What do you think?
Rate this book
I Was a Teenage Slasher
From New York Times bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones comes a classic slasher story with a twist—perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Grady Hendrix.
1989, Lamesa, Texas. A small west Texas town driven by oil and cotton—and a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. So it goes for Tolly Driver, a good kid with more potential than application, seventeen, and about to be cursed to kill for revenge. Here Stephen Graham Jones explores the Texas he grew up in, and shared sense of unfairness of being on the outside through the slasher horror Jones loves, but from the perspective of the killer, Tolly, writing his own autobiography. Find yourself rooting for a killer in this summer teen movie of a novel gone full blood-curdling tragic.
1989, Lamesa, Texas. A small west Texas town driven by oil and cotton—and a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. So it goes for Tolly Driver, a good kid with more potential than application, seventeen, and about to be cursed to kill for revenge. Here Stephen Graham Jones explores the Texas he grew up in, and shared sense of unfairness of being on the outside through the slasher horror Jones loves, but from the perspective of the killer, Tolly, writing his own autobiography. Find yourself rooting for a killer in this summer teen movie of a novel gone full blood-curdling tragic.
373 pages, Hardcover
First published July 16, 2024
About the author
Stephen Graham Jones
222 books10.7k followersStephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author of thirty or thirty-five books. He really likes werewolves and slashers. Favorite novels change daily, but Valis and Love Medicine and Lonesome Dove and It and The Things They Carried are all usually up there somewhere. Stephen lives in Boulder, Colorado. It's a big change from the West Texas he grew up in.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,484 reviews
August 7, 2024
Norman Bates. Michael Myers. Ghostface. Hannibal. Jigsaw Killer. Freddy Krueger. Jason. Leatherface. Aren’t slasher movies and villains such a scream? If you’ve revelled in the antics of these icons over the decades, you’ll recognise all the tropes: from the Final Girl (shoutout to my girls Jamie Lee Curtis, Neve Campbell, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Biel, Courteney Cox etc.) to oblivious parents and cars in perfectly great condition which don't start at the most needed moment.
While I enjoy horror and gravitate towards the psychological variety, I hadn’t immersed myself in a slasher-horror book before, even though I love the movies. So I thought I’d see if my enjoyment of the films would translate into books, and it does! This was my first attempt at Stephen Graham Jones and I loved it.
“I was a teenage slasher, yeah, okay. I said it.”
The premise of this book is a coming-of-age teenage slasher memoir, told in stream-of-consciousness style from Tolly Driver on how he became a slasher and the recap of events in which he went on a reluctant murderous rampage. Look, I’m no slasher sympathiser, but I always think it’s clever when an author can make you feel empathy towards the villain, and not only did SGJ achieve that for me, but I even got a little teary at the end for our main man, Tolly.
Furthermore, I holidayed in Texas earlier this year—and this book is set in Lamesa, Texas, which really enriched the location and setting of this story for me, from the flat landscape to the small-town atmosphere itself.
Approaching the book with little prior knowledge was the way to go. It’s packed with slasher Easter eggs and nostalgia, while also being surprisingly heartfelt with themes of friendship, love, and family. Moreover, it is extremely meta and isn’t afraid to poke fun at standard classic slasher logic and tropes.
Trigger warnings abound—Extreme gore, blood, murder, bullying, suicide contemplation, animal deaths and more—so be aware and mind your triggers.
Ultimately, this book is a humorous, heartfelt, and surprisingly poignant love letter to the slasher genre. I really think it deserves 5 stars for how creative, original and brilliant it is and I’m looking forward to getting way more familiar with more of SGJ’s stories.
If you’ve enjoyed slasher films and books in the past, there is a decent chance you’d enjoy this too. Highly recommend. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Titan Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review. It was a bloody good ride. (Sccchhhhting!)
More on I Was a Teenage Slasher, here.
___
On a horror roll. A coming-of-age teenage slasher autobiography. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Titan Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
While I enjoy horror and gravitate towards the psychological variety, I hadn’t immersed myself in a slasher-horror book before, even though I love the movies. So I thought I’d see if my enjoyment of the films would translate into books, and it does! This was my first attempt at Stephen Graham Jones and I loved it.
“I was a teenage slasher, yeah, okay. I said it.”
The premise of this book is a coming-of-age teenage slasher memoir, told in stream-of-consciousness style from Tolly Driver on how he became a slasher and the recap of events in which he went on a reluctant murderous rampage. Look, I’m no slasher sympathiser, but I always think it’s clever when an author can make you feel empathy towards the villain, and not only did SGJ achieve that for me, but I even got a little teary at the end for our main man, Tolly.
Furthermore, I holidayed in Texas earlier this year—and this book is set in Lamesa, Texas, which really enriched the location and setting of this story for me, from the flat landscape to the small-town atmosphere itself.
Approaching the book with little prior knowledge was the way to go. It’s packed with slasher Easter eggs and nostalgia, while also being surprisingly heartfelt with themes of friendship, love, and family. Moreover, it is extremely meta and isn’t afraid to poke fun at standard classic slasher logic and tropes.
Trigger warnings abound—Extreme gore, blood, murder, bullying, suicide contemplation, animal deaths and more—so be aware and mind your triggers.
Ultimately, this book is a humorous, heartfelt, and surprisingly poignant love letter to the slasher genre. I really think it deserves 5 stars for how creative, original and brilliant it is and I’m looking forward to getting way more familiar with more of SGJ’s stories.
If you’ve enjoyed slasher films and books in the past, there is a decent chance you’d enjoy this too. Highly recommend. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Titan Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review. It was a bloody good ride. (Sccchhhhting!)
More on I Was a Teenage Slasher, here.
___
On a horror roll. A coming-of-age teenage slasher autobiography. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Titan Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
August 30, 2024
In 1989, Tolly Driver was an average 17-year old boy, just living his life in his small West Texas hometown of Lamesa.
He's a good kid, who mostly keeps his nose clean, helping his Mom at her hardware store, and spending time with his best friend ((crush)), Amber. All it took was one crazy Summer night to change everything...
