Most Popular Books by Stephen Graham Jones

The New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians, Stephen Graham Jones, brings readers a spine-tingling journey through a young boy's haunted home. Winner of the 2017 Bram Stoker Award for Long Fiction! "A triumph. So emotionally raw, disturbing, creepy, and brilliant." —Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie Walking through his own house at night, a young boy thinks he sees another person stepping through a doorway. The figure reminds him of his long-dead father, who drowned mysteriously before his family left the reservation. When he follows, it he discovers his house is bigger and deeper than he ever knew. The house is the kind of wrong place where you can lose yourself and find things you'd rather not have. Over the course of a few nights, the boy tries to map out his house in an effort that puts his younger brother in the worst danger, and puts him in the position to save them . . . at a terrible cost. "Brilliant." —The New York Times Also by Stephen Graham Jones: Night of the Mannequins At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Read award-winning author Stephen Graham Jones's horror story, "Wait for Night", a Tor.com Original A day laborer hired to clean up a flooded creek outside of Boulder, Colorado uncovers what could be a valuable find—if it doesn't kill him first. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a “masterpiece” (Locus Magazine) of a novel about revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition. This is a remarkable horror story that “will give you nightmares—the good kind of course” (BuzzFeed). From New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a novel that is equal parts psychological horror and cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American Indian experience. Fans of Sylvia Moreno Garcia and Tommy Orange will love this story as it follows the lives of four American Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity bent on revenge, totally helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way. In this “thrilling, literate, scary, [and] immersive” (Stephen King) tale, Jones blends his signature storytelling style with a haunting narrative that masterfully intertwines revenge, cultural identity, and tradition.

Protected by horror movies -- especially the ones where the masked killer seeks revenge on a world that wronged them, Jade Daniels, an angry, half-Indian outcast, pulls us into her dark mind when blood actually starts to spill into the waters of Indian lake--

Nominated for both the Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker Awards, and a Best of 2016 selection of Tor.com and Book Riot, acclaimed horror writer Stephen Graham Jones' (The Only Good Indians and My Heart is a Chainsaw) Mongrels goes beyond your typical werewolf story to show a young boy, mired in poverty and always on the run, coming-of-age in a world that fears him and hates his family...but may just be more monstrous than he could ever be. He was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. Poor yet resilient, he lives in the shadows with his aunt Libby and uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixed blood, neither this nor that. The boy at the center of Mongrels must decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks. For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and narrow escapes—always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will finally know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they’ve been running from for so long are catching up fast now. Everything is about to change. A compelling and fascinating journey, Mongrels alternates between past and present to create an unforgettable portrait of a boy trying to understand his family and his place in a complex and unforgiving world. A smart and innovative story— funny, bloody, raw, and real—told in a rhythmic voice full of heart, Mongrels is a deeply moving, sometimes grisly, novel that illuminates the challenges and tender joys of a life beyond the ordinary in a bold and imaginative new way.

"Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. . . . However, that same day, convicted serial killer Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer as a blizzard descends just outside of Proofrock"--Provided by publisher.

Thirteen stories of monsters, murder, and mayhem from a master of horror, the New York Times–bestselling author of I Was a Teenage Slasher. Stephen Graham Jones takes familiar horror tropes—zombies, camping mishaps, damaged children—and intertwines them with the dark forces of human nature to create unique and unforgettable short fiction. These thirteen tales run the gamut, immersing you in worlds you think you’ve seen before, but with outcomes you’ll never see coming. In “Father, Son, Holy Rabbit,” a dad and his child are lost in a snowstorm and learn what the true cost of survival is. A snake-oil salesman makes his way across Arizona territory, peddling his wares to unsuspecting customers—and leaving ghost towns in his wake—in “Lonegan’s Luck.” While in “Raphael,” four twelve-year-old outcasts, seemingly invisible to everyone around them, make up a “scare” club, pushing themselves further and further into the unthinkable. As Laird Barron says in his introduction, “The Ones Who Got Away is a slippery collection; it resists and gnaws at the bonds of genre, yet may be the most pure horror book I’ve come across.” Jump in and hold on for your life . . . “The twisty endings, villainous characters, and truly shocking scenarios make several of these disturbing stories truly unforgettable.” —Publishers Weekly “Readers looking for horror can’t go wrong with Stephen Graham Jones and diving into these thirteen collected short stories is the perfect way to countdown to Halloween night.” —Bookish “The Ones Who Got Away is the perfect showcase for [Jones’s] wide-array of literary acrobatics.” —Dark Scribe Magazine

