Horror has been having something of a renaissance during the past decade. From films like Get Out, Midsomar, and Hereditary to novels like Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic and those by Grady Hendrix, people have been flocking to this genre known for providing chills and thrills—including those people who would normally consider themselves horror-averse. The genre has even expanded to beyond what we think of as classic horror. Science fiction and fantasy novels have begun to incorporate horror elements into their pages. Readers only need to look at the success of T. Kingfisher for a prime example.
And among this crop of well-received horror authors is none other than Stephen Graham Jones. His novel, The Only Good Indians, blended Native American lore with the classic horror tale of men who’ve broken a sociocultural taboo. The Indian Lake trilogy is a love letter to slasher horror tropes.
But if you haven’t followed the horror genre prior to its recent ascension into literary popularity, then you might not realize that Jones has been writing for much longer than these breakout hits would suggest. In fact, like many horror authors, much of his earlier work exists in the form of short stories. And like many other short story writers, these tales will demonstrate his creative range. Sometimes surreal, sometimes bizarre, and yes, sometimes terrifying, these early Stephen Graham Jones books blend fantasy and horror with his signature prose and wild imagination.
It Came from Del Rio
Stephen Graham Jones tells the unexpected story of a father and his daughter in this novel about smuggling, urban legends, and undead monsters. Dodd lives in Mexico with his young daughter, Laurie. Then, he gets a job that can change his life. All he has to do is smuggle a cargo of radioactive material into the United States. Afterwards he’ll have enough money to start over and begin a new life with Laurie. Maybe he’ll even stop being a criminal. Of course, things don’t go according to plan and fifteen years later, Laurie has grown up with a new family and now works for Border Control—which puts her on a collision course with a father who should be dead.
After the People Lights Have Gone Off
Readers who discovered Jones through his novels, The Only Good Indians or The Indian Lake trilogy, might be surprised to discover that he’s also written quite a few short stories. This collection brings together fifteen tales featuring werewolves, a movie theater where its associated urban legend might be true, the dangers of thrifting, and more.
Zombie Bake-Off
We’ve all heard about the annual bake-off. Either we know someone who’s competed in one, tasted the items from one, or tried recipes based on winners from one. As you can probably surmise from the title, this Stephen Graham Jones novel is about a bake-off that goes terribly awry. Grandmas and soccer moms just wanted a chance to show off their baking skills and maybe earn a spot on a cooking show. They certainly didn’t expect a bunch of wrestlers to descend upon their annual event. And they especially didn’t expect a batch of donuts to turn those wrestlers into ravenous zombies. Oops!
The Ones That Got Away
Another short story collection from Jones, these thirteen tales come from earlier in his career. Among them are stories about a summer fling that takes a left turn into horror with the arrival of a vampire, teen girls who think they’ve found the perfect weight loss method, a father who hears the impossible from a baby monitor, and snake oil men fighting zombies in the Old West. As with much of his writing, the plots are often surprising but told with stellar prose.
Three Miles Past
Novellas occupy that space between short story and novel. They offer something more substantive than the quick literary snack of a short story while not requiring the longterm commitment of a novel. In Three Miles Past, we get three novellas from Stephen Graham Jones himself. A little depraved and shocking, this collection is for fans of extreme horror: a serial killer who disposes of his victims in a unique way, an app that embodies its creator’s worst impulses, and another serial killer who runs into something unexpected with his latest victim.
