Indigenous horror has become a genre all its own over the past several years. At the forefront of this movement is Stephen Graham Jones, whose novels seem to come from a completely different world, yet one that is nestled in the heart of the US featuring characters who are dealing with ancient and mystical evil only they can understand.

OFF THE RESERVATION is set five years after Jones’ New York Times bestseller, THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS. The primary character here is one of the survivors from that book, Nathan Yellow Tail. The action kicks off with Nate returning to the same Duck Lake that nearly killed him. This time, he and his best friend, Sebby, are scouring the summer homes left alone during the year. They go into an upscale house that ends up being owned by a well-to-do Blackfeet family, and they proceed to steal items from it.

"OFF THE RESERVATION is a chilling read that further seals Stephen Graham Jones’ place as not just the preeminent writer of Indigenous horror but someone who clearly can scare the pants off of you."

But on the ride home, Nate and Sebby are slammed into by a gravel truck that nearly ends their lives. Nate takes the least of the damage and is coming along slowly in the hospital. Sebby, though, has been touch-and-go and is on an oxygen tank that has been doing much of the breathing for him. The one blessing he has is Seine Plenty Wolf, a nurse who is his personal therapist and healer. She also has taken a special interest in Nate.

Upon his release, Nate will learn why Nurse Seine is being so friendly to him. She invites him to her RV where some of her other Blackfeet friends are waiting to meet him. Seine, Mooch Lomas and Christian Two Bulls are in need of a fourth person to fulfill their master plan that involves stealing an ancient artifact in an act of both greed and revenge. 

They fill Nate's head with the story of a young Blackfeet boy who died years ago at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School under suspicious circumstances. Legend has it that his bones, as well as some other artifacts, still rest there waiting to be reclaimed. Seine is able to secure Nate’s participation by hinting that bringing the remains of this boy home might allow him to save Sebby.

Of course, knowing that this is a horror novel, things do not go as planned. In fact, they go terribly awry. On their way from excavating the bones, they cause an accident on the road that claims the life of a deer. Readers of THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS will get a chill at this symbolic sequence. The situation is even worse for Nate. He finds himself set upon by the older Blackfeet he has just been working with, who leave him beaten and abandoned. He cannot accept this betrayal, especially by Seine.

Nate will have the last laugh as the group brought back more than just some bones. They awakened an evil only they can respect and understand. Whether it be a demon or a wendigo, it has the ability to both possess them and shapeshift, and what transpires in the novel’s last act is the stuff of nightmares. The storytelling is quite surreal, and readers must remain astute and on their toes to follow along properly to appreciate what is taking place. 

OFF THE RESERVATION is a chilling read that further seals Stephen Graham Jones’ place as not just the preeminent writer of Indigenous horror but someone who clearly can scare the pants off of you.