I Was A Teenage Slasher

I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones, 372 pages

Tolly Oliver was just a regular awkward kid in west Texas until his dad died and he somehow became even more of a social outcast. When he gets way too drunk and commits one too many party fouls at a high school party (he wasn't even invited! how dare he!), a few members of the marching band decide to bully him to the brink of death. And something that happens that night starts changing Tolly from awkward kid into a slasher straight from a horror movie. As his best friend Amber starts to suspect the transition, the friends do everything they can to stop the inevitable. But hey, slashers gonna slash, right?

Stephen Graham Jones is a master of slasher horror, and this might be my favorite of his books. It's not as horrifying as many horror novels, though it's certainly plenty gory (careful if you're eating while reading). It's a fantastic primer for slasher tropes, and it's unexpectedly hilarious as Tolly discovers his supernatural slasher abilities. Fans of the subgenre, as well as new horror readers, will love this one.

Don't Fear the Reaper

Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones, 457 pages

Four years have passed since the Independence Day Massacre, in which dozens of Proofrock, Idaho, residents were slaughtered at Indian Lake. The town has been trying to rebuild, and horror movie-obsessed Jade Daniels has been mired in a long trial over her role in the event. But in December 2019, Jade is finally free and has returned to town for a few days. Unfortunately, Jade's return coincides with a massive snowstorm hits Proofrock, cutting the town off from the world at the same time that notorious serial killer Dark Mill South is being transported through the town.

This book with an earworm-inducing title is the sequel to My Heart Is a Chainsaw, which you really should read before picking up this one. In both, Jones creates a world full of bone-dry humorous nods to the many tropes of the horror genre, specifically slasher movies, and he does so masterfully. Jade is a wonderful central character, and those around her fill the traditional horror roles perfectly. That said, this isn't a book you want to read while eating, or just before or after eating, as the descriptions are vivid and gruesome. If you're a fan of slashers, both of these books (and the forthcoming third book in the Indian Lake trilogy) should be on your to-read list. Stephen Graham Jones is a master of the genre.

My Heart Is a Chainsaw

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, 416 pages

Jade (do NOT call her Jennifer) Daniels is an expert on slasher movies. She's seen 'em all, and has been waiting her whole life for this knowledge to come in handy. So when a body turns up in Indian Lake near her small hometown of Proofrock, Idaho, she determines that her high school classmate Letha Mondragon must be the slasher's Final Girl (you know, the virginal teen girl that ends up taking out the villain), and begins offering her assistance. But Letha, whose parents are some of the wealthy titans of industry that are building an upscale community across the lake from Proofrock, thinks something else is going on with Jade. 

This is a love letter to slasher movies, and includes PLENTY of references to gore-fests, both mainstream and obscure. Thankfully, the chapters with the action are interspersed with a series of essays Jade wrote about the history of slashers. They're both useful in propelling the story forward, as well as instrumental in making sure readers, even those who haven't seen slasher movies, get all the references. Once again, Jones has created a wonderful but gory horror novel. Definitely worth a read, but maybe not during meal times.

*This book is scheduled to be published Aug. 31, 2021.