This book is presented in a sort of confessional style. It's Tolly writing about that summer, about the events that occurred, relaying them and also reflecting upon them. He's addressing Amber, so it feels genuine and personal.
I connected with this one from the very first pages. I love how SGJ chose to present Tolly's story. It's much more than a Slasher. It's a Coming of Age tale from the perspective of a killer. A Slasher with a twist.
Reading this, it feels like a personal story for SGJ. Not the murdery-bits of course, but the sense of place, the experience of being a teenager in West Texas in the 1980s and everything that went with that.
Honestly, it felt so rich with heart, emotion and nostalgia. I'm not sure what it is, whether it's because SGJ and I came up around the same time, both in small towns and probably with a lot of similar interests, or if it's just the humanity channeled into his stories, but they hit me differently.
Maybe it's as simple as our mutual love of this nuanced genre of Horror; Slashers in particular, I don't know, but there's something special in his delivery that takes me right back to my youth. I feel it.
I've never read anything like this. It's special. I absolutely loved it. There's only so much you can say about a book you loved without diving off the deep end into fangirl territory.
Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite authors. Out of the 8-books of his that I have read so far, the lowest rating I have ever given is a 4-star, and it was just the one.
I've been thinking about this a lot since I finished it, and I actually think this is my favorite SGJ work EVER!
For those of you crying yourself to sleep every night ((like I was)) because you just finished the last book in The Angel of Indian Lake trilogy, have NO FEAR, this one will fulfill your darkest Slasher desires and then some.
I'm so excited for this to release this Summer so that I can add a hard copy to my shelves. I can't wait to read it again. Tolly is a character I will never forget.
I would recommend this to any Horror Reader. It's a perfect Summer Scream story. My heart slowly shattered over the course of this novel, but it simultaneously made me ridiculously happy. I want everyone to feel that.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Saga Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it far exceeded even my lofty expectations.
Stephen Graham Jones is such a gifted storyteller, who truly breaths life into his characters with the power of his words. His stories are edgy, raw, emotional, powerful and nostalgic. I'll never stop coming back for more.
10-out-of-10 recommend!!
He's a good kid, who mostly keeps his nose clean, helping his Mom at her hardware store, and spending time with his best friend ((crush)), Amber. All it took was one crazy Summer night to change everything...
This book is presented in a sort of confessional style. It's Tolly writing about that summer, about the events that occurred, relaying them and also reflecting upon them. He's addressing Amber, so it feels genuine and personal.
I connected with this one from the very first pages. I love how SGJ chose to present Tolly's story. It's much more than a Slasher. It's a Coming of Age tale from the perspective of a killer. A Slasher with a twist.
Reading this, it feels like a personal story for SGJ. Not the murdery-bits of course, but the sense of place, the experience of being a teenager in West Texas in the 1980s and everything that went with that.
Honestly, it felt so rich with heart, emotion and nostalgia. I'm not sure what it is, whether it's because SGJ and I came up around the same time, both in small towns and probably with a lot of similar interests, or if it's just the humanity channeled into his stories, but they hit me differently.
Maybe it's as simple as our mutual love of this nuanced genre of Horror; Slashers in particular, I don't know, but there's something special in his delivery that takes me right back to my youth. I feel it.
I've never read anything like this. It's special. I absolutely loved it. There's only so much you can say about a book you loved without diving off the deep end into fangirl territory.
Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite authors. Out of the 8-books of his that I have read so far, the lowest rating I have ever given is a 4-star, and it was just the one.
I've been thinking about this a lot since I finished it, and I actually think this is my favorite SGJ work EVER!
For those of you crying yourself to sleep every night ((like I was)) because you just finished the last book in The Angel of Indian Lake trilogy, have NO FEAR, this one will fulfill your darkest Slasher desires and then some.
I'm so excited for this to release this Summer so that I can add a hard copy to my shelves. I can't wait to read it again. Tolly is a character I will never forget.
I would recommend this to any Horror Reader. It's a perfect Summer Scream story. My heart slowly shattered over the course of this novel, but it simultaneously made me ridiculously happy. I want everyone to feel that.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Saga Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it far exceeded even my lofty expectations.
Stephen Graham Jones is such a gifted storyteller, who truly breaths life into his characters with the power of his words. His stories are edgy, raw, emotional, powerful and nostalgic. I'll never stop coming back for more.
10-out-of-10 recommend!!
June 15, 2024
Wow, I’m still in shock! This book is absolutely wild! It grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let go. Sure, some parts might seem a bit far-fetched, but that didn’t stop it from being an amazing read.
Set in 1989 in Lamesa, Texas, a small town where everyone knows everyone’s secrets, the story follows Tolly Driver. Tolly’s a seventeen-year-old with lots of potential but not much drive. That is, until he’s cursed to kill for revenge. Stephen Graham Jones dives into the Texas he knows, showcasing the harshness of being an outsider, all through a chilling slasher horror lens.
What makes this book unique is that it's told from the killer’s perspective. Tolly writes his own autobiography, making you, surprisingly, root for him as the story unfolds. It’s like watching a summer teen movie that takes a dark and bloody turn.
After a cruel prank at a party involving his peanut allergy, Tolly snaps and starts his journey as a serial killer. It's intense and incredibly gripping.
Thanks to Netgalley and Saga Press for letting me read and review this thrilling novel.
Set in 1989 in Lamesa, Texas, a small town where everyone knows everyone’s secrets, the story follows Tolly Driver. Tolly’s a seventeen-year-old with lots of potential but not much drive. That is, until he’s cursed to kill for revenge. Stephen Graham Jones dives into the Texas he knows, showcasing the harshness of being an outsider, all through a chilling slasher horror lens.
What makes this book unique is that it's told from the killer’s perspective. Tolly writes his own autobiography, making you, surprisingly, root for him as the story unfolds. It’s like watching a summer teen movie that takes a dark and bloody turn.
After a cruel prank at a party involving his peanut allergy, Tolly snaps and starts his journey as a serial killer. It's intense and incredibly gripping.
Thanks to Netgalley and Saga Press for letting me read and review this thrilling novel.
