In honor of the release of the this book, The Angel of Indian Lake, I wanted to repost my STAR review from Library Journal and make a few comments about the entire trilogy.
First my draft review and 3 words for this specific book.:
It’s October, 2023. Four years have passed since the Dark Mills South Massacre and eight years since the Lake Massacre both which sent Jade to prison. Now, thanks to her best friend Lethe, she is back as the high school history teacher just as Proofrock is about to face another massacre, its most devastating and deadly night yet. This Halloween, will be Proofrock’s final stand against the secrets that have been hidden under the pristine waters of the lake at the center of this cursed town for generations. Readers will get wrapped up in the action, as the bodies pile up, but it will be Jade who leads them through as she comes to terms with traumas both personal and historical, relies on her knowledge of slashers, and learns to trust herself and her renewed connection to her Native heritage. It is the perfect conclusion to this story of ghosts and monsters, both real and supernatural and of secrets that must finally be brought to the surface. A story masterfully told, allowing every detail to matter, but most of all one that provides a final girl to cherish, the angel at its center, the one who believes it is all worth saving.
Verdict: Jones has given the world a gift, an epic tale for the ages, one that is both a violent, high octane slasher and a frank, thought provoking indictment of America, past and present. For any reader but especially those who love when Horror stays true to its genre roots while always striving to let readers see themselves and their reality in its terror such as written by Due, Moreno-Garcia, and Tremblay.
Three Words That Describe This Book: heartbreakingly beautiful, thought provoking, perfect ending
So that's the final book in my limited review word count.
But that is the last book, let's talk about the trilogy now that it is finished. Here is my review of My Heart is a Chainsaw [book 1] where we first meet Jade, Proof Rock, ID, and all of the townspeople. And here is my review of Don't Fear the Reaper [book 2] in which the world building and mythology of Proof Rock was expanded in important and necessary ways. I am going to break down a few of the reasons why this trilogy is so perfect.
First, let's talk construction of the trilogy as a single story. Books 1 and 3 are ONLY from Jade's POV while book 2 is from the point of view of a variety of people. THIS WAS BRILLIANT. I know some readers were bothered by book 2 moving away from Jade. I thought it was a great idea while reading because it fleshed out not only the other people in Proof Rock, but also it enhanced the world building and mythology of what was REALLY going on. Second books in a trilogy are the lynchpin of the entire story. If you don't expand the world, the action, the characters properly, the ending will fall flat. It is tricky. When SGJ returned to Jade's POV exclusively in Book 3, it is was more striking and important that Book 2 was different. You could see in the first few pages of Book 3 how great Book 2 was, and how it set the stage for this final chapter. And this leads to....
Second, and this is something that amazes me in every book Jones writes....every. single. detail. matters. I am not giving them away, these details, but some are glaring, like a certain window in the police station is key. Others are much smaller, like multiple scenes that take place on a bench, or a cut in Jade's skin that becomes important, all of it matters. And often, in books or series where details are key, you need to pour over the books and take notes, but not with SGJ. He is able to keep the story going, in his unique and mesmerizing cadence, and remember for the reader, through the narrative, effortlessly sharing and reminding the reader of the details they need to know about things that happened before and why they matter now. And it is not in a way that makes you feel bad for missing it. Like the excellent professor Jones is in real life, he allows you to discover what, for lack of a better phrase, he did there, and make you feel like you did that work on your own.
Third, this is a the story of Jade coming into her adult self, of over coming trauma, both personal and the trauma of really being a marginalized human in America. And that is another part of the brilliance here. Marginalization comes in a variety of forms and it is explored in the present, but also the past. Oppressors are everywhere and everyone can be an oppressor. Take the Elk, who appear throughout the trilogy, who have been harmed by humans as a great example, and yet, they survive.
But Jade specifically, the girl who becomes a woman, in front of us. She becomes her true self amidst the Horror (of her life, in front of her) and unites past and present, taking on so much the pain to help heal us all. The pure joy I felt as a reader at the end of this trilogy, despite the death and destruction, the pure joy I felt that Jade was going to be alright not because she was the Final Girl, but because she knew who she was, was finally happy with who that person was, and had the power and confidence to help others be their best selves going forward.
