Trilogies in horror are a unique rarity, but author Stephen Graham Jones has risen from the depths of the deepest, darkest waters of speculative fiction and claimed his crown as a master of the genre. The Angel of Indian Lake is the third book of the Indian Lake Trilogy, and we can tell that Jones had definite plans for his final installment to go out with a bang. It is not only chockful of the blood and gore that we have come to expect from his love of the slasher subgenre, he weaves Indigenous history and social commentary throughout his work. The themes of generational trauma, land stolen by the rich and white, and Indigenous genocide are ingeniously intertwined throughout the series. Indigenous peoples living in what is now known as North America have long since had deep ties to storytelling and with Jones himself being Blackfeet, he honours this tradition in his own distinct voice and terrifying narrative.
It is not only chockful of the blood and gore that we have come to expect from his love of the slasher subgenre,
he weaves Indigenous history and social commentary throughout his work.
The Indian Lake Trilogy is strikingly complex in this way, and one would be remiss if they did not read each novel carefully. Sure, you could quickly skim through the first two novels in the series, but you won’t have that rock-solid foundation that the third book is built on. Readers would also need to understand the background of the trilogy’s protagonist Jade Daniels to better understand her motives. It’s not the fact that she can name every slasher movie ever made, but the reasons behind it. She uses horror as a security blanket, concealing unhealed trauma and despite her best efforts to leave Proofrock behind, the past always comes back for Jade. Yet in Angel, she is able to bravely throw that blanket aside and become the final girl we all knew she could be. Not since Joe Hill’s N0S4A2 have I seen such a gutsy female character. I think Vic McQueen and Jade Daniels could have been great friends and a formidable duo. Add Letha Mondragon and they would’ve been unstoppable.
The Angel of Indian Lake is ingeniously plotted and brilliantly written. It sinks its claws in you from the very beginning and doesn’t let go. The horror chews right through you and leaves a gaping hole with every death you didn’t see coming. It might be time to say goodbye to Jade Daniels, but Stephen Graham Jones will remain forever. Just hopefully not at the bottom of the lake.
Stephen Graham Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians. He has been an NEA fellowship recipient and a recipient of several awards including the Ray Bradbury Award from the Los Angeles Times, the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Jesse Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, and the Alex Award from American Library Association. He is the Ivena Baldwin Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Publisher: S&S/Saga Press (March 26, 2024)
Hardcover 5.5″ x 8.38″ | 464 pages
ISBN: 9781668011669
Lori Green is a Canadian writer who has been writing poetry, horror, and dark fiction since she first picked up a pen. Her work has been accepted in various publications including Blank Spaces Magazine, Ghost Orchid Press, Dark Rose Press, Black Hare Press, and more. She studied English Literature at the University of Western Ontario and now lives along the shores of Lake Huron. She is currently working on several short stories and writing her first novel. You can follow her on Twitter @LoriG1408.