July 10, 2024
This just jumped to the top of my favorite books by Stephen Graham Jones. I feel strongly about several of his books but you add the power of love (Huey Lewis) with a young male protagonist for a coming-of-age, reluctant serial slasher + best friend story and I'm all the way in.
-Tolly Driver and his damn nut allergy, right?
-And small towns (Lemesa, TX)
-Big hair glam rock music
-1989 (I was in 8th grade)
-Best friends (there is nothing like your childhood friends-I wish someone could tell you that those don't last forever, we'd probably cherish them more)
-high school parties
-the horror of pumpjacks (I hate those things!)
-grain silos
-slasher rules
-Do you know how Spiderman is like a reluctant hero? THAT but opposite, a reluctant antihero
-Duck Hunt
-Belts
-Moms & their sons
-VW Rabbits (why did every girl I know want one of those cars?)
-the descriptions of violence and gore--nobody does it quite like SGJ. One scene, one description of something made me actually gag
-Solve for X (it was mentioned several times-not a coincidence)
I just loved being in Tolly's head the whole time and I'm sad it's over. This is a home run, blockbuster summer horror book. Quintessential. Can't miss it. Better than an 8th-grade sleepover trying to be the last one to fall asleep so you don't get pranked so you have to stay up and watch Saturday Night Live and MTVs Headbanger's Ball
Do not fall asleep on this one!
-Tolly Driver and his damn nut allergy, right?
-And small towns (Lemesa, TX)
-Big hair glam rock music
-1989 (I was in 8th grade)
-Best friends (there is nothing like your childhood friends-I wish someone could tell you that those don't last forever, we'd probably cherish them more)
-high school parties
-the horror of pumpjacks (I hate those things!)
-grain silos
-slasher rules
-Do you know how Spiderman is like a reluctant hero? THAT but opposite, a reluctant antihero
-Duck Hunt
-Belts
-Moms & their sons
-VW Rabbits (why did every girl I know want one of those cars?)
-the descriptions of violence and gore--nobody does it quite like SGJ. One scene, one description of something made me actually gag
-Solve for X (it was mentioned several times-not a coincidence)
I just loved being in Tolly's head the whole time and I'm sad it's over. This is a home run, blockbuster summer horror book. Quintessential. Can't miss it. Better than an 8th-grade sleepover trying to be the last one to fall asleep so you don't get pranked so you have to stay up and watch Saturday Night Live and MTVs Headbanger's Ball
Do not fall asleep on this one!
April 13, 2024
I Was a Teenage Slasher is probably one of the most unique horror novels I've ever read. I went into it expecting a pretty straightforward “memoir” of a teenage serial killer, but instead I somehow ended up with a supernaturally-fueled bildungsroman that got me kind of teary-eyed at the end? It was so very not what I was expecting, but it in the best possible way.
Don't get me wrong, though. This book is gory in places and it's not for the faint of heart. Things are definitely not all sunshine and rainbows in Lamesa, Texas. I mean, people get their heads split in half, okay? If you've read previous Stephen Graham Jones novels, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect. But, at the same time, it's also a tale of friendship and love and family and sacrifice, and it's certainly not just your run of the mill slasher story.
The plot does lean heavily on slasher film tropes, however. The baddie in this novel has all of the usual slasher traits (including near-invincibility and an all-consuming need for revenge), and he also does a whole lot of, well … slashing. The Final Girl is perhaps the most important piece to this story, however, and the bits at the end involving her are just simply fantastic. Seriously. I should have seen it coming but was completely blindsided, but – once again – in the best possible way.
This book isn't just all slashing and killing and people running for their lives, though. There's lots of talking and thinking and meandering around town in between the action-y bits. And it admittedly took me a bit to fully get into it. When things first went off the rails (you'll know the scene when you get to it), I was completely lost and kept thinking that someone was obviously hallucinating. And then it kept getting weirder and weirder and wasn't entirely enjoyable, but then everything just kind of clicked for me and I couldn't put it down.
So, yeah.
If you've enjoyed Stephen Graham Jones's previous novels and/or appreciate a good slasher film, I definitely recommend giving this one a read.
My overall rating: 4.25 stars for enjoyability and another 0.5 stars for originality, for a grand total of 4.75 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is July 16, 2024.
Don't get me wrong, though. This book is gory in places and it's not for the faint of heart. Things are definitely not all sunshine and rainbows in Lamesa, Texas. I mean, people get their heads split in half, okay? If you've read previous Stephen Graham Jones novels, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect. But, at the same time, it's also a tale of friendship and love and family and sacrifice, and it's certainly not just your run of the mill slasher story.
The plot does lean heavily on slasher film tropes, however. The baddie in this novel has all of the usual slasher traits (including near-invincibility and an all-consuming need for revenge), and he also does a whole lot of, well … slashing. The Final Girl is perhaps the most important piece to this story, however, and the bits at the end involving her are just simply fantastic. Seriously. I should have seen it coming but was completely blindsided, but – once again – in the best possible way.
This book isn't just all slashing and killing and people running for their lives, though. There's lots of talking and thinking and meandering around town in between the action-y bits. And it admittedly took me a bit to fully get into it. When things first went off the rails (you'll know the scene when you get to it), I was completely lost and kept thinking that someone was obviously hallucinating. And then it kept getting weirder and weirder and wasn't entirely enjoyable, but then everything just kind of clicked for me and I couldn't put it down.
So, yeah.
If you've enjoyed Stephen Graham Jones's previous novels and/or appreciate a good slasher film, I definitely recommend giving this one a read.
My overall rating: 4.25 stars for enjoyability and another 0.5 stars for originality, for a grand total of 4.75 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is July 16, 2024.
Want to read
November 3, 2023selling my soul to get my hands on this, brb
July 25, 2024
I liked it a lot! This is a very original take on the slasher tale, not only because it is told from the slasher point of view, but also because it integrates a strong friendship and supernatural elements to the tale.
The writing was great at conveying the tension and the confusion of the main characters, and of course, the horror elements of every good slasher tale.
The writing was great at conveying the tension and the confusion of the main characters, and of course, the horror elements of every good slasher tale.