Fourth, despite all this in-depth discussion, this is a Horror novel. Yes it is thought provoking and has a lot to say about the world we live in now, but it is also a Slasher with a high body count, with bloody, well described, and creative kill scenes. Many people die. Key characters do not make it out alive (in every book). More specifically, it is in the Slasher subgenre, and yet, it has turned the entire genre on its head, in the process setting a new standard that redefines the subgenre. Like all Slashers, there is violence and revenge. The revenge is for specific things in Jade's time and life but also historical. The revenge is sought by creatures both living and dead.
But most importantly, this trilogy presents a Final Girl for our current times. Jade is NOT forced to fight the same monster over and over like the Slashers of our childhood, one she cannot beat until the final sequel (if that ever comes). Each book presents a new killer, one she defeats. And her scars from her "wins" are discussed in the next book-- explicitly-- become part of who she is, and help her to be the woman she will become at the end of this final book. One that is ready to be herself, one that is proud of who she is, and one who will share what she has learned with those she loves. But I should also say, SGJ does retain a bit of the subgenre that inspires him. There is an overall "killer" that permeates all of the books and in that way Jade is also a traditional Final Girl, saving the entire town by the end.
Yes I am saying this book both supports the history of the Slasher and makes it new. Both are true and it is why this trilogy is going to be read FOR YEARS TO COME.
All of this is why I am going one the record, very clearly to say this. Just as the generation before me looked to Stephen King's The Stand and it's 1,500 pages as the epic book that defined Horror in the 80s and 90s, just as Brian Keene is on record saying that he rereads it every year, I am saying to you now-- Jade's story, all 1,000+ pages of The Indian Lake Trilogy is THE 21st Century's Horror epic. It will forever define this time and place; it has taken talk of Stephen Graham Jones being the best Horror author of our time and risen him to one of the best authors, period. The Only Good Indians showed us he could be one of the best living writers today, but the Indian Lake Trilogy proves it. This is why I said, in writing, in Library Journal (above), "Jones has given the world a gift, an epic tale for the ages..." It is a gift to all readers, now and those into the future. And I NEVER reread books, but I may listen to my mentor Brian Keene and start rereading Jade's story from start to finish every year.
But wait, there's more....
I am also writing this blog post as I prepare to turn in my review of Jones' second novel coming out in 2024, I Was a Teenaged Slasher, later this week, and it is not only great on it's own, it is the yin to Jade Daniels' yang. I would even go so far as to give it to people new to SGJ first. It lays the foundation for how Jones sees the Slasher, how he takes the trope, raises it up to the status of a capital C Classic form of storytelling (across all mediums), honors its roots, and then probes it deeply, turning it into something new (and I would argue better).
I know some people may read this and think I am exaggerating. And that's fine. But may I remind you of my track record in elevating and praising the very best Horror books out there. And may I remind you that these words eliciting the highest praise, I rarely use them. I am paid to write about books for a living. I take my job as one of the most important reviewers of Horror fiction VERY SERIOUSLY. I know what I am saying and choose my words carefully. I am not willing to risk my career on any old book.
That being said, I know for a lot of my library worker readers, this series is not for you. It is terrifying in ways both violently gruesome and existentially personal. That is fine. However, that does not mean you can ignore what I am saying. This is series you need to have, promote, and share with as many people as possible. Use my words to book talk it. Buy all of SGJ's books and make them available in as ubiquitous a way as you have made Stephen King's books front and center for years.
Today, let's celebrate Jade Daniels on the day that her full story is officially out in the world. And the absolutely perfect ending that will leave you in tears, the best kind of tears, tears that make you want to go back and start at the beginning of the trilogy immediately after finishing the story.
Happy Book Birthday to The Angel of Indian Lake. Now Jade's story is complete and we are all better because of it.
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| Click here to explore the trilogy |
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