The New York Times–bestselling author "shows how a serial killer's paradise and a serial killer's hell are really the same place" (Brian Evenson, O. Henry Award–winning author). When a serial killer hits the top of his game, where does he go from there? William Colton Hughes finds out. Not interested in notoriety, Hughes just wants to do what he's good at: torture and murder. It never occurs to him that he could make a living at it . . . until the yoga instructor. She happens to be the girlfriend of a powerful and cunning crime boss who catches Hughes literally red-handed. In a twist even Hughes never sees coming, he's not immediately put down. Instead, he's set up in a warren of apartments. Hughes's own private high-rise sanctuary, where his new benefactor feeds victims to him. He couldn't ask for more. But when his supplies stop coming, Hughes begins to lose his already tenuous grip on reality—and learns that even monsters have their own boogeymen to deal with . . . "A grim, funny, stylish hallucination of a book—murderous insanity seen from the inside out. You'll be revolted by this guy, but he'll fascinate you too." —Jack Ketchum, Bram Stoker Award–winning author "[Jones's] writing is hallucinogenic, varied, fascinating. . . . Big names in writing [come] to mind: Pynchon, David Foster Wallace, even Faulkner." — New Pages

From the New York Times–bestselling author of the Indian Lake trilogy: Three stories that uncover what's lurking just beyond your headlights . . . Take a road trip into your darkest nightmares with three stories from the modern master of horror and "one of the best writers working today" (NPR). Here, Bram Stoker Award–winning author Stephen Graham Jones gives evil an all-too-familiar face, whether it's the man from the dog shelter, a colleague at a work convention, or even just your phone. Horror can reach you everywhere and when you least expect it . . . In "Interstate Love Affair," a serial killer's unique way of disposing of his victims' bodies gives roadkill an even more gruesome meaning. "No Takebacks" tracks how an app goes from an idea to coding to letting loose its creator's darkest impulses. And there's nowhere to hide during "The Coming of Night," when a predator's latest kill sets off a creepy-crawly timebomb inside of him. Buckle up for page-turning scares from "a genuine horror superstar" ( Esquire).

This collection showcases the best writings of Stephen Graham Jones, whose career is developing rapidly from the noir underground to the mainstream. The Faster Redder Road features excerpts from Jones’s novels—including The Last Final Girl, The Fast Red Road: A Plainsong, Not for Nothing, and The Gospel of Z—and short stories, some never before published in book form. Examining Jones’s contributions to American literature as well as noir, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.’s introduction puts Jones on the literary map.

*USA TODAY Bestseller * Alex Award Winner * From New York Times bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones comes a “viciously clever” (The New York Times Book Review) classic slasher story with a twist—perfect for fans of Adam Cesare and Grady Hendrix. 1989, Lamesa, Texas. A small 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 “playful, self-aware, and remarkably gory horror novel” (The New York Times).

Winner, This Is Horror Award Finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award Finalist for the Bram Stoker Award A collection of 15 stories that feature, among others, zombies, a hardboiled detective, a giant space-traveling lobster, an enigmatic alien, Rod Serling, and numerous apocalypses. The first story is "Thirteen," about a small-town urban legend that might be leading kids to their doom. "Welcome to the Reptile House" reveals the secrets that hide in our flesh. In "The Black Sleeve of Destiny", a hoodie leads to unexpectedly dark adventures. And the title story, "After the People Lights Have Gone Off", is way more than a typical haunted-house tale. What makes them into a powerful collection is the author's ability to find horror in seemingly everyday objects and situations, and to rely on our own imaginations to fill in the blanks. With an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale.