July 13, 2024
I had previously read My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones. It was entertaining and a fun read due to its unique references to the ridiculous slasher movies of the 1980s and the naming the serial killers from those old but memorable films. Narrated in the rambling style of a teenager who was obsessed with these old films I didn’t care much for its format or style but found it a fun read.
This book was told as a memoir by a teenage boy in a stream of consciousness and his past experiences on becoming a killer. Tolly Driver felt like as outsider among his classmates while growing up in a small Texas town and his autobiography references his memories of becoming a revenge killer. There was a lot of chaos and tangential scattered thoughts expressed and I felt the resulting story was slow paced. There was also a love story with his best friend Amber. This book was also a tribute to the old popular slasher movies.
I am aware that we were supposed to sympathize with Tolly but I was not engaged with any of the characters nor immersed in the location. The references to heavy duty mechanical equipment was hard to visualize and I had to look up the pumpjack. Too many excessive details. I regret the writing style is not for me, but readers who enjoyed the previous books or the old slasher movies should be entertained.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. The publication date is set for July 16.
This book was told as a memoir by a teenage boy in a stream of consciousness and his past experiences on becoming a killer. Tolly Driver felt like as outsider among his classmates while growing up in a small Texas town and his autobiography references his memories of becoming a revenge killer. There was a lot of chaos and tangential scattered thoughts expressed and I felt the resulting story was slow paced. There was also a love story with his best friend Amber. This book was also a tribute to the old popular slasher movies.
I am aware that we were supposed to sympathize with Tolly but I was not engaged with any of the characters nor immersed in the location. The references to heavy duty mechanical equipment was hard to visualize and I had to look up the pumpjack. Too many excessive details. I regret the writing style is not for me, but readers who enjoyed the previous books or the old slasher movies should be entertained.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. The publication date is set for July 16.
August 20, 2024
It would probably be fair to say that any follow-up to a phenomenal horror trilogy like The Indian Lake Trilogy would naturally be somewhat disappointing. It may be fair to say, but it would also be inaccurate.
Stephen Graham Jones’s latest “deconstructed slasher/teen horror opera” is as intense, horrific, funny, emotionally draining, and poignant as his last three novels, and then some.
“I Was a Teenage Slasher” is the story of Tolly Driver, a skinny, awkward teenager with a peanut allergy and one friend—-the town’s only Indian, a girl named Amber. Tolly is also a slasher.
He doesn’t want to be. And, frankly, he doesn’t even know all the “rules” of being a real-life slasher, which is where Amber comes in handy. She loves slasher films. She knows all about the slasher’s motivations (almost always revenge), the fact that a slasher needs a “brand” (in Tolly’s case, he kills with a never-ending supply of leather belts), and who the final girl is. This may be a problem, because there are multiple candidates in town.
The novel is set over a few days in the summer of 1989 in a small Texas town of Lamesa, where Tolly’s wave of mutilation starts with a very weird pool party.
Jones has done something utterly crazy and unheard of: he’s written a slasher novel from the viewpoint of the slasher, and—-on top of that—-made him absolutely lovable.
Sure, he kills a bunch of teenagers, but they all (kind of) deserve it. Or do they? Therein lies the crux of Tolly’s moral dilemma. He’s compelled to kill these kids for (in a cosmic sense anyway) valid reasons, but, deep down, he knows that they are just kids like him: dumb and prone to making bad decisions that they will regret later in life.
This novel reminds me a lot of a 1988 horror/comedy called “Heathers”, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Jones doesn’t mention it as an inspiration, but I’m fairly certain that he had to have seen it. Regardless, both have a whimsical, tongue-in-cheek approach to teen murders that could only have been set in the pre-Columbine pre-“Woke” 1980s. Jones is certainly tapping into that vibe, while simultaneously properly excoriating it.
Stephen Graham Jones’s latest “deconstructed slasher/teen horror opera” is as intense, horrific, funny, emotionally draining, and poignant as his last three novels, and then some.
“I Was a Teenage Slasher” is the story of Tolly Driver, a skinny, awkward teenager with a peanut allergy and one friend—-the town’s only Indian, a girl named Amber. Tolly is also a slasher.
He doesn’t want to be. And, frankly, he doesn’t even know all the “rules” of being a real-life slasher, which is where Amber comes in handy. She loves slasher films. She knows all about the slasher’s motivations (almost always revenge), the fact that a slasher needs a “brand” (in Tolly’s case, he kills with a never-ending supply of leather belts), and who the final girl is. This may be a problem, because there are multiple candidates in town.
The novel is set over a few days in the summer of 1989 in a small Texas town of Lamesa, where Tolly’s wave of mutilation starts with a very weird pool party.
Jones has done something utterly crazy and unheard of: he’s written a slasher novel from the viewpoint of the slasher, and—-on top of that—-made him absolutely lovable.
Sure, he kills a bunch of teenagers, but they all (kind of) deserve it. Or do they? Therein lies the crux of Tolly’s moral dilemma. He’s compelled to kill these kids for (in a cosmic sense anyway) valid reasons, but, deep down, he knows that they are just kids like him: dumb and prone to making bad decisions that they will regret later in life.
This novel reminds me a lot of a 1988 horror/comedy called “Heathers”, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Jones doesn’t mention it as an inspiration, but I’m fairly certain that he had to have seen it. Regardless, both have a whimsical, tongue-in-cheek approach to teen murders that could only have been set in the pre-Columbine pre-“Woke” 1980s. Jones is certainly tapping into that vibe, while simultaneously properly excoriating it.
July 7, 2024
It was only a couple of months ago that I expressed in my review for The Angel of Indian Lake, the final installment of the Lake Witch series, how sad it is not being able to read from the pov of its unique main character JD anymore. Fast forward a couple of months and I find myself reading Tolly Driver and Amber, characters who, if not as striking and dear as JD, still bear traces of her, giving I Was A Teenage Slasher a slight Indian Lake feeling. But they're not JD, and this is not Proofrock, Idaho, it's worse; it's Lamesa, Texas, in 1989. We follow the growing pains, the not fitting-in, the friendship, the bullying, in short, the high-school life of Tolly, who, after a concussion, starts experiencing changes in his perception and in his body he initially attributes to the accident he had, but which may have more sinister roots.
