatherface. So, I missed much of the love Jones showered on the genre. It seems he referenced EVERY slasher know, and then some. But I’m sure he missed a few. He had to. People can’t be that perfect. 

That said, this being the final installment of The Indian Lake Trilogy, we get the LAST? of Jade Daniels. We also get Letha’s story, although not in the same way we did in DON’T FEAR THE REAPER, the second book of the trilogy. Jones ties up enough of the story threads so masterfully that I ended up hating to turn the last few pages. I did not want the story to end. And when you get to the last page, don’t skip the acknowledgments. They reveal much of what the author went through as he took us all on this bloody trip to Proofrock. 

The good news is that I am certain that Stephen Graham Jones will deliver something else as only he can tell it. 

 

The Angel of Indian Lake 

by Stephen Graham Jones

Published by S&S/Saga Press

March 26, 2024

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1668011669

There's Nothing to Fear, But…

DON'T FEAR THE REAPER follows in the bloody footsteps of MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW. 4-1/2 stars

I have heard talk that the first book was so darned good. The publisher, like almost everyone who read it, wanted more. Stephen Graham Jones had a killer on his hands that would not die—his book about THE last girl, Jade Daniels. Unlike so many sequels ordered up after a successful stand alone, REAPER shines brighter than the first, and that is a good thing because this book is cold, dark, and brutal. That’s not surprising as this book, like its predecessor, MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW, is an homage to the slasher, particularly of the 1980s-90s, the Crimson Age of Slashers. 

REAPER picks up four years after the first book with an escaped serial killer on the loose. Jade, now fresh out of prison, is back in Proofrock. No longer obsessed with horror movies, she wants normalcy, but that’s not how things work with final girls. The town has been cut off by a blizzard. The serial killer, Dark Mill South, has escaped and has begun killing once again in Proofrock. Or has he? Is he more than human? Is it something else? Something is definitely going on here. The town’s senior class is being picked off in theatrical slasher form. And we are off and running. 

There is a LOT going on in this book. At times, I felt like I was the one lost in a blinding snowstorm—one I couldn’t get out of because I had a hard time putting this book down. The writing of Stephen Graham Jones is intelligent, if not downright nerdy in the way he drills down into the characters. And he brings each of those those characters to life. Flesh and blood. Lots of blood. 

Two down. One left. 

Don't Fear the Reaper

by Stephen Graham Jones

Published by Gallery/Saga Press

February 7, 2023 | 464 Pages | ISBN 9781982186593

I would like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel.

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On a side note, Jones has written an interesting alternative history in comic book form. A huge comic book fan, EARTHDIVERS, is his first ongoing series. Also on this title are collaborators, artist Davide Gianfelice, colorist Joana Lafuente, and letterer Steve Wands. IDW states: Set in a postapocalyptic near future, Earthdivers follows a small group of Indigenous survivors who time-travel to prevent the creation of America and retroactively save the world from destruction. In each arc, they will target a pivotal point in history, beginning with a mission to kill Christopher Columbus in 1492. Check out this interview at The Nerdist. 

The Only Good Indians

This was one of my most anticipated novels of the year. It did not disappoint as it is easily in my top five of the year. Stephen Graham Jones is one of those prolific authors who has a number of tasty morsels and full meals out every year. I first read his werewolf novel, Mongrels, last year, and since then, I have been slowly working my way through some of his other works. 

The Only Good Indians is a literary slasher of guilt and retribution. It is the story of four Blackeet—Ricky, Lewis, Cass, and Gabe—and the aftermath of an elk hunt gone wrong. It is a tale of a deed done in the dark that follows each man and haunts them, and when you violate tradition and cultural norms, you will pay a price. We, too, pay a price because we care about these men. Jones drags us through life both on and off the Rez leading us to an epic battle the likes of which I have never experienced before. In the end, I was left sweating and gasping for breath. I know that I will never look at an elk or a ceiling fan the same way again.