In the postapocalypse, you take what you can get: "A must-read story and essential addition to the zombie canon" from the New York Times–bestselling author ( LitReactor). It's been nearly a decade since Z Day, when a plague turned humans into the voracious undead. Once a high school biology teacher, Jory Gray now works on an assembly line, making genetically modified "handlers"—the only beings who can control the zombies. There's not much to live for these days, so when the woman he loves leaves him for the promise of the Church of Z, Gray has nothing left to lose. Or so he thinks. When Gray gets demoted from his factory position, he becomes truly expendable, and is sent out to blow-torch the infected. A dead-end job if there ever was one. As Gray struggles to stay human in a world that wants to make him a monster, the military and church duke it out for the future of humanity, using survivors as pawns in a hell on earth where zombies are the least of the creatures to be feared . . . "Gripping moments of horror are expertly rendered, flashes of spot-on hilarity provide depth as well as levity, and the flickering humanity of the characters will resonate powerfully with readers." — Publishers Weekly "Not simply another zombie novel. It is, in fact, a narrative about things broken: society, authority, community, individuality, institutions, lives, even hope. And, at the end, there is the overwhelming sense that at the deepest levels, something has been 'fixed.'" — Hellnotes "The single greatest zombie book you're ever going to read in your life." — Baby Black Widows

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians, Stephen Graham Jones, comes a slasher story where a teen prank goes very wrong and all hell breaks loose in a small town. Winner of both the 2020 Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Awards! We thought we'd play a fun prank on her, and now most of us are dead. One last laugh for the summer as it winds down. One last prank just to scare a friend. Bringing a mannequin into a theater is just some harmless fun, right? Until it wakes up. Until it starts killing. Luckily, Sawyer has a plan. He’ll be a hero. He'll save everyone to the best of his ability. He'll do whatever he needs to so he can save the day. That's the thing about heroes—sometimes you have to become a monster first. "A fairy tale of impermanence showcasing Graham Jones’s signature style of smart, irreverent horror." —The New York Times At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

When a Martian moon explodes, what follows in rural Texas will take your breath away, in this haunting short novel from the New York Times–bestselling author. When Lee's wife of fifteen years leaves him on the same night a Martian moon is destroyed, the fields of his farm still need to be irrigated and the cotton planted. The space accident is too far away to concern Lee more than boll weevils and rain forecasts—but then a giant caterpillar is found on his land. For months, all Lee sees of the caterpillar are the pieces it leaves behind from molting . . . until the night the moon debris makes its way to Earth. " Sterling City is mesmerizing, horrifying, strange, and you can't put it down. It has a kind of stark poetry in the concision and clarity of its prose. Another great example of why you should be reading Stephen Graham Jones." —Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times–bestselling author of Annihilation

"Jones crosses into the noir badlands of No Country for Old Men—bloody and throwing sparks but cool as a killer angel—and by sundown he owns the joint." —Will Christopher Baer, author of Kiss Me, Judas Smuggler Dodd Raines just got the job of a lifetime. He'll finally earn enough money to secure a decent future for his young daughter and start over on the right side of the law. There's just one catch: his cargo is made up of moon rocks—with mass-casualty levels of radiation. Getting across the border from Mexico into the United States isn't easy, even though Raines has done it hundreds of times. If the blazing sun and hungry coyotes don't take him down, the border cop obsessed with catching him will. And then there are the moon rocks. No one delivering them is meant to survive—especially after already being killed. But that's the twist. One that transforms Raines into an undead rabbit-eared monster starving for vengeance, on a path straight into his orphaned daughter's life . . . "A pitch-perfect noir tale of love and revenge." — The Denver Post "No other writer could have done this. Period. Stephen Graham Jones has built a story out of radioactive scrap metal that anyone else would have rendered as kitsch. But with Jones, the diary of a rabbit-headed zombie chupacabra shepherd is absolutely convincing and utterly moving." —Craig Clevenger, author of Mother Howl and The Contortionist's Handbook