Up front; this is a typical SGJ book in that it bears his signature style, colloquial, strewn-in contradictions hinting at unreliability, deep emotional understanding hidden behind informal language, a slow unfolding of events leading to a delightful realization... I think only mannequins are lacking at this party. So, if you haven't enjoyed or weren't into that in his previous work, this might not be your cup.
I was thankful for the similar feel of the characters to JD, as I'm still pining for her a little, and there were enough differences to make this its own, original work. The underlying idea of portraying a final girl/slasher unit from the inside, their interactions and even feelings for each other, if you want to put it that way, the parallels to werewolves, the transformation scenes, thus throwing in some supernatural into a genre grim and problematic, making it enjoyable even for readers not drawn to it – all this is ingenuity only SGJ can offer.
Up front; this is a typical SGJ book in that it bears his signature style, colloquial, strewn-in contradictions hinting at unreliability, deep emotional understanding hidden behind informal language, a slow unfolding of events leading to a delightful realization... I think only mannequins are lacking at this party. So, if you haven't enjoyed or weren't into that in his previous work, this might not be your cup.
I was thankful for the similar feel of the characters to JD, as I'm still pining for her a little, and there were enough differences to make this its own, original work. The underlying idea of portraying a final girl/slasher unit from the inside, their interactions and even feelings for each other, if you want to put it that way, the parallels to werewolves, the transformation scenes, thus throwing in some supernatural into a genre grim and problematic, making it enjoyable even for readers not drawn to it – all this is ingenuity only SGJ can offer.
July 28, 2024
Reading Vlog(s):
https://youtu.be/2ZwZVIQv0Kc
https://youtu.be/JwP5_p9CEbY
https://youtu.be/cxaXB6DrPG4
Stephen Graham Jones SHOULD be the author for me. He writes weird, f**ked up horrors that don't fit in any one genre or trope. I love that...usually. I don't know what it is about his writing that doesn't land for me. I recognize that his talent is celebrated among many horror fans. I wish I was one of them. He doesn't do anything wrong, per say. It just doesn't work for me. And I hate that.
Unfortunately, this book was too repetitive for me. If I had to hear the main character think "cause I was a teenage slasher" or "teen slasher's always" or "but that's not what happens to a slasher" one more time, I might have liquified in frustration.
But I did adore the platonic friendship at the heart of this story. It almost had me tearing up at the end. So bonus points for that.
Over all, I'd say that I would recommend this broadly to people who like weird and self-analyzing horror. But I would preface it with "It wasn't for me, but it could very well be for you".
https://youtu.be/2ZwZVIQv0Kc
https://youtu.be/JwP5_p9CEbY
https://youtu.be/cxaXB6DrPG4
Stephen Graham Jones SHOULD be the author for me. He writes weird, f**ked up horrors that don't fit in any one genre or trope. I love that...usually. I don't know what it is about his writing that doesn't land for me. I recognize that his talent is celebrated among many horror fans. I wish I was one of them. He doesn't do anything wrong, per say. It just doesn't work for me. And I hate that.
Unfortunately, this book was too repetitive for me. If I had to hear the main character think "cause I was a teenage slasher" or "teen slasher's always" or "but that's not what happens to a slasher" one more time, I might have liquified in frustration.
But I did adore the platonic friendship at the heart of this story. It almost had me tearing up at the end. So bonus points for that.
Over all, I'd say that I would recommend this broadly to people who like weird and self-analyzing horror. But I would preface it with "It wasn't for me, but it could very well be for you".
August 15, 2024
i think y’all will like this one!
July 29, 2024
DNF at 15%. horrible. the never fucking ending sentences really pissed me off. really interesting premise but really poor plot. took me like 5 days to get through the first 20 pages.
July 5, 2024
this was my first SGJ full length novel and i didn’t realize this book was more character focused, i think the plot was good but it wasn’t strong so i kind of struggled getting through the middle of the book and i guess i just expected the book to take a different route but i do enjoy the writing
Read
July 23, 2024DNFing at page 215.
I need to just accept the fact that SGJ’s writing style is not for me. My 4th attempt at his work and it just doesn’t click with my brain.
I need to just accept the fact that SGJ’s writing style is not for me. My 4th attempt at his work and it just doesn’t click with my brain.
August 14, 2024
Schting!
1989, West Texas. Tolly Diver ventures out of his comfort zone, crashing a house party with his bestie . . . and then some things happen – first, to him and then to six people from his graduating class. This is Tolly’s own story about how he became a Slasher.
Every Star. This is how you write a horror story and someone needs to option the film rights pronto.
1989, West Texas. Tolly Diver ventures out of his comfort zone, crashing a house party with his bestie . . . and then some things happen – first, to him and then to six people from his graduating class. This is Tolly’s own story about how he became a Slasher.
Every Star. This is how you write a horror story and someone needs to option the film rights pronto.
June 29, 2024
You don't need my review to convince you to pick up this one by a favorite author of the online book community but just in case, here goes:
Written in the form of a memoir, I Was a Teenage Slasher is a completely unique slasher since it is told from the perspective of the killer. Aside from the blood and gore, the story has a lot of heart as well. It's filled with nostalgia, love, and humanity.
I loved how SGJ described West Texas (especially since the author grew up there), it was almost as if the small town of Lamesa was a character in the story.
I listened to the audiobook version which is narrated by Michael Crouch and SGJ read the acknowledgments at the end. If you decide to pick this one up, I highly recommend this format!
I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones will be available on July 15. Many thanks to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook!
Written in the form of a memoir, I Was a Teenage Slasher is a completely unique slasher since it is told from the perspective of the killer. Aside from the blood and gore, the story has a lot of heart as well. It's filled with nostalgia, love, and humanity.
I loved how SGJ described West Texas (especially since the author grew up there), it was almost as if the small town of Lamesa was a character in the story.
I listened to the audiobook version which is narrated by Michael Crouch and SGJ read the acknowledgments at the end. If you decide to pick this one up, I highly recommend this format!
I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones will be available on July 15. Many thanks to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook!
August 12, 2024
3.5 Stars
This book partially suffered from timing. I read this after reading a huge string of meta horror that usually had a slasher component. This one is arguably better than the ones I read earlier this summer but it's hard to fairly compare when I've become so tired of these kind of stories.
This author has a distinct narrative style that mirrors the modern indigenous dialect, often found on reserves. As usual, it took some time to wrap this one around my brain.
It's clear that this author has a strong understanding of the tropes of the horror genre. This narrative is cleverly written to address the cliches with a self aware voice that almost breaks the fourth wall.
This is very much a time that I appreciated what the author was doing but found myself fatigued on these kinds of stories.
I would recommend this one to readers either already love this author or are looking for another take on the slasher fiction genre.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This book partially suffered from timing. I read this after reading a huge string of meta horror that usually had a slasher component. This one is arguably better than the ones I read earlier this summer but it's hard to fairly compare when I've become so tired of these kind of stories.
This author has a distinct narrative style that mirrors the modern indigenous dialect, often found on reserves. As usual, it took some time to wrap this one around my brain.
It's clear that this author has a strong understanding of the tropes of the horror genre. This narrative is cleverly written to address the cliches with a self aware voice that almost breaks the fourth wall.
This is very much a time that I appreciated what the author was doing but found myself fatigued on these kinds of stories.
I would recommend this one to readers either already love this author or are looking for another take on the slasher fiction genre.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
July 16, 2024
Stephen Graham Jones has written the perfect summer slasher.
^If I wrote that in a letter to David Allen Coe, he'd write me back and say no, it was NOT the perfect summer slasher. It was, in fact, simply THE perfect slasher.
^(if any of you get that reference, you are the literal BEST)
THANK YOU to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for graciously providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book for review at my request. All opinions discussed are my own and are subjective to myself as a reader.
Stephen Graham Jones has been one of my all-time favorite authors ever since I read THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS a few years ago. After all his work that I've read and loved since, TOGI has remained my favorite.
Until today.
Friends, I still have wet eyes and cheeks as I sit here from finishing this book. If you're thinking to yourself that you've read one slasher, you've read them all - or even that you figure SGJ exhausted his Santa Slasher Bag o'Tricks with the Indian Lake Trilogy - you are making the literary mistake of a lifetime.
Yes, the author stays true to the rules of slashers, to the letter. What makes I WAS A TEENAGE SLASHER so uniquely beautiful is that SGJ goes deeper than just the rules and formula of slashers, he takes us to the heart of it all. This book will change your horror-loving hearts.
Packed with 80's nostalgia, summertime as a small town teenager, friendship, loyalty, humor, self discovery - this is a book that will hold a special place for you. One that you won't be able to pass by it on your shelf without touching a finger to its spine in acknowledgment, or pulling it off the shelf to run a loving hand across its cover.
Horror fans - do not sleep on this one! (pun intended)
A full non spoiler video discussion regarding my experience with I WAS A TEENAGE SLASHER can be found on my BookTube Channel!
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E. & Mel
^If I wrote that in a letter to David Allen Coe, he'd write me back and say no, it was NOT the perfect summer slasher. It was, in fact, simply THE perfect slasher.
^(if any of you get that reference, you are the literal BEST)
THANK YOU to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for graciously providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book for review at my request. All opinions discussed are my own and are subjective to myself as a reader.
Stephen Graham Jones has been one of my all-time favorite authors ever since I read THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS a few years ago. After all his work that I've read and loved since, TOGI has remained my favorite.
Until today.
Friends, I still have wet eyes and cheeks as I sit here from finishing this book. If you're thinking to yourself that you've read one slasher, you've read them all - or even that you figure SGJ exhausted his Santa Slasher Bag o'Tricks with the Indian Lake Trilogy - you are making the literary mistake of a lifetime.
Yes, the author stays true to the rules of slashers, to the letter. What makes I WAS A TEENAGE SLASHER so uniquely beautiful is that SGJ goes deeper than just the rules and formula of slashers, he takes us to the heart of it all. This book will change your horror-loving hearts.
Packed with 80's nostalgia, summertime as a small town teenager, friendship, loyalty, humor, self discovery - this is a book that will hold a special place for you. One that you won't be able to pass by it on your shelf without touching a finger to its spine in acknowledgment, or pulling it off the shelf to run a loving hand across its cover.
Horror fans - do not sleep on this one! (pun intended)
A full non spoiler video discussion regarding my experience with I WAS A TEENAGE SLASHER can be found on my BookTube Channel!
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E. & Mel
April 20, 2024
This is a book that could reinvent the slasher genre. Not only is it bloody and gruesome, but you'll remember these characters and the events which leads up to one of them "becoming" a real life slasher.
This novel is written in first person perspective from the viewpoint of Tolly. Tolly is a slasher. He admits to butchering at least six of his classmates as a teenager back in a small Texas town in 1989.
But here's the thing. He's pretty much a great guy. It's not unnatural urges that made him this way and it's not like he WANTED to do it. However, he did and might do it again. Despite this, you'll root for him. I know that's a stretch to consider but it's true.
He is one of many memorable characters. These characters are realistic and relatable and you might feel a bit of nostalgia as you're reading because you know people like this most likely.
It's the WHY and HOW Tolly became this slasher that really takes this book to another level. It's something you've never seen in book of this type before and, as always with this author, it's genuinely freaky, fun, and brutal in equal measures.
I'm not being hyperbolic when I say this is the best slasher book you'll read this year. And, if not, it's more than likely that honour goes to The Angel Of Indian Lake. Either way, it's all Stephen Graham Jones and I think it's safe to say that he sets the bar when it comes to this genre.
This is simply a bad ass slasher novel with wholly original ideas and I highly recommend it.
I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley with no consideration. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
This novel is written in first person perspective from the viewpoint of Tolly. Tolly is a slasher. He admits to butchering at least six of his classmates as a teenager back in a small Texas town in 1989.