"[The] tale of a zombie horde reigning terror on the few humans left inside a building . . . a refreshing nod to the George Romero movies of old." — Mourning Goats There's not much rumbling during the Recipe Days show at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum—except for stomachs, that is—until the professional wrestlers arrive early for their Saturday night matches. Chaos ensues when the home cooks are overrun by Xombie, the Hellbillies, and Jersey Devil Jill. They're not everyone's idea of family fun . . . especially when the rowdy wrestlers descend on the free donuts brought for the security team—and are turned into brain-eating zombies. The night's main event starts early with undead wrestlers squaring off against kitchen divas and soccer moms. And as the contagion spreads, the few survivors, armed with mixers, booth poles, and a Zamboni, must fight to keep their heads on straight—and off the menu. "Zombie specialist Stephen Graham Jones shows how to put a fresh spin on a classic dish." — The Denver Post " Zombie Bake-Off is fast, witty, original and ridiculously entertaining. Stephen Graham Jones has created an action-packed literary pastry that packs a sugar rush you just have to experience." — HorrorTalk

The author, an Indian himself, profiles the lives of many Native Americans and how people treat them just because of their race. Even in today's society the uneasy relations between Indians and white's is still fueled by mistrust, stereo-types and casual violence.

Memorial Ride is a high-speed, ragtag chase across the American Southwest. Cooper Town, an American Indian soldier, has returned from the Middle East to attend his father's funeral, make some quick cash off his father's old Harley, and spend a whirlwind weekend with his girlfriend, Sheri Mun. However, when Coop runs afoul of the violent John Wayne gang, he and Sheri Mun have no choice but to twist the throttle back on that storied chopper and make tracks. In the spirit of Billy Jean, but fully aware of Billy Jack, Coop and Sheri Mun's race to survive is full speed ahead with many potholes in their path. Turning the traditional Western on its head, Memorial Ride recasts the genre as a road movie. It's raucous, it's violent, and, scarily enough, it might even be true. In short, this graphic novel delivers the storytelling prowess of Stephen Graham Jones through Maria Wolf's artwork, and the result is a ride you'll want to take again and again.

When their rental truck breaks down, two friends moving cross-country kill time by telling stories about the strange carving in front of the motel where they’re awaiting a mechanic . . . At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A novel unlike any previous work of Native American fiction.

A must-have collector’s item for horror fans, comprised of two novels, The Babysitters Lives and The Killer on the Road, from the new master of horror Stephen Graham Jones. The Babysitter Lives When high school senior Charlotte agrees to babysit the Wilbanks twins, she plans to put the six-year-olds to bed early and spend a quiet night studying: the SATs are tomorrow, and checking the Native American/Alaskan Native box on all the forms won’t help if she chokes on test day. But tomorrow is also Halloween, and the twins are eager to show off their costumes. Charlotte’s last babysitting gig almost ended in tragedy when her young charge sleepwalked unnoticed into the middle of the street, only to be found unharmed by Charlotte’s mother. Charlotte vows to be extra careful this time. But the house is filled with mysterious noises and secrets that only the twins understand, echoes of horrors that Charlotte gradually realizes took place in the house eleven years ago. Soon Charlotte has to admit that every babysitter’s worse nightmare has come true: they’re not alone in the house. The Killer on the Road Sixteen-year-old Harper has decided to run away from home after she has another blow-out argument with her mother. However, her two best friends, little sister, and ex-boyfriend all stop her from hitchhiking her way up Route 80 in Wyoming by joining her on an intervention disguised as a road trip. What they don’t realize is that Harper has been marked by a very unique serial killer who’s been trolling the highway for the past three years, and now the killer is after all of them in this fast-paced and deadly chase novel that will have your heart racing well above the speed limit as the interstate becomes a graveyard.