But here's the thing. He's pretty much a great guy. It's not unnatural urges that made him this way and it's not like he WANTED to do it. However, he did and might do it again. Despite this, you'll root for him. I know that's a stretch to consider but it's true.
He is one of many memorable characters. These characters are realistic and relatable and you might feel a bit of nostalgia as you're reading because you know people like this most likely.
It's the WHY and HOW Tolly became this slasher that really takes this book to another level. It's something you've never seen in book of this type before and, as always with this author, it's genuinely freaky, fun, and brutal in equal measures.
I'm not being hyperbolic when I say this is the best slasher book you'll read this year. And, if not, it's more than likely that honour goes to The Angel Of Indian Lake. Either way, it's all Stephen Graham Jones and I think it's safe to say that he sets the bar when it comes to this genre.
This is simply a bad ass slasher novel with wholly original ideas and I highly recommend it.
I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley with no consideration. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
September 2, 2024
My heart aches too much to write a review for this right now, but god damn, I adored this book.
August 9, 2024
I’m for sure in the middle with this one. I gave it a lower score because it turned out to be not what I expected at all and the jacket is somewhat deceiving. I went into it thinking this would be a tale about a teenage slasher and the kills he did once upon a time, and instead got a story of a teenage slasher but with a HUGE supernatural element in it. I’m talking HUGE. So it took me out of it for the most part. After 75 pages I was like “What the hell is this?”
Now if you go into this blindly without reading what it’s about, I think you would get a much different experience. The story is good, the two main characters are likeable and had me cheering for them to get revenge. So that part was great.
I felt a touch of “Scream” in this, and the whole talking about the rules of a slasher/horror film, very similar to Jamie Kennedy explaining the rules to Sydney and the gang in the first movie.
Overall it was good for what it was, but I was expecting something else. 3 stars
Now if you go into this blindly without reading what it’s about, I think you would get a much different experience. The story is good, the two main characters are likeable and had me cheering for them to get revenge. So that part was great.
I felt a touch of “Scream” in this, and the whole talking about the rules of a slasher/horror film, very similar to Jamie Kennedy explaining the rules to Sydney and the gang in the first movie.
Overall it was good for what it was, but I was expecting something else. 3 stars
May 12, 2024
I feel like a broken record when it comes to reviewing SGJ he churns out masterpiece after masterpiece and I WAS A TEENAGE SLASHER is no different, I've read a lot of SGJ and each time he manages to surpass all my expectations, turning the slasher genre on its head, this was a bittersweet coming of age story that's wrote in a confessional style, making it feel raw and intimate, being inside the head of a 17 year old makes for a ton of nostalgia, something in the delivery felt personal, the humanity infused in his stories always makes the experience feel authentic and somewhat special, Tollys relationship with Amber was sweet and solidifies a theme that unites all of Jones work, the importance and power of friendship, the juxtaposition of killer but also, a pretty great guy are done extremely well and the characters are what propel this story into the realms of legendary, sure there's the gruesome horror we all love but the emotion, the heartbreak? Unexpected, this is not your standard slasher story, mum, I've fell in love with a slasher
August 25, 2024
I expected to like this a lot more than I did. It’s often enjoyable but also feels a little heavy handed, as if it’s trying to be more than it is. Think of it as ‘Catcher in the Rye’ for horror fans and you wouldn’t be far off. It also weirdly reminded me a lot of Richard Laymon.
May 14, 2024
Thank you so much to Saga Press and Stephan Graham Jones for this wonderful book! It was about Tolly Driver, a boy living in Lamesa Texas in 1989. He is a normal kid full of hopes and dreams and friendships, and also happens to be cursed with bloodlust for revenge. After something happens at a party, Tolly is infected with the need to become a slasher and right how he was wronged. His normal life is about to be turned upside down, and he isn’t sure if he can stop it.
Thoughts: This book was about being an outsider. I loved that the perspective is from the mind of a killer, who also has humanity and is trying to figure out who and what he is. I loved the way this book is written, almost like a letter or confession to whoever finds it. The story pays homage to the horror genre, and uses emotion and humanity to create a nostalgic and heartwarming story about a teenager murdering his classmates. You know, tale as old as time.
Jones is a phenomenal writer and I could see how much of himself he poured into Tolly as a character. His relationship with Amber and the way she kept him anchored to humanity was beautiful, and I thought lots of themes were explored well. The way the book talks about being an outsider, dealing with tragedy, and the nuance of friendship, all while delivering the shock and gore of a horror novel. 4.5 stars!
Thoughts: This book was about being an outsider. I loved that the perspective is from the mind of a killer, who also has humanity and is trying to figure out who and what he is. I loved the way this book is written, almost like a letter or confession to whoever finds it. The story pays homage to the horror genre, and uses emotion and humanity to create a nostalgic and heartwarming story about a teenager murdering his classmates. You know, tale as old as time.
Jones is a phenomenal writer and I could see how much of himself he poured into Tolly as a character. His relationship with Amber and the way she kept him anchored to humanity was beautiful, and I thought lots of themes were explored well. The way the book talks about being an outsider, dealing with tragedy, and the nuance of friendship, all while delivering the shock and gore of a horror novel. 4.5 stars!
June 18, 2024
This dragged.
Being in his head was absolutely sluggish and awful.
I couldn’t relate to the characters. I didn’t care about the plot. The backstory didn’t draw me in.
Being in his head was absolutely sluggish and awful.
I couldn’t relate to the characters. I didn’t care about the plot. The backstory didn’t draw me in.
April 18, 2024
Full of dark humor and slasher references, this book is a unique horror read.
August 2, 2024
No one writes horror like Stephen Graham Jones. Not only are his books visceral and violent and bloody – they are also laced with a sense of melancholic nostalgia that is rarely found in the genre. I Was a Teenage Slasher, written as a memoir of sorts from the point of view of an accidental young murderer, is no different. Tolly Driver takes us to Lamesa, Texas, in 1989, when he is seventeen years old and forced into the reluctant role of revenge killer, and the result is an intimate narrative that is just as heartbreaking as it is horrifying.
Utilizing his trademark knowledge of slashers to full effect, SGJ presents a story that has supernatural elements and lots of gore, but is also a coming-of-age story about a vulnerable, sympathetic young man forced into circumstances he never could have imagined – or wanted. Yes, SGJ made me root for, and feel empathy for, the slasher in the story. But rather than putting Tolly’s murders at the center of the story, I Was a Teenage Slasher instead focuses largely on Tolly’s friendship with his best friend, Amber. SGJ so perfectly captures the passionate, all-encompassing nature of teenage friendship, especially one between a boy and a girl that has undercurrents of unacknowledged attraction and is full of things that are never said. It’s so wistful and wholesome and affecting, which I realize sounds like a strange way to describe a book about a series of gruesome, slasher-style murders, but there you have it.
The book is already structured as a memoir, but there are parts of it that feel truly autobiographical as SGJ delves into the goings-on of a small Texas town in the late ‘80s, a place much like the one in which he grew up. It seems so personal, and it’s all so real and raw and emotional, sometimes quite funny but also upsetting in that way that just makes your heart hurt for someone. And the ending of this book is, hands-down, one of the best endings I’ve ever read in any book. Just oof.
I Was a Teenage Slasher fulfilled all my horror-loving dreams, but also fulfilled the part of me that hungers for outstanding literary fiction. I’ll read anything SGJ writes, forever and always.
Utilizing his trademark knowledge of slashers to full effect, SGJ presents a story that has supernatural elements and lots of gore, but is also a coming-of-age story about a vulnerable, sympathetic young man forced into circumstances he never could have imagined – or wanted. Yes, SGJ made me root for, and feel empathy for, the slasher in the story. But rather than putting Tolly’s murders at the center of the story, I Was a Teenage Slasher instead focuses largely on Tolly’s friendship with his best friend, Amber. SGJ so perfectly captures the passionate, all-encompassing nature of teenage friendship, especially one between a boy and a girl that has undercurrents of unacknowledged attraction and is full of things that are never said. It’s so wistful and wholesome and affecting, which I realize sounds like a strange way to describe a book about a series of gruesome, slasher-style murders, but there you have it.
The book is already structured as a memoir, but there are parts of it that feel truly autobiographical as SGJ delves into the goings-on of a small Texas town in the late ‘80s, a place much like the one in which he grew up. It seems so personal, and it’s all so real and raw and emotional, sometimes quite funny but also upsetting in that way that just makes your heart hurt for someone. And the ending of this book is, hands-down, one of the best endings I’ve ever read in any book. Just oof.
I Was a Teenage Slasher fulfilled all my horror-loving dreams, but also fulfilled the part of me that hungers for outstanding literary fiction. I’ll read anything SGJ writes, forever and always.
June 12, 2024
STAR review in the May 15, 2024 issue of Booklist and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2024/05...
Three Words That Describe This Book: strong sense of place, dark humor, engaging narration
From draft review: Readers will watch something wholly original emerge before their eyes, realizing along the way why everyone should be as obsessed with the Slasher as Jones is himself. Suggest to every reader who loves a perfectly rendered time and place, has ever been transfixed by a slasher film, or just want a chilling, captivating, and thought-provoking story where every detail matters and every page is worth their time, but especially those who enjoyed recent novels like The Pallbearers Club by Tremblay and The Eyes Are the Best Part by Kim or have been missing Deaver’s seminal sympathetic killer, Dexter.
Three Words That Describe This Book: strong sense of place, dark humor, engaging narration
From draft review: Readers will watch something wholly original emerge before their eyes, realizing along the way why everyone should be as obsessed with the Slasher as Jones is himself. Suggest to every reader who loves a perfectly rendered time and place, has ever been transfixed by a slasher film, or just want a chilling, captivating, and thought-provoking story where every detail matters and every page is worth their time, but especially those who enjoyed recent novels like The Pallbearers Club by Tremblay and The Eyes Are the Best Part by Kim or have been missing Deaver’s seminal sympathetic killer, Dexter.
July 5, 2024
An absolute juggernaut of a slasher, aka the slashers bible!
I've spent the 24 hours since finishing reading this book wonder how the hell I can review this and truly do it justice? The simple answer is that I can't do it justice at all, but I'll still share a few words regardless.
This is a slasher with a difference, yes there is pretty of blood and gore as you'd expect but the real standout feature of this novel is the relationship between Tolly (the main character) and his best friend, Amber. Stephen Graham Jones managed to write such realistic, relatable and authentic interaction between the two, it drove the story onwards and pulled me deeper into the narrative. I could whole heartedly relate to these characters and put myself in their shoes. In fact, this is why I'm having such a hard time writing this review, I'm in absolute awe.
Maybe in time I'll add more but right now I don't want to, I don't want to leave any kind of spoilers or lead anyone in any way.
I'd recommend this to anyone and especially to those who enjoyed Billy Summers, The Angel Lake trilogy or even The Colorado Kid.
Book of the year so far, Stephen Graham Jones at the very top of his game.
P.s, I'll probably add to this soon and I so wish I'd taken notes as I read. Then maybe my thoughts would be more focused.
I've spent the 24 hours since finishing reading this book wonder how the hell I can review this and truly do it justice? The simple answer is that I can't do it justice at all, but I'll still share a few words regardless.
This is a slasher with a difference, yes there is pretty of blood and gore as you'd expect but the real standout feature of this novel is the relationship between Tolly (the main character) and his best friend, Amber. Stephen Graham Jones managed to write such realistic, relatable and authentic interaction between the two, it drove the story onwards and pulled me deeper into the narrative. I could whole heartedly relate to these characters and put myself in their shoes. In fact, this is why I'm having such a hard time writing this review, I'm in absolute awe.
Maybe in time I'll add more but right now I don't want to, I don't want to leave any kind of spoilers or lead anyone in any way.
I'd recommend this to anyone and especially to those who enjoyed Billy Summers, The Angel Lake trilogy or even The Colorado Kid.
Book of the year so far, Stephen Graham Jones at the very top of his game.
P.s, I'll probably add to this soon and I so wish I'd taken notes as I read. Then maybe my thoughts would be more focused.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,484 reviews