When med student Hale is called home by his ailing mother on Halloween night, he and a group of friends are trapped in an inescapable cycle of violence.

It was a fire that could be seen for miles, a fire that split the community, a fire that turned families on each other, a fire that it's still hard to get a straight answer about. A quarter of a century ago, someone held a match to Greenwood, Texas's cotton. Stephen Graham Jones was twelve that year. What he remembers best, what's stuck with him all this time, is that nobody ever came forward to claim that destruction. And nobody was ever caught. Greenwood just leaned forward into next year's work, and the year after that's, pretending that the fire had never happened. But it had. This fire, it didn't start twenty-five years ago. It had been smoldering for years by then. And everybody knew it. Getting them to say anything about it's another thing, though. Now Stephen's going back. His first time since high school, and maybe his last. For answers, for closure, for the people who can't go back. The ones who never got to leave. Part mystery, part memoir, Growing Up Dead in Texas is packed with more secrets than your average graveyard. Stephen Graham Jones' breakout novel is a story about farming. A story about Texas. A story about finally standing up from the dead and walking away.

In 1912 a strange confession is given, over several nights, to a Lutheran priest who transcribes the life of a vampire who haunted the fields of the Blackfeet reservation, looking for justice. A diary, written in 1912 by a Lutheran Pastor is discovered within a wall and what it unveils is a slow massacre, a chain of events that go back to two hundred and seventeen Blackfeet dead in the snow. Told in transcribed confessions by a Blackfeet named Good Stab, who shared the narrative of his peculiar life over a series of confessional visits, this is a bloody history of the American West that has remained untold until now.

The New York Times–bestselling author “has created the tales here with experimental glee, yielding an astonishing assortment of mutated manuscripts” (Jeremy Robert Johnson, author of The Loop). Take a deep dive into the delightfully twisted mind of bestselling horror author Stephen Graham Jones with the more than twenty short stories in Zombie Sharks with Metal Teeth. Experience a day in the life of superhero Vigilante Man and his alter ego, an ace accountant, in “My Hero.” In “Little Monsters,” it’s one compromise after another when a couple tries to design a nightmare creature to foist upon the world. A man writes to Dear Abby for advice on whether or not to tell his wife of thirty-eight years that she transforms into a wolf at night, signing off as “Old Meat.” “I Was a Teenage Slasher Victim” explores the generational trauma of summer camp serial killer survivors—the sequel you can’t miss! Zombie Sharks with Metal Teeth is the perfect summer beach read—or for any time you want to cool things down with chilling short fiction from one of our finest horror authors. “This collection of short horror fiction feels altogether more shark-like than even straight-up shark books. Except here it’s the teeth of Jones’ unforgiving imagination, and the fear of the sea can be easily equated with the fear of the cosmos in these stories.” —LitReactor “The writing, people. The writing is phenomenal. . . . Jones is like a mad scientist, rolling up his sleeves to play elbow-deep with his creations.” —The Next Best Book Blog

These thirteen stories are our own lives, inside out. A boy's summer romance doesn't end in that good kind of heartbreak, but in blood. A girl on a fishing trip makes a friend in the woods who's exactly what she needs, except then that friend follows her back to the city. A father hears a voice through his baby monitor that shouldn't be possible, but now he can't stop listening. A woman finds out that the shipwreck wasn't the disaster, but who she's shipwrecked with. A big brother learns just what he will, and won't, trade for one night of sleep. From prison guards making unholy alliances to snake-oil men in the Old West doling out justice, these stories carve down into the body of the mind, into our most base fears and certainties, and there's no anesthetic. Turn the light on if you want, but that just makes for more shadows.

From the author of The Only Good Indians comes Stephen Graham Jones's horror story, "Chapter Six", a Tor.com Original. This anthropological zombie tale concerns Crain, a grad student, who has a theory of mankind's evolution. As he and his former professor scavenge on bone marrow left behind by the local zombie horde, he makes his well-reasoned argument. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

"The Night Cyclist" by award-winning author Stephen Graham Jones is a horror novelette about a middle-aged chef whose nightly bicycle ride home is interrupted by an unexpected encounter. There must be no compulsion to hide the bodies. Otherwise I’d have never found them. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

"Set on the Blackfeet Reservation, the life of one Indian boy, Doby Saxon, is laid bare through the eyes of those who witness it: his near-death experience, his suicide attempts, his brief glimpse of victory, and the overdose of one of his best friends. But through Doby there emerges a connection to the past, to an Indian Agent who served the United States Government over a century before. This revelation leads to another and another until it becomes clear that the decisions of this single Indian Agent have impacted the lives of generations of Blackfeet. And the life of Doby Saxon, a boy standing in the middle of the road at night, his hands balled into fists, the reservation wheeling all around him like the whole of Blackfeet history."--BOOK JACKET.

Award-winning author Stephen Graham Jones returns with another chilling horror story, "Men, Women, and Chainsaws," a Tor.com Original. It's been two years since Jenna's ex-boyfriend left her alone in East Texas heartbroken. Now he's back in town and she wants to payback. One night, she stumbles upon a bloodthirsty Camaro that may be the key to carrying out her revenge. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The “riotously entertaining” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) final installment in the most lauded trilogy in the history of horror novels picks up four years after Don’t Fear the Reaper as Jade returns to Proofrock, Idaho, to build a life after the years of sacrifice—only to find the Lake Witch is waiting for her in New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones’s finale. It’s been four years in prison since Jade Daniels last saw her hometown of Proofrock, Idaho, the day she took the fall, protecting her friend Letha and her family from incrimination. Since then, her reputation, and the town, have changed dramatically. There’s a lot of unfinished business in Proofrock, from serial killer cultists to the rich trying to buy Western authenticity. But there’s one aspect of Proofrock no one wants to confront…until Jade comes back to town. The curse of the Lake Witch is waiting, and now is the time for the final stand. New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones has crafted an epic horror trilogy of generational trauma from the Indigenous to the townies rooted in the mountains of Idaho. It is the story of the American west written in blood.

“This strange, subtle story of father-son disaffection and disjointed love is told with [Jones’s] signature narrative inventiveness and dark humor.” —Kris Saknussemm, author of Private Midnight If drinking mercury from a thermometer didn’t kill him, maybe spray painting in an unventilated garage would. Or so Nolan’s father thought. One inspired yet failed suicide attempt after another, each with a note to his son—with only a hint of accusation. But as Nolan sits in an empty office building, the last customer service employee for a nearly obsolete video game, those many suicide notes come back to haunt him. As do the levels of the game that no one plays anymore. And now a homicide detective is on the phone. Maybe his father was right when he wrote that he was teaching Nolan not to give up, that the only way to understand what happened was to make it to the end of the game. But there’s no cheatcode that’s going to get Nolan through this . . . “Two unreliable narrators, a bunch of suicide letters, and a plot that collapses on itself just like the characters do—Stephen Graham Jones is our contemporary Jorge Luis Borges.” —Michael Kimball, author of Big Ray “Like Lethem and Murakami before him, Jones mines his genre fiction past to bring us a work of startling literary merit. Mystery, horror, sci-fi: the ingredients are all in there.” —David Goodwillie, author of Kings County “[A] stark exploration of guilt, grief, and fear. . . . And did I mention that it’s funny? Unplug your consoles, kids, and play this book.” —Zack Wentz, author of The Garbageman and the Prostitute